LeCastor

A popular extra-normal Scouting event in these parts is the electronics-themed lock-in at the chartering organization's building. Since we have some pretty cold, snowy winters, it has become a tradition in my Troop to have pizza on Friday night, let all the Scouts bring their video games systems to the church and have a big sleepover. Personally, I don't think electronics and Scouting really jive together. However, the boys really love it and want to continue the event; some have indicated they want to do it up to twice per year. (I think I'll have to use my veto on that one...)

We do keep a patrol atmosphere, though, in which they Scouts create a duty roster and cook their own food in the church's kitchen. But, unlike on camping trips, the boys were up and back at their game systems well before day-break. Some of the younger ASMs brought board games and others just read books. Overall, I think they boys got bored after about noon on Saturday because they were cooped up on the building.

We have had some pretty fun non-tent trips, though, at our council's camps. In November we stayed in a one-room schoolhouse, went on day hikes (nature study), built pioneering structures, did some geochaching...And these were all activities the boys suggested! However, in January we went to a cabin and no one wanted to be there. They were crabby and picked on each other and generally through the Scout Oath and Law out the window.

Personally, I'm ready for spring and want to get out hiking and camping ASAP--and I'm not a "fuddy-duddy". When I ask the boys to tell me what they want to do they say, "....[crickets chirping]...uh, I don't know..." So HOW DO WE FIND OUT what they want to do? Asking doesn't work...

Dear Fellow Scouters,

There comes a time when we must put things to rest and remind ourselves that we are here to help the youth of our nation become better citizens. Petty bickering is not going to help us achieve our task. We serve as role models and set the example for the youth and, while this internet forum is relatively anonymous, Scouts can (and do) see what we write. If we agree to live by the Scout Oath and Law, we must remember to set the example and be Courteous and Kind.

Now, please, for the love of Lord Baden-Powell, let this thread die in peace. Get your training and use it to the advantage of the boys. Give them the experience they deserve. Remember that we're not perfect and that no training course will ever be perfect either. Just please don't resort to name-calling and petty arguments over an adult training course...Please.

Yours in Scouting,

LeCastor

Hi Shepo1!

Thanks for the kind words. I try to keep a positive attitude and remember why I'm a Scouter...It's for the boys.

No, I won't be over in Minnesota for my Wood Badge experience. But I look forward to discussing how your experience was in, say, September. We'll both have had a wonderful time, I'm sure!

Also, thanks, Kudu, for acknowledging my having done the homework! I appreciate your enthusiasm for Scouting and keeping it for the boys.

It's kind of amazing how long this thread has become. I just wanted to say how I wanted to experience Wood Badge for myself.

I am a voracious reader anyway and so I'm always looking for more and more books on the outdoors and woodcraft. Here's just a sampling of what I've been reading lately:

Woodcraft - Nessmuk

Boys Book of Camping and Wood Crafts - Mason

BSA Fieldbook 2nd Ed.

Camping and Woodcraft - Kephart

Be Expert with Map and Compass - Kjellstrom

Air Force Suvival Handbook

Complete Walker IV - Fletcher

National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) Cookery

AMC Guide to Outdoor Leadership - Kosseff

Last Child in the Woods - Louv

Sand County Almanac - Leopold

Anything by John Muir

Backpacker Magazine's Leave No Trace

I doesn't hurt to supplement the Boy Scout Handbook.

To follow up on my original post...I have registered for Wood Badge, paid in full and am super excited about training in August of this year.

I noticed that the Scouts in my Troop were starting to get lax in keeping their uniforms up-to-date. So last Saturday I dug out my old ODL uniform shirt from when I was a Scout and stripped off all of my old badges and insignia from another council/lodge.

After about an hour, I had my new CSP, Troop numerals (red), current lodge flap, SM badge of office and trained strip (tan and red) sewn on to the old uni shirt. Then, on Monday night at the Troop meeting almost all of the boys noticed right away that I wasn't wearing the new Centennial shirt with the green accents. And you could see the outline of my old rank patch and Arrow of Light, so they thought that was pretty neat.

