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Mike F

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Everything posted by Mike F

  1. RE: "The dirt Scouter gets offended when a policy affecting him is made by some big dog in Dallas who may not even own a uniform." I have met several of the big dogs at National and have been told by each of them independently that everyone in the office also serves as a volunteer at the unit level. There's still plenty of room to get frustrated by their decisions.
  2. Moving toward more boy-run is a constant process of adjusting and re-adjusting -- more art than science. Coaching and mentoring the youth leadership - esp the SPL - is the number one job for the SM. And there's a re-set after every election/selection cycle. In general, we work with our new senior boy leadership (SPL and sometimes ASPLs) away from other boys every week to help them understand what they need to do, give them ideas, get them talking about challenges, etc. Most SPLs soon catch on and take off running. A few struggle the whole way through, but they all grow from the exper
  3. Dale, If your guys are new to DO cooking and you're pushing them to give it a try, consider giving them a fairly simple recipe and all ingredients for something like chili and cornbread or a pot pie (with ready-to-cook crust). If they have experience, you might run it like an Iron Chef competition. Tell them the troop will provide meat and they need to be ready to prepare whatever they are given. Then get each patrol a brace (2) of cleaned but intact rabbits. Another option is whole chickens, but not as much fun. We have a cooking competition at almost every campout. PLC usual
  4. I don't usually read or comment in this section, but got my attention. First, Merlyn, 1000s of scientists would chime in together if it meant more grant money coming their way. I work in the technology world and there is an amazingly consistent "group-think" mentality when it comes to money. Second, in recorded human history, we have seen long-term big changes. One of the most striking is the fact the Vikings had very successful settlements in Greenland when it was experiencing a long period of warmth. Ice had retreated and coasts were green and productive for many years. The ice lat
  5. Crossramwedge, Lisabob and John-in-KC nailed it. I had missed point you are the COR. You and the organization you represent have not just the authority, but the responsibility, to approve/disapprove (including revoke) membership in the troop you sponsor as you believe is necessary. This decision is ideally reached jointly with SM and CC, but you have the authority to act unilaterally because your organization owns the troop. You are acting responsibly when you make a decision to revoke membership for just cause. The only appeal process beyond you (COR) is via the Institution Head (IH
  6. Agree 100% with others - this is no longer a problem for the youth to decide. Beyond shadow of doubt, the boy wants out. Since his words and actions within the troop haven't accomplished his goal, he has gone into attack mode on personal property and the police are involved. If this was some other bone-headed thing that kids sometimes do which gets out of control and gets them into trouble, we'd be talking about how to convince this scout he is expected to live up to our values (Oath & Law) at all times. That's not what happened. Boy wants out, but adult (dad) is pushing for him to
  7. I'm with Lisabob - an intentional attack on a brother scout's property is grounds for suspension or dismissal. Based on your post the end of October, this young man wants out and he's going to keep acting out in worse ways until someone grants him his wish. It doesn't happen often, but I have encountered scouts who we couldn't turn around. After working with them for a period of time, I have volunteered to talk to the parents to encourage them to let the scout leave. Usually they are gone for good and we hope they enjoyed and benefitted from the time they had in scouting. On one occasion,
  8. asichacker, First off, you're probably doing the right thing by mostly keeping quiet and observing, because a Boy Scout troop is a different kind of program and it's this difference that has the potential to be life-changing. It takes a while to understand how things work. As a coach who has had to deal with parents who think they can do your job, you have a good understanding of the situation you're in because this IS a diffent kind of game. In the troop medium-size troop I serve, we have only had one step-dad that I know of, but there could have been more because it's mostly irrele
  9. Eagle732, Absolutely - tailor your PORs for your troop. If you don't have enough for a scout to learn and grow filling a position, don't fill the position. It doesn't help him mature and it just causes confusion. As you say, if the troop grows or you find a real need for a Historian, things can change. No problem. By the letter of the SM Handbook, you can also set requirements or prerequisites for positions. Exactly where depends on your troop demographics, but you could probably set 2nd or 1st Class as a requirement to be PL. In another thread, I discuss the importance of not meddl
  10. Once upon a time in the troop I serve, everything was run from the top and the PL job was little more than making phone calls and leading a discussion on campout menus. (I.e., Troop Method) It was pretty common for the older boys to dodge the work. We started focusing more on patrol competitions and independent patrol activities on campouts and things changed a lot. They dont have any extra perks in the job, but we spend a lot more time coaching/training them and they know they are key members of the leadership team. The job now means something and success is important to them, so there i
  11. SPL usually only comes after 6-month planning conference to update TC on plans and so TC can look ahead for required support. I give TC quick report on how the program side is going. This includes an overall report, including many positive things, but always tell them about any current issues we're working in leadership development, discipline, advancement, etc. By getting the Troop Committee on board with our approach to working challenges, they have been great at helping when parents raise questions.
