MattR
-
Posts
3190 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
179
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Articles
Store
Posts posted by MattR
-
-
Apparently our commander in chief just said flag burning is illegal. He said when people burn flags other people "go crazy" and start riots and lots of people die and it goes on all across the country and even the world! Any idea how this works with the flag code? Or even the fact that the executive branch can't make laws? Maybe someone needs to take the Cit in the Nation MB. It just drives me crazy when the fundamentals of the flag code are misunderstood and now this, from our elected leader.
So after said leader spewed word salad saying it was now illegal some other guy said that the DOJ would investigate any flag burning and "where there's evidence of criminal activity [and] where prosecution wouldn't fall afoul of first amendment rights ... " then the DOJ should prosecute. Ummmm, what? Sounds like an executive order written to mollify exactly one person.
So I guess if you peacefully burn a flag in protest then it's okay? I think I might go burn a flag, not in protest but rather to retire it with dignity. But if it doesn't involve first amendment rights then it's illegal, no?
Oh wait, at the same time that this executive order was signed another was signed, directing the DoD to take a larger role in "quelling civil disturbances." Probably all those scouts retiring flags. Maybe this was all just an AI hallucination.
-
1
-
-
@Armymutt, I certainly tried to get patrols to do their own thing. We had 60 some scouts (6 to 8 patrols) and I pushed for meetings on their own, service projects on their own and activities on campouts by patrol. If there was a hike then the patrols could hike on their own, if they could prove to me they were prepared. I refused to mix and match patrols unless there were less than 4 scouts in a patrol and that's what they wanted (they usually didn't). The scouts understood the point of all of this. The adults were the problem. They constantly said it was more efficient to have everyone do the same thing. The only thing they didn't fight was to let the patrols do on their own was cooking. Within a year after I stepped down cooking was the only thing they did on their own. They started mixing patrols for each campout. By now there is only one patrol on a campout anyway and on some campouts the adults and scouts cook together.
If I were a better leader I could have convinced the adults that efficiency doesn't teach leadership. Rather, dealing with problems teaches leadership. But I was never very good at teaching the adults. I tried.
-
1
-
2
-
-
@Eagle94-A1, no need to beat yourself up. It's hard to walk away. And it's okay.
The first day I joined a scout troop I met this old guy, at least he seemed old to me, an eleven year old, and he was the kindest person I'd ever met. It was a group of new scouts and he was working with us. I was struggling with the scout law and all the other kids had no problem with it. He was very patient with me. I always wanted to be like him. My guess he was previously the SM. It's probably why I wanted to be a SM. He was why it was so hard for me to leave my troop. I wanted to be that kind guy. But, I never got to have that chance working with the new scouts because I was too busy trying to make up for the fact that not many parents were helping out and I was doing way more heavy lifting in the troop than I wanted. One thing I always told myself was not to wait until I was angry with the troop before I left. I had a lot of good memories and I didn't want them ruined. So one day something went way south and I decided right then and there I was done. I walked out and haven't been back. Scouting will have to survive without me. Whether it does is out of my control so I won't worry about it. Besides, I enjoy a lot of other things now. Tomorrow morning I'm going to drive to where I saw a really old, kind of rusty, GMC pickup truck that's sitting in a field with a lot of grass growing around it and take some photos.
Take care.
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
Here's a slight modification to @Eagle1993's comment about ditching the lions and tigers. Cubscouts was originally meant to be pre scouts, not it's own thing. The question is what would a cub program look like if the goal were to get every scout to bridge over? Just my guess but a 3 year program that was fair weather camping would be a start. Very little else. If the goal is to camp or play outdoors from May to September then it's pretty easy. Tie it to the troop so those kids see the scouts doing their thing. The UK has "groups" where each group has all age ranges covered. So make a group where, up front, the expectation is to prepare cubs and parents to be camping with the troop. Parents need to learn how to camp, how to have fun singing silly songs at camp fires, how to cook in the outdoors. Yes, the scouts need to learn this as well but that's obvious. Those 3 years are to teach the parents what scouting is about while they have fun with their kids. The pinewood derby is not important. The pins are not important. The badges and patches are not important. Learning how to have fun with your kids in the outdoors is important. That would be much easier on the parents than putting on a weekly program for kids that aren't mature, can't sit still and really need to burn a lot of energy. Final comment is that cubscouts is where cubs camp with their parents. Scouts is where they don't.
