Beavah

Yah, I'm a licensed pilot, eh? Sure there are some restricted areas. No, there is no required minimum altitude especially in remote areas. I can feel free to buzz a field of crops to my heart's content (and lots of folks do to spray their crops). Below 700 feet is uncontrolled airspace. Yah, it is. Quadcopter drones aren't possible without high speed computing and sensing technology and microcontrollers. It's the addition of the computer-assist that drastically improves da safety and "flyability" for the average person. And it's the addition of small CCD cameras that have made

Yah, hmmm.... What do yeh think those are, exactly? One of da interestin' things is that all of the local ordinances against drone flying aren't kosher and would never survive a challenge. Federal aviation law & regulation pre-empts local ordinances and state statutes. Yeh can't have every little borough publishin' different rules over the use of the skies. Personally, I believe da locals should be honest about that and not do such silliness, which only opens 'em up to litigation. I'm all for usin' photographic drones in da parks. It sure beats helicopter photography, eh?

LOL! Yah, @@Stosh, that hits da mark! I reckon yeh owe me a new keyboard from spittin' my mornin' coffee up all over it! Beavah

Yah, hmmm... I like @@Stosh's approach here. @@Zaphod, I reckon your lad is in that funny space of tryin' to figure out a new world and his place in it. That's normal, eh? It will be part of his transition to middle school and to high school and to college and to a job. Often da best choice is to sit and watch for a while, to figure out how things work in the new environment. If he's a high achiever and da success doesn't come immediately, that can be more discouragin' than we adults remember. Not somethin' he's used to, eh? It's healthy discouragement, in that as long as he

Yah, hmmm.... Yeh all know yeh can fly real airplanes over wilderness areas, county parks, etc., right? And helicopters with all kinds of camera gear? Not to mention ultralights? I reckon this is another case of us old folks mindlessly objecting to whatever new technology comes along to change da world we remember from our halcyon days of youth. Teach the lads courtesy, but let them participate fully in this century. Fight mindless regulation, both local and national, so as to protect liberty for da next generation. We owe it to those who gave us da liberty to drive cars

Yah, hmmmm... My question for yeh is "Is your son having fun?". For a first-year boy, the most important thing is if he is havin' fun and figuring out how the group works, eh? Where he fits in socially, how he can keep himself comfortable on campouts, how he can contribute to the group in some ways, findin' older boys he likes, etc. If as a parent you're worried about advancement, or he is, then you're doin' it wrong. Unless maybe you're in an advancement-focused/mill troop where Advancement is a big part of da social scene and how yeh fit in, but that doesn't seem to be the case i

Yah, that's only because he's sittin' in a canoe with others who really do know how to canoe, in da middle of a group of youth and adults who really know how to canoe. If you're followin' G2SS he's also out with trained adult lifeguards and has had 3 hours of closely supervised instruction. But yah, sure, I'm bein' a bit facetious with my folksy expressions. That's why I did insert a smiley. It's really not necessary to start hyperventillatin'. Da only thing I was really commentin' on was that I was struck by @@Tampa Turtle's remark about first doing Canoeing MB and only after

Yah, I know of one troop in these parts that has a simple policy. If there aren't enough seat belts for all the boys goin' on a trip, boys are dropped from da trip in the order of the number of miles their parents have driven, startin' from the least. It gets the point across, and I don't think they actually have to do it hardly at all. Yeh have to watch out for single-parent families and such, though. Sometimes folks just need help, and a Scout is Helpful. Beavah

Yah, hmmmm... I'm not sure why we need to go all da way to ad absurdum. Nobody's suggestin' sending lads out "without any training", eh? G2SS requires 3 hours of training in any event. Besides, we all know that the lads will pinball down a river as they learn no matter how much time a well-meaning adult spends lecturing them on canoe mechanics. This is da Advancement forum, eh? We're talkin' about how Advancement Method is supposed to work. The way Advancement Method is designed to work starts with Step 1: A Scout Learns. In this example, A Scout Learns How To Canoe. How

Yah, hmmmm... I reckon that's one of da saddest things I've ever read on a Scoutin' site. Can I suggest yeh at least try the real program, and turn that around? Start with Step 1: A Scout Learns by doing! I think you'll find it's a lot more fun for the boys, it makes da badges more meaningful, and yeh get better results in terms of character, fitness, and citizenship. Not to mention retention and growth. Beavah

Yah, a Master's degree requires 4-5 years of undergraduate education plus another 2-3 years, eh? Silly to compare learnin' to canoe to that. Still, a lad with Canoein' Merit Badge should be able to really canoe. Otherwise there's no Merit in the Badge. It's a cloth patch yeh get from lazy adults who couldn't be bothered to really teach yeh how to canoe. Learnin' to canoe is fun! It takes a few days out, and some practice. Lots of activity! That's Scouting. Bein' taught to a test ain't fun. Lots of sittin' around. Choose Scouting! Beavah

Nah. If yeh just do those requirements yeh have paddled a canoe a total of 100 yards or so. 200 at most. Really learnin' any discipline can't be reduced to a set of enumerated requirements, eh? Especially not when half of 'em are "discuss" and definitions and such. It involves developin' skills and when to apply the skills. It involves learnin' terms, sure, but also how to use the terms. Yeh have to be able to demonstrate things not just individually, but in combination. Doin' just the requirements gives yeh static, disconnected "knowledge". Just like cramming for any test.