I explained that it's ok to have pride in your Troop and be proud of being a Scout, too! It doesn't take much effort to make sure you have your must current rank badge sewn on. If you've earned it you should show everyone your accomplishments.

It's these small things that I think make the uniform the most important. While I always wear the green Scout pants, I don't expect that the Scouts are going to do this. The least I expect is that they have all of their insignia up-to-date.

Thanks, everyone, for the responses. I had a SM conference with the Scout in question last night and learned that he knew he was over the line and that he has deleted all adult leaders' contact info from his phone prior to the meeting. He really impressed me with his actions last night. Turns out he just needs an outlet--someone to talk to--and I just happened to be that guy. I see a brighter future for him now. He even said he considered putting his hat in the ring for a youth leadership position. "Train 'em, Trust 'em, Let 'em lead."

Since I have become Scoutmaster of our Troop, one particular Scout has taken to texting me about Scouting-related topics and sometimes about life in general. Normally, he would speak with his Patrol Leader or Senior Patrol Leader about these things. However, the texting has become abusive with 4-5 part messages coming through on my phone at all hours of the day. Some texts are veiled threats that I can't be completely sure aren't directed a me personally.

I have brought this up to the Troop Committee in the past and we came to the decision that all replies should be something along the lines of "We can discuss this at the Troop meeting next week" with one other adult copied in for youth protection guidelines. Also, I have repeatedly mentioned to this Scout that his texts are inappropriate and that we should speak with me face-to-face at the meetings or direct his questions to the PL or SPL.

Has anyone else encountered this type of behavior? I find that he is quite a different person when he is physically in front of me. I'm at a loss here...

I don't have any experience as an adult with a Pack and it's been a LONG time since I was a Cub. However, I have seen a gradual shift my Troop's patrol menus this year.

Traditionally, The Scouts have a Mountain Man (egg bake) cooked in a Dutch oven for Sat breakfast. Then, "subs" for lunch and grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner. Then, on Sunday morning it's cereal. Boring....

Now, they still hold tight to the Mountain Man but they are branching out for lunches and dinners now. They made soft shelled tacos one night recently.

The "adult patrol" has been more adventurous lately. Sat breakfast is pancakes or a Mountain Man. Lunch is some kind of soup and sandwich thing. Dinner has been roasted veggie primavera (Dutch oven) over pasta; Mediterranean chicken with rice (Dutch oven); one pot stews...

Then, I wowed all of the Scouts one Sunday morning recently with a batch of French toast! They were sitting there with their imitation Golden Grahams and drooling over the sight of the fluffy French toast...So they took advantage of my hot griddle and made quesadillas with their leftover cheese and tortillas...

You can make good camp food with little cash. We calculate $3 per person per meal and we usually have money left over. That being said, I imagine that Cubs can be more picky about their food...

I agree with TwoCubDad. You should give the mom a call and discuss your concerns with her. Very often, emails and/or letters are taken to mean things that weren't intended. You can't hear concern in someone's voice through email. A phone call is very personal and shows care for the Scout. An email is very 21st century but not personal at all.

Please allow me to reiterate my point...I like going to training events. And I'm looking forward to Wood Badge.

Basementdweller, I'm sorry you had such a lousy experience. We realize that it wasn't all that and a bag of chips, as they say.

Thanks to everyone who gave positive posts and well wishes. I think this thread should be put to bed now.

Perhaps it's because I'm a young Scouter who has just been chosen as Scoutmaster for my Troop, but I really look forward to taking all of the training courses offered to me by my council. I enjoyed the Scoutmaster specific training and the Intro. to Outdoor Leader Skills. And I look forward to taking the Wood Badge training next fall.