Sure, slight modification would be a major change. I'm not sure what would happen with single parents and siblings and all that. Those are the details where the devil lies. My kids have their own now, so I'm probably the wrong person to ask anyway.
-
5
-
That kind of ended with a whimper. I wish those that are involved all the best of luck.
-
4
-
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
On 4/18/2025 at 2:30 PM, mrjohns2 said:Our district has the option to earn 1 or 2. I’m involved as an archery MCA ONLY so scouts can complete partials from camp. I think that is a good service for the Scouts where the others MBs are not good scouting.
In my youth, there were no MBs at camporees nor were there merit badge universities.
So if a scout can take off and work on MBs at a camporee, what does the rest of his or her patrol do without that scout? So much for patrol method.
There's sort of a win all you can mindset but my guess is that not understanding the benefits of the patrol method is a bigger problem. I heard an interview with someone that studies youth problems with changing technology. It was like they were begging for something just like the patrol method. The idea of a gang of kids, where the older ones look out for the younger ones and teach them the rules of society started fading with the advent of computers as entertainment. Lack of social skills, depression, etc. Smart phones made it that much worse. Their biggest fear is when parents can buy AI "friends" for their children. They'll never have to talk to real people!
To be honest, I think there's another problem. I'm a grandparent with 3 grandkids aged 2 and under. Of all the people I knew that were parents while my kids were living at home, most don't have grandkids. Few of their children want children. Maybe they're too busy earning "MBs"? I admit that it's expensive and difficult to find the time, but, when it comes to a high adventure trip, having kids is really one of the best. Both my kids are in the not enough sleep phase but they love their kids. It's wonderful for me to watch. Both of my kids live in town. It's been an insane winter of colds and my wife and I are always on call. I've been sick more this winter than I can remember. I also love that I can spend this time with my family. I wouldn't call it quality time but some day, after I'm gone, I hope my grandkids have fond memories of playing with me.
Bottom line: MBs are easy, life is not. Life is an adventure, MBs are not. MBs are worn on your sleeve, good memories are worn on your soul.
-
1
-
1
-
3
-
@skeptic, with all due respect, Truth and Knowledge are not personal opinions. "Referring youth back to family" makes a lot of sense when it comes to religion, but not this fiasco. If the scout's parents are getting their news from X/TikTok/QAnon or any of a number of other worthless information sources then all you're doing is keeping the scouts confused. What makes for an informed opinion? A bit of skepticism is certainly good. So is humility. I'd say play the devil's advocate on any issue they're interested in and show them how to come to their own answers.
The bigger problem I see is that fear is freezing people from doing the right thing. They're afraid they're the only one that isn't so sure, so to be safe they're just going to go along. That's the problem. Democracy doesn't work when a lot of people are afraid to speak their mind. Your job is to teach them about truth and knowledge as well as bravery, humility, and kindness. Unfortunately this isn't just scouts. The best example is that Congress is frozen. Half of them think they can't do anything because they don't have the votes and the other half think they can't do anything because they're afraid they'll be voted out. I suspect the truth is that there are a fair number of people that voted for this administration but didn't vote for what's going on. Those people are the ones that hold all the power, if only they'd find the confidence to talk about their concerns. If only Congress would talk to them then, who knows, Congress might become a third co-equal branch of the government. Novel idea, no?
For all the others, a bunch are getting what they voted for and I have no sympathy for what's happening to them. For those that didn't vote for this administration it's time to play the cards that were dealt.
You say you don't remember a time when things were this "muddled and frozen by blind opinion?" Sure you do. You grew up in one such period. Civil rights. Vietnam. A lot of people were really sure about things until they started asking questions. Even then, the complexity of what was going on was much more than people realized. How many decades did it take to quit blaming vets? Anyone that thinks history is simple is not paying attention.
I think we shouldn't whitewash our history. Just like scouts growing from making mistakes and learning from them so does society.
