perdidochas

Sounds like a bad idea. Poor younger kid never gets a chance to do things with the boys his own age. I would tell him that the younger kid needs to stay back in Tiger Cubs.

I agree with Lisabob's answer.

I think the best thing is to do the following:

1) Discuss it with your son

2) Have him visit other troops

3) Then decide if he wants to continue with this troop or not.

I can see both sides of the issue. I'm not sure I'd want my son in such a setting, but then again, we're Catholic, and traditional Baptists and Catholics don't get along well (at least in the Southeast, where I live).

Thanks for the info. My CPAP (don't remember the model) has a DC input. I will just search for an appropriate adapter for it.

Much thanks. I may have to look into that.

What brand of CPAP? What brand/size of battery? Also, do you plug it in to an inverter, or does your CPAP have a DC input?

I'm curious, because when I go on weekend campouts, I just rough it without the CPAP. I'd enjoy them more if I could sleep better.

Personally, If I was the CC, I would also purchase a Den Leader position patch, hand it to the person wearing the CM position patch, and request they switch patches.

Exactly!

Personally, If I was the CC, I would also purchase a Den Leader position patch, hand it to the person wearing the CM position patch, and request they switch patches.

Exactly!

Personally, If I was the CC, I would also purchase a Den Leader position patch, hand it to the person wearing the CM position patch, and request they switch patches.

Exactly!

Personally, If I was the CC, I would also purchase a Den Leader position patch, hand it to the person wearing the CM position patch, and request they switch patches.

Exactly!

First, I'll preface what I'm writing below with the statement, that when I'm involved with scouting, I follow the rules about open-toed shoes and crocs and I make my sons follow the rules as well . As much as I like wearing my TEVA open-toed sandals outdoors (and on my own, I pretty much wear them anywhere), I don't wear them on scout outings or even to scout meetings.

I think that crocs are great camp shoes, and I don't understand the objections. Yes, they aren't appropriate for hiking or for running around playing wide games, but I can't imagine anything easy to use that would be better for those midnight walks to the bathroom or even the nightly shower at summer camp.

I think we do have an obsession with scouts wearing hiking boots for most occasions, and I'm not sure it's a good thing.

Eagle92,

I agree totally with you about not allowing siblings on campouts, I disagree with the parent part. Most parents would not let their kids join something that they could never see. I would be very suspicious of a Troop that didn't allow parents. That said, I also think parents on outings should be like a good SM or ASM, and sit back and watch the kids, and not be involved in the activities (unless it's an outing like bicycling, hiking or canoeing).

I do agree it would be different. I think we'd have fewer older boys coming back. From what I can see in the troop my oldest boy just crossed over into, they have a lot of new scouts (meaning the crossovers) and a lot of older scouts, but a small group in the middle. I think the idea of Eagle re-energizes some scouts to come back at age 15 or 16. This theory is just from my observation of a troop we just joined. It could just be that they had a few bad recruiting years.

"We're much more relaxed in the campsite than the camp. The camp has all the rules about shirts, shoes, hats in the dining hall, etc. I personally think the "no open-toe shoes" thing is silly. A couple years ago when Crocs became popular, it was upgraded to "closed-toe, closed-heel." Pure adult power trip. "

I agree totally. However, you are the first person who I've ever heard to agree with me.

Scoutfish,

I actually made my decision also putting myself in Engineer's shoes. My aggravation with my son would have been based on not bringing the schoolwork on the campout/not working on it Sunday night, but I also would have been aggravated at the teacher. I am going by the assumption that what Engineer wrote was exact. On reflection, it might be that the teacher told them ahead of time that this was coming up, and the student just ignored it (as middle schoolers are apt to do). If that is the case, then, my views change, and I agree totally with Engineer. However, the only real way to answer that is to talk to the teacher about the issue, which I would have done regardless.

"I'm curious about the medical form part of this. My understanding is that "all BSA unit members" are required to have the medical forms, A&C yearly, B for something like you describe. But that doesn't mean that everyone going on the trip has to have those. If you're not a unit member, you're for instance a parent just going on this trip, you don't need to have the forms to qualify for a tour permit or for it to be a scouting trip.

