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MaScout

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Everything posted by MaScout

  1. The depression only plays a role in that I am not pressing charges -- yes, he should "pay" for his theft, but at risk of suicide, I think not. $300 is NOT worth his life. I really like what Double Eagle had to say about eagles in the wild...nice analogy & it helps put things inperspective. Thanks. The boy gave the same money back. He still had it on him. He took it because he could. (Feathers drooping so they drag on the ground.) He didn't need it. He stood up in front of the troop and confessed to the entire troop, which I thought was gutsy. (His choice to tell them.) He cried t
  2. Caught red-handed & confessed. No room AT ALL for doubt. Scout fights some depression. Learning much by leaps & bounds. Not considering charges -- I just can't do it. I don't feel that is the best way for this lad to learn. Maybe I'm too much of a soft touch? This is one concern when a woman/mom is in the role of SM. But I have sought much council, and all seem to be in agreement with me in not pressing charges. Actually, I did let the District Advancement Chair know (he insists on attending all Eagle BOR's). We had a SM conference and a troop BOR about it. Parents present. He was
  3. Has anyone ever felt the need to renege on a SM Conference before the BOR took place? How would you go about it? Is it "legal"? i.e. SM Conference for Eagle. Boy passed with flying colors. Boy stole $300 (from SM). (Side lesson: Boy is good actor.) BOR not held yet. Can he be held up?
  4. No is no is no is no. I was waaaaay over-involved, too. When I decided to step back some, they (local, district, & council)didn't seem to be able to understand "no", either. The hardest to get to understand "I need some breathing space" was District. When I told them I wished to resign as District Training Chair, first they didn't want to accept my resignation. Then they said, "Okay, but we want you to step into another position that is only one "time period" per year." I found out that was Friends of Scouting District Chair. Whoa! That time period only covers the one time period of w
  5. CRIKEY!!! We're damned if we do & damned if we don't! Well--in my case, I am the SM, so if a lad chooses to use me for his MBC, he talks to me right then & there. I can't believe -- forget it -- yes I can -- that you were told you couldn't require the boy to meet with you at the beginning! That's SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) from the reading material (Boy Scout Handbook, page 187)! 1) Obtain from your Scoutmaster... 2) Along with another...attend your first appointment...will explain.." AAAAARGH! For pity's sake -- how do they know what you want if they don't
  6. Can you guys believe I actually am a MBC for Communication too? Scary, huh? OK -- Here's how it works when they want to do a MB with me (and I hope I actually get all the steps in). They get a blue card signed by SM. They talk to me about what they need to do. I give them a sheet with those expectations in writing. They do the work. We meet & go over the requirements -- sometimes not until they have done all they can do on their own, sometimes several times to help clarify or just get small steps done. (This is the part I was referring to when I said the first time it was presented --
  7. Thanks for all your responses so far & in the future. I really thought I was correct in what I was doing (and yes, they knew the expectations). I REALLY, really hate it when I allow other people to make me second-guess myself! I think it stems from wanting to do my best for these boys...
  8. I'm not talking about things that have been signed off. I'm talking about items the Scout has prepared and have brought to me to present to ANY MB counselor for the first time. They often write the information down so it isn't all "recall", but this is the first time it was discussed with ANY MB Counselor. So when I say "done", I simply mean the Scout has worked through that requirement, but not presented it to a counselor. A counselor is to verify the work is completed. How do we verify it if we don't discuss? Just look at written records? You're right, the Scouts do not have to accept m
  9. As a MB counselor, when a lad comes to me to discuss what he has done for a merit badge and get some items signed off, I ask questions about what is written down or completed. I am looking for understanding about what was done. I have occasionally encountered resistance from a Scout, and more often from a parent, that the Scout shouldn't have to "explain" to me, as long as it is done. Environmental Science is a primary one where this concern is raised. For example, when they complete their experiments, I ask them something like, "So, in the bigger picture of the world or life, how does th
  10. Ooops! Brain lapse...if done correctly, the firepan on rocks does NOT scar the rocks! I know that...but not this morning, apparently! In regards to "mound fires", we can haul in our own materials to "mound", but generally are not allowed to build a mound with the materials around us, as we are in a pasture or similar. Just looking for more ideas...
  11. Right on, OGE!!! Now...how do we get our Scouts AND Scouters to become skilled scouters and help our new Scouts to become skilled outdoorsmen?
  12. While I am very familiar with established fire pits, our troops often camp where there aren't established fire pits or even established camp grounds. I am also quite familiar with mound fires. There are a lot of places we camp where this simply isn't practical NOR LNT. When we camp in someone's pasture, we would have to dig dirt to create the mound. Also, we are usually required to have "sides" around our fire and a top available if needed, due to fire issues. My personal opinion is that you still scar those rocks, too. My question is more about the "less obvious" solutions and the
  13. What do other troops do for this? In our area, we have a wide variety of "solutions" for this. Some of them are: >Tractor tire rim (or smaller car or truck rim), legs welded on to get it off the ground, grate in the bottom for wood, flat piece of metal for "lid" or ground cover to catch the coals. >Old washing machine tub set on cinder blocks. Grate off an old Weber grill fits on this perfectly for grilling or setting a pan or coffee pot. Air holes "built in", and totes your ashes away with you. >Several more I've seen, but can't remember how to describe...