-
1
-
3
-
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
As of yesterday I'm no longer associated with a unit or district. I've lost interest in scouting and now have 3 grandkids that I care much more about. I adore them and even though I've had a cold twice, hoof in mouth and covid, all since the start of Nov, it's worth it. But I don't have time for meetings with bored teenagers or campouts with a handful of scouts. If the parents were still engaged like they were even 10 years ago I'd make the time, but they're not. It seems the same way on this forum. I'm not a leader and I never thought I was. I just kept at it because I believed in it. I'm not going to change anything anymore.
So, it's time to move on. I hope scouting figures things out. It was fun. I have good memories. There were some good people on this forum as well. I may poke my nose in once in a while but my interest is waning. I'd rather go for a hike to take some nice photos.
Take care everyone.
@RememberSchiff and @Eagle1993 , I'll start a thread in the moderator area.
-
7
-
I certainly hope that within a week of when I die people aren't posting on this website about how lousy a scoutmaster I was.
-
2
-
4
-
-
@swilliams, I'm going to make this quick.
Scouting works when younger scouts look up to older scouts. Scouting also happens in the patrol. So don't do patrols by grade. Also, scouts want to be with their friends. These 3 items create a difficult puzzle to solve.
Some older scouts are natural at working with younger scouts and many are afraid of doing it. Most friendships are around age. You don't understand the scout dynamics as well as the scouts do.
That's where the art of being the SM comes in. Another way of saying that is you flail around trying to coach your older scouts to do what they should be doing.
I gave up on selecting patrols, let the scouts figure it out but make sure patrols are balanced.
Good luck.
-
3
-
-
I figured out a very long time ago that the registrar must be kept happy if you ever wanted anything fixed for your unit. If they're removed then I can't imagine the frustration that will create. I mean, I just hoped the counsel exec stayed out of my way but I went out of my way to keep the registrar happy. They knew how to fix things.
For those of you still dealing with these issues, I wish you luck.
-
3
-
-
I have a rain jacket that works well with a wide brimmed hat. I have rain pants that I rarely use. If I lived in more rainy climates I'd replace the pants with a rain kilt/skirt and possibly gators. All of which can grow with a teenager.
-
21 minutes ago, PACAN said:
This topic has strayed from the original post which was to identify and discuss Catholic diocese and units eliminating their scout programs.
Give me a new name and a rough range of dates and I'll split the thread.
-
- Popular Post
- Popular Post
I think you guys are being a bit naive on this one. If there's one thing I've learned about the scouting program it's that motivating scouts about character only works on those that essentially already get it. If a scout doesn't want to be bothered about character then it's a really hard slog. So either the parents believe that character is important or, on occasion, a scout's parents are bad enough that the scout sees a need for good character. But that's not to say that there aren't lots of scouts or their parents that want to get Eagle. And there lies a big problem. Absolutely vanity is preventing improvement. But greed is oh so much worse. If you really want to improve program quality then remove the biggest source of greed, rank advancement. Be a scout because you believe in the ideals, not that you're going to get a better job. I got so tired of listening to scouts that, when asked why they were in scouts, said first that they were going to get a better job or into a better university or it would make their resume look better. It used to be very rare when they said that. It always used to be about fun, friends and the outdoors. But it has changed. I was shocked the first time I heard something about payback. The last time I asked a group of scouts why they were in scouts it was close to half that said they were going to get something from earning a badge. Maybe it's my town that has changed but I doubt it. TikTok, likes, influencers, search algorithms ... our lexicon has changed to that of greed and dopamine hits. This program used to work because most of the volunteers really believed in the fundamentals. They believed in it so much that they wanted to make it work. Quality would have been an easy sell then. But that has eroded over time. There are still people that believe in the the ideals but there needs to be a critical mass of those people in order for a unit to deliver a good program, where the idea of improving quality is even viable. My guess is that most units feel they're delivering a quality program if some kids are getting Eagle patches. And it makes sense because that's how the program is sold.