I have the Scoutmaster's Handbook 3rd Edition by Hillcourt and I've read both volumes. And I've read just about all of the Boy Scout Handbooks (BSA editions), including "Scouting for Boys." I tend to read as much as I can on a certain topic, as it helps me get a better grasp on the subject matter. However, I don't discount putting this reading knowledge into practice. I get to to that every week at the Troop meetings and again on our monthly outings.

WB21C might be a lot of business books and management training but that doesn't have to be bad. Sure, it's not like the WB that Kudu remembers. It's just different. It's six days of your life and $200 out of your bank account. For me, that's not too much to ask. For others it could be a lot. But the truth is that it's just another training program that you can take as a Scouter. You're bound to learn something along the way, right? You aren't forced to take it.

Just for the heck of it I did a search on the local GS council in my area: gsbadgerland.org.

It looks like they had a "Troop Camp" with activities much like our BSA district fall camporee back in September. Also, there's a "Girls Vs Wild" event coming up in November. Apparently, it used to be called "Badgerland Trekkers: Outdoor Skills." So what I'm gleaning from this 2 minute research is that the GSUSA council offers outings just like my BSA council counterpart.

It's up to the individual troops to push for extra-council outings (i.e., camping, hiking, etc.).

I have been thinking about this topic a lot lately myself. My sister-in-law was a Girl Scout through the Silver Award and went camping and did ropes courses, etc. But my wife didn't do anything outdoors as a Girl Scout. It seems that the Troops just folded right and left because no one was recruiting or providing an exciting program for the girls.

If GSUSA instated a training program for adults leaders that incorporated something similar to the BSA's intro to Outdoor Leadship Skills that wasn't "lame," I think more troops would recognize the fun in camping, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, etc. Also, restrictions on male participation (particularly fathers!) should be relaxed. I realize that GSUSA doesn't control this and that some troops have decided to exclude men from outings on a local level. Dads want to do things with their daughters and many dads were Boy Scouts and enjoyed camping and have outdoors experience.

I'm not familiar with advancement within GSUSA but if there were equivalents to the Camping, Wilderness Survival, Hiking, Cycling Merit Badges, Girl Scouts might be more motivated to go outside and go camping. Female Venturers like high adventure. Women like to go outdoors. Why aren't these women Girl Scouts leaders? Is it an image thing?

I received this knife as a gift over ten years ago and have never been able to open 3/4 of it. Believe me when I say I'm no novice to breaking in knives. This one is insanely difficult to use.

I have the "Boy Scout Knife" and I find all of the implements hard, if not impossible, to open. The only part that I find usable is the blade. I have tried to open the can opener and screw driver and practically tore my thumbnail off!

This is the knife I'm referring to:

http://www.scoutstuff.org/bsa/camping/knives-accessories/knives/boy-scouttm-knife.html

For the most part, I leave this knife at home as it's heavier than my other knives...and I can't use 3/4 of it! Has anyone else had this problem?

Clearly, I have ruffled somes feathers, so to speak, with this topic. As with most of my posts, I intend to invite discussion rather than to seek personal answers to my questions. So I apologize if my intentions weren't appreciated.

As for grace and faith alone, it wasn't my intention to say that being in the OA was going to set me right with my creator. Service and cheerfulness are just good things to do and very Christ-like, in my opinion.

Again, I only wanted to spark a discussion.

Being both a Lutheran and Brotherhood member of the Order of the Arrow, I found the recent discussions about whether or not Christianity and the OA were compatible to be very interesting. In fact, my mother is a recently-retired pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and she found the discussion just as interesting, if not more than I did.

As we who are members know, the OA is a service organization that aims to help others in a very selfless way. It's about being a better person, both as a leader and as a servant. From my many years in a pew at church beside my mom or on the organ bench with my dad, I have learned that Christianity is about just these things.

Nevertheless, there are still those out there who will denounce the Order of the Arrow as either evil or not compatible with the teachings of "the church". Please see this blog I came across in my research:

http://forum.preachersfiles.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1962

Just a few weekends ago, I went to my lodge's fall conference with two veteran Arrowmen and an Ordeal candidate. One of the Arrowman explained to the candidate that his times with the OA were the best years of his Scouting experience. ArrowCorps5, service projects and fellowship are good for the soul and for the community. So I can't figure out why membership in the OA would be contradictory to the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Thoughts?