  12. Stosh, It sounds to me like he intended to recruit and lead a patrol, but he had no patrol members. If no patrol members, he was not a Patrol Leader. The signature in his book giving him credit is invalid. This isn't being mean or unfair. It's in the boy's best interest to experience the growth of his first successful leadership/responsibility experience. Work with him and help him find a path forward. If this continues on to BOR, it is certainly appropriate they find he has not met the requirements and you get some feedback about tweaking a portion of the program you deliv
  13. jeff-o, Congrats! Sounds like things are working great!! Key at the unit level is doing exactly what you did by setting the expectation you were going to camporee. But overall success of camporee makes it sound like more good things are happening -- Tell us more!!! Events, overall theme, favorite part, etc.
  14. OGE, You found the reference needed! I'd like to point out another quote from it: "The candidate shall not be required to make a follow-up contact with the reference or submit other reference names." Candidate has done his part by providing references, greasing the skids, and perhaps delivering reference letter requests (council discretion). Since national prohibits the candidate from making follow-up contacts, it's up to the adults. Theoretically this could be done at Council or District level, but Troop Advancement Chair, Committee Chair, or Eagle Advisor are very commo
  15. We have gone to single camporee in the Spring. This has its own challenges because it's 1-2 months after mass Webelos crossover, but we make it work. We are discussing moving toward Gold/Silver/Bronze type system for recognizing patrols, but also recognizing the top 3 places in every event and the top overall troop. Green patrols are scored and ranked differently than older patrols. When running the events, if it's obvious a patrol is clueless, we turn it into more of a teaching opportunity. Their score will reflect this, but at least they can have some fun and get something out of it.
  16. Dave, First off, welcome to the virtual campfire! We need to stock up on plenty of firewood and put another big pot of coffee on the fire. This chat could go on until dawn. Its a complicated and controversial situation. Ill throw my top ideas out to get things started. Others are going to disagree. Scoutmaster expectation. Something I stress is that of course we support the District/Council program. If PLC wants to take it up for a vote, were going to do a lot of talking and Im not sure I would overrule them, but I try to avoid it by just staying positive about the fact were go
  17. The troop I currently serve has never used Duty Rosters. PL is in charge and he makes sure everyone is engaged. This is part of his leadership. Everything goes quicker with all available hands involved. PL generally leads by example, yet provides opportunity for guys to take more responsibility for leading cooking, etc., as they get experience. If any boy attempts to dodge the work, feedback from the rest of the patrol is pretty clear.
  18. DC, Too much for me to reply in one note. Keep reading - there are tons of great ideas in these threads. And you'll see common themes reappear over and over. Many of us have different approaches and will argue energetically for ours. One thing I know for certain, the boys have to want to be involved. A little pressure is OK, but if you turn up the screws too hard (via scout spirit or leadership requirements), they'll just leave. Biggest thing is adjusting the expectation. I have literally heard multiple Scoutmasters say they didn't expect their high school guys to make many mee
  19. BSA certainly has no such rule and I've never known a troop to have in internal one. (Not even the Air Force troop I once served.) I've also never seen a scout transfer in and win an election to SPL or PL a week later. The dynamics with most troops - even military-sponsored troops where there are lots of transfers - just won't bring a new guy into the group fast enough for that to be likely. It's possible a new guy, who immediately makes a strong positive impression, might convince the new SPL to select him for one of the other staff jobs (instructor, etc.), but not a certainty. Most SPLs
  20. Crossramwedge - I'm glad you got District involved. Good plan to have scout make up the POR he missed for Star. This isn't punishment - it's giving him the opportunity to grow through the experience. But be careful here. Adults don't put him in any POR. He's either elected to be PL/SPL, or he's selected by SPL for a staff job, or he's assigned a leadership project at the discretion of his SM (and there's no requirement for SM to use this method - I don't). This scout has not been elected. If SPL doesn't want him on his leadership team until he's had an attitude adjustment, this sc
  21. Bryan, I think were agreeing on a lot. I am the MB Gatekeeper, but I try to be a thinking, benevolent gatekeeper. For BOR, totally agree they cannot retest. But they should ask detailed questions which reveal insights into how things were accomplished. Tell us about the menu you planned for your First Class patrol cooking requirement. How did you work out the shopping list? Did you have enough to eat? Etc. I will admit during SM Conf I will sometimes bust their chops a little maybe toss them a rope or ask a first aid question. Not as a criterion for passing, but just to
  22. MDScoutMom, This is awesome! Amazing vision and drive - I love it! Look forward to links from your local news. And have a feeling we may see you all at Centennial Jamboree next summer.
  23. We just set up an account using www.mytroop.us. Our TC researched several options and decided on this one. Has public and password-protected areas.
  24. Bryan, I agree totally on immediate sit-down with SM and CC to explain expectations to meet the Scout Spirit requirement. Its another good idea to bring in the problem scouts immediate supervisor(s) in the chain of command. If he is a member of patrol, then his PL should be consulted. If he holds (or has held) another staff position, then SPL/ASPL should be consulted concerning his attitude and performance. SPL, of course, is always top dog in these discussions. Just be sure to include lower-level leaders, if appropriate. I tell parents the same thing thanks for the information, I
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