Character is what you do when nobody is looking. It's not rank. It's not NESA. It's not OA. It's not a MB sash. It's not data in a database. It's what you do with your patrol when no adults are around. So, the first thing to do to make a quality program is to focus on a program with character and remove all the other distractions. Eagle is the biggest distraction. This reminds me of the Woodbadge game Win All You Can. Eagle is just goading people to do bad things. But they never come out and say it. It used to be that it was a method and could be used to develop character but that script has flipped.
But that will never happen.
-
2
-
1
-
3
-
On 11/7/2024 at 11:41 AM, BadChannel70 said:
One quote from that struck me. This from a lawyer representing 75 survivors:
Quote"Nobody can bargain away my clients' claims without their consent, not even other survivors," Lujan Wolff said.
In other words, if this plan is rejected then it's everyone for themself. Get in line and hopefully you're at the front. That's a couple of winners and a whole lot of losers.
-
1
-
-
On 11/3/2024 at 1:56 PM, HashTagScouts said:
Membership started steady decline after 1999.
I think it really started well before that. There's a peak around 1973, just about when I joined, and then there's another, smaller peak, around 1990. The first peak probably corresponds to the baby boom kids being old enough to be in scouts. That second peak is likely from the children of those in the first peak.
-
1
-
-
Did you notice that the author of the article was 14 to 18 years old? Maybe a scout.
-
I don't see nearly as many girls selling cookies as I used to. Sounds like GS is suffering like the BSA.
Not sure their cookie overhead is any different than that for popcorn. Honestly, the drop in membership for both organizations is a sad statement about our drop in community more than any problems with leadership.
-
1
-
-
10 hours ago, DuctTape said:
Dogs and cats living together.
Makes sense, protection in numbers.
-
2
-
-
6 hours ago, Eagledad said:
I could see a hybrid program for the second-year Webelos in which the troops could assist with it. Even just meeting at the same location as the troop during a troop meeting makes a difference. A weak leader could easily ask for assistance during a difficult meeting, and the Webelos could watch the older scout program in action. I've experimented with the Hybrid approach, and it works if the troop is on board.
I'd push that just a bit further. Make webelos start a year earlier and last a year longer, so 4 years instead of 2. A lot more new scouts are afraid of the outdoors because fewer parents camp, so they're even less mature than before. So make the program about getting them ready to camp with a troop. And as you said, make it part of a troop. If a webelo is mature enough to move to a patrol when they're 11 then go for it, but most aren't. Anyway, as part of a troop they'd still have their own program but they'd see the scouts, get to know them and the transition would be easier.
If this were done than cubs could be skipped all together. Yeah, I know, that will go over like a titanium balloon (lead's not so healthy
). So, end of my 1 1/2 cents of wisdom.
-
22 hours ago, PACAN said:
So the % girls is up and total membership down which tells me the % of boys has dropped a bunch.
Well, the girls membership has dropped by roughly 20% in 18 months. My guess is the boys are similar, given that the girls percentage is nearly the same over that period.
The point is a 20% drop in 18 months is ... more than a bunch.
-
2
-
-
2 hours ago, satl8 said:
I read this and what caught my attention was that the OA has, essentially, taken on the role of keeper of the flame for SA (Twitter, no!, X, no!, BSA, got it!). Joking aside, I wish them luck. If national is okay with this then ... maybe that's a way to participate? The OA asked for feedback. That's a change.
The comment that troops are now much smaller is the first honest description of some of the problems troops are facing. More support for at least troops via something other than district beaurocracy sounds good to me, even though it sounds hard. Maybe the OA can come up with better training?
I really wish them luck.
-
$600k per shower house? I'm sure they need new ones but what is this, $500/sq ft? Seems really pricey to me. And they need 8? Something doesn't sound right.
Just an idea but how about build one while teaching some scouts some trade crafts? Forget merit badges at camp, teach them some useful skills. High schools have votech classes, use those.
-
1
-
-
Welcome to the forum, @KayLH23.
Here's a new one - parent wants son to go from Scout to Eagle by Christmas.
in Open Discussion - Program
Posted
My guess is it’s the parent driving this and the scout is just trying to make them happy. I had a parent kind of like this. Long story short is the council made him a lone scout so he’d quit bothering scoutmasters. Technically the scout was the lone scout but he was just a bystander.