  14. They may explicitly work on them over the span of their Cub Scout career. If you are looking at some of them you might want to work on, you might get ahold of a Webelos book. I always marked the ones I wanted to work on as Webelos so we didn't have to do the requirements twice - once if we earned it earlier, and then again to work on a Webelos Activity Badge.
  15. Many years ago, our experienced Scout patrol felt the new Scout patrol wasn't advancing quickly enough, and decided to plan a "rank advancement" campout for them. This has snowballed. Now they (the original experienced Scouts are gone) were offended this last year when I asked them if they really wanted to have this as one of their troop outings. Of course they did! This was their opportunity to share the skills they had developed over the years. They divvy up the areas depending on their strengths & teach skills. We start Friday evening and go until Sunday evening. We camp locally, so we
  16. Regardless of each one's personal thoughts, what message are (would) the Scouts (be) receiving? First: It is okay to disobey any rules we disagree with, even though we made a vow to uphold all the rules. It is okay to not be trustworthy, etc. Second: Regardless of what actually happens -- or doesn't happen -- in the tent, a youth's PERCEPTION is that a sexual relationship MIGHT occur. Most (not all) Scouts would find it "not right" that two unmarried people would share a tent, especially if it were two unmarried people of opposite gender or two people of the same gender who are self
  17. When we retire a large number of flags (40+ at our last troop meeting), we retire the 1st & last with a big ceremony. We retire the rest with a very simple presentation, similar to posting the colors: all at attention, 2 lines of boys to form a column for Color Guard to march past, Color Guard to front carrying one flag, prepare to present, present (hold upright in front of fire), salute, prepare to retire, retire, stand at attention till unrecognizable, color guard back to starting position. Switch groups around so more have a chance to retire. Obviously, you'd want an experienced Scout w
  18. It was fun to see this brought up... I agree that the requirements do not state who you must camp with, it just wants you camping in a tent YOU pitched or under the stars, not in a cabin. 20 nights is not hard to accomplish, but it DOES take some planning (preferably by the troop, but it can be within the family). Our Troop routinely schedules more than 30 nights camping per year. The patrols may add more. Once upon a time (a couple years ago) my son logged in 87 days/nights in a 13 week period. BTW -- there is a cool patch available for Scouts & Scouters who earn 100, 250, & 1000 days
  19. FTR (For the Record) -- I DO agree with the idea of "do it this way just to circumvent". A Scout is honest. There is nothing honest, obedient, or trustworthy about bending the rules or "cheating" on them. FYI -- The campout I will be participating in this weekend truly isn't a pretend family event...1st -- not all the troop (nor even one patrol) will be there. We are playing. Some of our friends are Scouts. Some are not. How-some-ever...I NEED to check into the "Winter Camp" & Webelos MUCH MORE CLOSELY!!! Where I live, we have a "100 degrees of frost" award -- primarily for Boy
  20. You all forgot to hammer NDL about incorrect naming of the uniform, too... Remember, there are always AT LEAST two ways to say something, and one of them is nice! When forum members have a gut reaction to something, we need to THINK before we fire back a response... Eamonn & JKC -- you guys have a lot of insight & wisdom to share. It would be better received if you were kind in the manner you share. Verbal castigation generally results in someone dropping from the forum, NOT in "learning". Sometimes we get so wrapped up in "this is right & this is wrong" we can't see the fore
  21. I think a small item from home might be okay, but HOO- BOY! I would NOT recommend a stuffed animal. The other boys WILL ridicule him if they find out about having a stuffed animal. You may think they won't/don't...but they will. On the lines of still being a baby... I know, all "our" Scouts are kinder than this...NOT! Mail from home -- our first year scouts like it, but the older ones prefer to NOT receive mail...it singles them out & embarrasses them. Depending on what the parents write, they can be good or not so good...if they are supportive of the decision to be in camp, pumped
  22. I just Googled "Victor Cass" and came up with the following link to his response: http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/article.php?id=3405&IssueNum=19 YIS, Ma
  23. My first reaction to ScoutNut's suggestion of a 3-6 mile hike was, "Whoa! Hoo-Boy!" After a little thought, I'd say it really depends on where you take that 3-6 mile hike! We just took our new Boy Scouts on their 5-mile hike. It took 8-9 hours, and they didn't dink around. But they didn't walk on a level path, either. So you really need to tailor the length of the hike to the conditions you will be hiking. If I would have taken our Webelos on a 6-mile hike over the same terrain, we would have had lunch AND supper out there! AND some exausted boys. Our Webelos usually take a hike that lasts aro
  24. Woodbadge won't clear it up. It isn't unit type specific. Reading, asking in forums like this, and Venturing training are your best bets. In our units, we consider staffing at BSA camps to be "active" -- they are at A Scout function -- same when boys miss for Jambo, NJLIC, etc.
  25. Our Pack always had snacks at Pack Meetings. Many of the dens, my sons' dens especially, had snacks regularly. However, they met right after school and most of them needed a snack of some sort to tide them over. I just explained to them that Boy Scouts is different in many ways...some in the program itself, but also in how it is delivered -- like meets in the evening and has no snacks, as they just got done with their evening meal.
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