momof7scouts

I would like to thank all of you for your input. Reading these replies, as well as incidents that have occurred since I originally posted, have helped me a great deal. It is not actually references or rules that are the issue for me. It is that whatever set of rules the troop has chosen to follow are not enforced on all. While many have said that making rank, even Eagle, is a minor consideration, I disagree in the aspect that the rank is recognition of a job well done and part of what Scouting is about. If the ranks are so unimportant, why even have them. My boys have stayed in the troop b

I can imagine a few 14 and 15 year old mad as hell that that young kid got two BORs in one night when I was told I couldnt. You are right and in many ways the parents are not doing their sons any favorites. The "special" boys are resented by the other boys who have been working on their own, approaching leaders on their own, and following the rules. Especially the ones who spent 18 months working their butts off to get to the rank these boys got in six or seven, after a single camp out. This is even more true for those going to Star, Life and getting Eagle Palms because they have been de

Well, that's why I wanted the BSA guidelines. There have been issues in the past with the troop, especially on Eagle projects, making things far more difficult than they should be. While I empathize with one part, the boys showing up after completing advancement skills and not being able to get things signed off for months and the unavailability of the SM in general, I am concerned with the sudden push of these parents. It is like they are campaigning their sons. The only one standing up to them currently is the chartered org. rep and one ASM, no one else wants to make waves. The progress o

Well, I guess I will just sit back and see what happens here. It is not I that is having the issues with the troop but three sets of new parents. While I understand their frustrations, it took my youngest boy 18 months to reach 1st class even though he attended every single meeting and every single camp out, and actually completed the requirements in about 8 months because he could not get anyone to sign off in his book. But, that is all in the past for me since he is now a Star and moving just fine toward Life. However, the three sets of parents are pushing very hard to get everything signe

Thank you for your replies. The issues I mention I have been able to get through with my own sons, two are Eagles, one is working on his project at this moment, one is a life, and one is a star. I have done but two merit badges total out of the over 150 combined my scouts have earned. It is other boys, new scouts, who are having problems. It is hard for me to watch these new scouts going through what mine did. Boy after boy comes to meetings with his scout book after a camp, asking for sign offs. No one can or will do it. We have many events where one ASM attends with a few YPT trained commi

Our troop has major problems following BSA guidelines. Some feel it is acceptable to "higher the standard" on many things. I have been attending as much training as possible and getting written guidelines to try to get the individuals upping the standards to comply with BSA rules. I have been able to find guidelines on merit badges (troop limits number of open merit badges and will not allow a qualified registered merit badge councilor to sign off even one requirement for a family member). I have recently completed Eagle adviser training and have guidelines for what goes into the plan. (Our sc

Our SM and CC are trying a "new" policy with our scouts to try to deal with the lack of attendance/participation for those older life scouts as well as issues with lack of advancement (due to parental apathy). It is also to address the incredible lack of participation by parents. Starting one month before recharter time, each scout and a parental figure has to meet with a committee member (or ASM or SM), resign up, pay, have parents view list of available ways to help (and hopefully chose one), then the scout is supposed to discuss what their goals are for scouting the next year and the adul

Ya'll are going to love this. SM dad has presented an authoritative e-mail to some of the people fighting for the 60 page dissertations. He has quotes from BSA, council, and even some from all of you! Trying to get it through to them that it is not just HIM that says this is over the top.

SM dad is already working on all of this, biggest concern is life scouts. He, the CC, and the advancement chair are meeting with the DAC to write up "official" new troop Eagle process. He is in the process of contacting the floundering scouts that have started the process and aren't progressing. He is going to insist that any scout that has been sent back a third time, goes to him not the EA, if they decide to even keep them. First task, fix the system. Second task, get the boys in the process moving. Third, get those not even started motivated. Again, the current crop of leaders had this thru

SM dad and I went to a committee meeting tonight and this issue was one of the topics. ALL of the people in this troop came in after this policy was in place and none was aware that this whole thing was neither a district or council policy. There is one boy who has had his project plan rejected 15 times, one who finished project but is sure his after action part will be disapproved after what he went through for initial approval (he finished project 18 months ago) and 11 life scouts that have been that rank for more than two years, many of whom, after having heard what others went through, don

IT'S APPROVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The DAC reviewed his project with him today and said it was the most detailed project he had ever seen, a master's thesis! (He also said our troop is obviously broken and SM dad needs to fix it or move to another troop.) Son two is elated. He feels his work has been vindicated and he is excited to be able to move on. He is also more than a little irritated because he found out the proposal he submitted on a previous project should also have been approved. He would have had that one finished by now. Oh, well. So Son two will move on and I guess

I only know what goes on in the troop from the perspectives of three sons who are in the troop. I try not to compare it to the only other troop that we have been in because no one wants to hear "but in out old troop". However, my sons have had to fight for every single rank advancement they have received. My littlest guy in the troop is eleven and I watched him take his book to meeting after meeting trying to get rank sign-offs for a camping trip. Everyone was too busy to sign off at camp, and yes he tried to get them there. So when they came back, he carried that book to every meeting, only t

The closest I can tell, all worship this man as the founder of the troop and my son and his father, though scoutmaster, are outsiders. Although I have been a den mother for fifteen years with three different packs (and have all the training you are supposed to get for that) and I am trained to lead a venture crew (my daughters did not like girl scouts but liked RAMS crews), I have had little to do with the troop because it meets the same nights I teach martial arts. My son is going through his project for revision 8 and I guess he is trying again to meet with the DAC. If this does not work,

I am still having a hard time understanding all the "rules" on the eagle project. I really want to because I do have three more sons who want to do this. Where do the additional rules come from? Our council has this to say about the plan: "Plan your work by describing 1) the present condition, 2) the method, 3) materials to be used, 4) project helpers, 5) a time schedule for carrying out the project. Describe any safety hazards you might face, and explain how you will ensure the safety of those carrying out the project." For the CC: " review the Life Scout's Eagle Project plan, addre

"The reason your son got turned down by district is because he has to have a signature, not because it has to be the adviser's signature." Nope, he has the signatures, but the DAC said that he needed the Eagle Adviser signature too. SM dad pointed out that there is not even a space for him to sign. Since son two is not getting the time of day from anyone, SM dad spoke to DAC for about two hours. DAC said to take it to EA one more time. Did that tonight. Tonight EA wants plan reorganized because son two has written up everything so many times that it is too lengthy and repetitive. Want