Was it that some scouts didn't have the required forms, or that some of the adults going didn't want to complete the forms? "

Well, from the forms, it says that part B (the medical exam) is required whenever the event exceeds 72 hrs or the activity is strenuous or demanding, or whenever they will be farther than 30 minutes from emergency evacuation.

The trip was to Supai IN the GRAND CANYON. I would imagine that the time factor and the evacuation factor would be considerations, and require A, B, & C medical forms. I know if I were the OP, I would have nothing to do with that trip. It's a lawsuit waiting to happen.

The other kids may not have had prior commitments. As I've said, I've had quite a bit of time in education, both as a student, and a few years as a teacher (and as the husband of an assistant principal). I know a bit about the subject. I think the assignment was unreasonable for an assignment that would drop his grade a letter grade for a quarter , even if every other kid did it. I know a bit about averaging and grading, and to cost a student a letter grade for the quarter for a day late assignment is excessive. They are in middle school. They should be learning time management. A last minute major assignment teaches them nothing but "drop everything for school." That does little to really teach about not procrastinating, as they don't really have a choice. It doesn't require them or allow them to intelligently budget their time.

If I were you, I would be talking to the teacher. I'm not you, and you have the right to your opinion> Ultimately, it's your kid and you will have to watch the consequences of his choices in his future.

We do a "Feller cake bake" every year. In it, the Cubs (and male parent, if possible) bake a cake and we auction it off at a Pack meeting. We have contests for best cakes in different categories.

Engineer,

In your complaint about your son and the assignment, you use peer pressure as an argument--i.e. all the other kids did it, why couldn't you? Peer pressure for positive things is a good thing.

I still think it was unreasonable. In my years of education (25+), I have never been given such a high stakes assignment on such short notice. The only fault I would put on your son, is that he should have done as much work as possible during down time on the campout and when he got home Sunday night. I did homework while on dive trips in college, quite a few times. School is important, but as one of the earlier posters said, what if it was a family trip to visit a sick relative, or say a religious retreat for Confirmation (if you're Catholic)? Would you have felt the same way? A high stakes assignment should be given with a little discretion and warning.

I wonder if some of this is due to what my nephew (who graduated from a boarding school) said about Eagle Scouts. "Every boy who became a Eagle Scout that I know got scholarships."

What kind of school is this? I've never heard of a middle school requiring major papers written in a weekend, or lab reports done with a partner to be written at home. I don't think it's reasonable to think a middle schooler can complete a lab report with a schoolmate outside of school. After all, that makes an assumption that the student has a phone or way to meet his classmate. I've never taught in a school where I could assume either.

Zippy,

School is a priority. But school assignments should be reasonable. A major assignment (that is worth a quarter of the grade) should not be assigned last minute and expected to be turned in very quickly. Now, it would be a different matter if the kid knew that the assignment was coming. I taught at a high school for 5 yrs, and there is no way I would have ever made a spur of the moment assignment like the one the teacher in the OP made.

1) The assignment was handed out Friday. This is an advanced language arts class (which he chose to enroll in), so additional work is demanded and expected.

2) The assignment was doable in the time allotted, but not less. (Had he been here to work on it.)

I still agree the kid was in the right. I've got a bachelor's degree, two master's degrees and most of a Ph.D. I've never had a class that had an unexpected assignment that would take the whole weekend to write that was assigned the Friday before being due Tuesday. Now, I've had cases where I didn't know the exact assignment, but was given the specifics in that sort of time frame (i.e. a take-home test), but that is a different matter, as I could reasonably plan for it. I totally disagree with the teacher on this matter. That is not teaching kids anything about time management. It seems arbitrary, and beyond what colleges expect (which is my view of what an advanced class is supposed to prepare a student for)

In our pack, we generally do the whittlin chip at a campout. The people teaching the class get a variety of knives from the adults present--everything from multi-tools, to lockblades, to garden variety pocket knives. We show how to safely open and close them all, and have the kids do the same.

One hint about the soap carving. Encourage animal carvings rather than machinery ones. I saw too many cell phones carved by the boys :-)