Hiya @@UncleP. I continue to be impressed by your willingness to be there for your nephew. Scout Salute! to you. And keep askin' questions, eh! What we hope to do in Scoutin' is help lads grow. Advancement Method is what we use for the boys who need a bit of guidance in that growth, eh? The ones who haven't yet figured out that to do Big Things yeh have to break things up into Small Things. So when yeh look at Advancement "requirements", what yeh see is a Big Thing like learning how to canoe broken up into a whole bunch of Smaller Things: the requirements for Canoeing Merit Badge.

Nah, this is exactly da wrong way to think about a BOR. Boards of Review shouldn't happen just when a lad is advancing. They should be happening regularly, whether a lad is ready to advance or not. It's part of an ongoing conversation with the scout. It's part of how we keep boys from fallin' through the cracks. Sometimes a board might be about advancement, sometimes it might be about participation, sometimes it might be about the character the lad showed at the most recent set of fundraisers. Sometimes a board says "congratulations", sometimes "you're doin' great, keep workin

Yah, curfew ordinances are funny things, eh? They're a law that treads on the line of Constitutionally protected liberties. We tolerate 'em as a society when they're used as a sort of response to loitering and mischief. Otherwise not so much. Kids who are asleep in tents at an approved campsite that they paid for (and where da park accepted their payment givin' 'em a contractual right) aren't likely to run afoul of curfew ordinances. If they do, they should assert their right to peaceably assemble... Besides, by and large curfew ordinances are a feature of urban areas, not da rur

Yah, definitely don't send letters to the committee! That's a sure way to burn bridges. First, yeh talk to the fellow. Somewhere out of the way where his ego is less likely to get involved. Somewhere public where behaviors are moderated. If there's an old, wise fellow with a lot of social capital associated with your unit (former SM, long-time committee member, etc.), have him participate in da conversation. Old, wise fellows aren't as ego-threatening as someone your own age/status. Recognize that controlling talkative fellows you need to argue with a bit. Like yeh said, they t

Yah, @@ASMInVirginia, welcome to da forums, eh? Hope that you're otherwise enjoyin' the Holiday down in the Commonwealth. I agree with your Scoutmaster on da three points above. Patrols should stay intact if you're really doin' Patrol Method, scouts should teach skills if you're really doin' Youth Leadership Method and MB classes have no place in a good scout meeting. Merit Badges aren't school, eh? On everything else, not so much. Sounds like it's pretty frustratin' for you and the other ASMs, not to mention the youth leaders. Sometimes fellows just don't have the temperam

Yah, not that uncommon, eh? That's why traipsing off to da IH, whether individually or as a group, is usually not productive. Organizations that are mostly passive sponsors don't want to deal with headaches or refereeing adult squabbles, especially if a bunch of da adults aren't really members of their organization. I've seen 'em say "this isn't worth it" and just shut down the program. Honestly, it's not unreasonable for 'em to expect adults who live by da Oath and Law to manage ourselves, eh? So you're left with either treatin' each other with good grace and respect and work

Yah, our laws and regulations aren't always that coherent, eh? Fourteen year old lads in Wisconsin can hunt with a firearm by themselves with no adult (or buddy), but they can't camp out with their scouting buddies in a county park? When this stuff is regulatory as it often is, the local land manager generally has discretion. It's often possible to work things out. I also reckon there are all kinds of private campgrounds around, eh? In Wisconsin there's also da MFL and FCL private lands that are open to the public, eh? Those landowners are usually quite friendly. It's a shame,

Of course yeh can! And yeh should! Just not as a BSA activity. Beavah

Perhaps, but only if they want to join a different troop, eh? They might like their troop, and respect its adults, and enjoy da friends in their patrol. They might have seen Mr. I'll-Give-You-Your-Badge at summer camp or the most recent camporee and decided they'd die before ever joining his troop. Either way, I reckon they'll come back da next week with a uniform, and proudly earn their patch, and then start planning for their next outing with their friends. It's only adults who get their knickers all in a twist over Advancement, not the boys. Show me a rigid by-the-bo

Yah, forget a Board of Review, eh? Shouldn't this be grounds for suspension or dismissal? Why would yeh even worry about rank? Yeh have to address da behavior directly. Never mix Advancement up with discipline. They're two very different things, with different methods, goals, and purposes. Advancement will never work as a method to inspire and build character if we turn it into a method for disciplining kids. Beavah

Aaargh! Yeh need to go back to Sea Scouts, matey! (And seriously, was a KKK reference at all appropriate? ) Privateers are given letters of marque by a nation-state. The United States commissioned many privateers during the Revolution and the War of 1812. Those seamen were patriots, and were in many ways more effective at disrupting British commerce and supplies than the regular U.S. Navy. On this Fourth of July we owe a debt of gratitude, and perhaps even our Independence, to the courage of the American privateers. I reckon they're a fine example for our scouts, eh? They wer

Yah, welcome to da forums, @@scouter957. Yeh haven't given many details to light our way, so I'm forced to echo what my colleagues have already said. The Organization owns the unit, not the BSA. The head of the Chartered Organization (pastor, principal, etc.) can hire/fire da COR/CC. You can approach that person. You are unlikely to be successful. Parents griping about a scoutmaster not followin' the program are like parents griping about a school teacher not followin' the curriculum. How often does such a teacher get replaced? Pastors and principals aren't typically very open to

Uh oh. Now that sounds like a story. Care to share? Beavah