WWW,

LeCastor

Here is a link to the patch in question:

http://www.oaimages.com/cgi-bin/buildpage.cgi?pp=146b&dd=1&ii=7572&ch=y

I realize this is an old post but I just got back from our Lodge's fall conference and I noticed a few of these "full-pocket patches". In fact, a Scout from my unit designed a full-pocket compliment to our Lodge's flap. However, this particular addition is for our chapter, not NOAC or lodge.

What do you all think of Scouters wearing these patches? I personally think they are neat but they also take up a lot of room on the shirt and look, well, a little too flashy for my tastes. Nevertheless, I purchased one this weekend to support my Scout. I don't know whether I'll put it on my uniform or not, though. It might just make its way to a patch blanket...

I see that Scouts Canada will launch new uniforms this fall:

http://www.scouts.ca/uniformlaunch/index.html

I realize that I am opening a can of worms with this topic but I don't think this subject has been touched upon in these forums.

(I am a Brotherhood member since the early 1990s and I have a deep personal connection to the Order of the Arrow.)

That being said, some of my friends/aquaintances have asked me, in some form or fashion, how I justify the use Native American customs and images by the BSA.

So have any of you been asked similar questions regarding the OA and its emphasis on Native American heritage?

I agree with you all that we can't draw negative conclusions about the rank of Eagle based on the actions of certain Scouts who have earned that rank. Personally, I know of at least two Eagles who never showed Scout Spirit or leadership qualities; in fact, one of them (I hear) went to prison. But I have also known (and currently know) countless Eagles who are fine, up-standing citizens.

As for this particular Scout, not knowing him, I can't and won't caste judgement on him. But basementdweller hits the nail on the head, so to speak, when pointing out that the Scout didn't even bother to wear his field uniform.

The recent thread on "Eagle mills" also got me thinking about the first two Eagles I mentioned above. For a time, I lost hope in the ideals of the Eagle Scout. But in the past 4 months I have seen the actions and service provided by Eagles through our local OA lodge. At first, I though, 'geez, this council has way too many Eagles.' But then I realized that they were dedicated, hard-working Scouts and young men.

Since Eagle is our highest rank, we tend to put a tremendous weight on its significance. This is only natural. However, as we've discussed, from Troop to Troop, it is very hard to keep things as stringent as some would like. So, kcs_hiker, since you know this young man and have seen his influence on younger Scouts, I can totally see why you would be angered by his receiving our highest rank.

However, please don't lose hope like I did so many years ago! There are plenty of quality Eagles out there who deserve the recognition they've been given.

Thanks, everyone, for the kind words!

I recognized both Scouts last night publicly at the Troop meeting and had them present their idea for a trash clean-up service project at the park. This went over very well with all present.

As I got up in front of our two patrols and began the short introduction, I could see smiles forming on the faces of the two Scouts in question. It was very warming.

I had an experience yesterday that almost brought me to tears and it was as simple as watching Scouts follow the lead of adults.

Yesterday, after a Troop outing to a minor league baseball game, I was walking back to the car through a local city park with my wife and two Scouts. Up ahead I saw an empty ice cream bucket lying in the grass. As we got to it, the Scout I was talking to stepped over it without making an attempt to pick it up. So I grabbed it and made it obvious to both Scouts (without words) that it should have been collected. My wife then began picking up smaller bits of trash and putting them in the bucket. Then, still without any words, both Scouts, in turn, starting picking up pieces of trash and following the lead of the two adults. It was one of the coolest experiences I've had yet as a Scouter.

When we finally got back to the car, the Scout who stepped over the bucket initially said, "you know we should have the Troop come out here and do a service project to clean up all this trash." I never had to say a word and he got the point of my simply picking up that plastic bucket.

That was so cool!