ronvo

One Hour The right thing to do is to not let the kids go with her. It is a very hard thing to do, I know. Yes it may lead to a confrontation and even having the parent pull the kids from the troop. However you have to do it. I know that this is not easy and actually I am saying this as much as a reminder for myself as for you. If the kids seem to recognize this behavior, then you can be fairly certain you may be involved in this way again. I would recommend contacting a professional source locally (i.e. the police, intervention specialist) and ask them how to handle this so that you

A Camp? A Roundtable? A Swell? A Circle? An indention? A circus? A show? A tent? A mess!

Aha! So national killed the unifom and then tried to reinstate its importance. There ain't no goin' back! Of course the fact is - contrary to the dedicated Scouters on this forum - for most of our membership - and from looking at scouting web sites in other countries - the uniform IS scout shirt and jeans! As in most corporate organizations people have to justify their jobs and believe that "there is always room from improvement." Unfortunately improvement in their minds means change and so they try to "fix something that ain't broke." rv

Thanks for the link. So the UC isn't just a busy boody who wishes to interfere in the unit. And so if we have dedicated UCs and DCs whay do we need DEs? Not trying to be argumentative - just really trying to understand the monster. ronvo

In that respect I was lucky. I joined a boy led - SM advised troop and it stayed that way the entire time I was there. It was by no means perfect and the SM ( all 3 at different times) stepped in when needed, which at times was often - however we learned a lot. We also had patrols that worked always as patrols. We went to a summer camp where we were separated within the campsite by patrols and cooked our own meals as patrols. I think that is why I get so frustrated with these folks. ronvo

I am a Support Services Manager for a Scale & Weighing Systems Manufacturer (Support Services being the repair dept, reprgraphics, technical documentation, & trade shows) rv

In looking over the lists of the methods on Kudu's site, what I notice is that "ideals and service" seem to be replaced by personal growth and leadership development. The former items seeming more concrete (the oath, law, service good turns) than the abstract latter (personal growth and leadership development). Making these last two methods has led us to book learning leadership rather than learning leadership and groeing personally naturaly from the concrete living of the oath and law and doing service. OMO, ronvo

Thank you for the additional responses. Very helpful t258sm wrote: Each month the PLC plans out the following months meetings using troop program features and other materials as a guide. It gives them a good base to start with and they change the meeting plan to suit their own ideas. Meeting and activity plans are not so much about merit badges as they are practical skills relating to the theme. The idea is to introduce the Scouts to a theme and then peak their interest into finding out more about the merit badge. That is great and how I think it should be. I think to often many boys jus

CalicoPenn wrote The Unit Commissioner is a District level leadership position. They act as mentors, resources, liasons (to District/Council) and mediators to their assigned unit's leaders. Could you be more specific? What instances would they have to mediate? What is diffreence between UC and DC? What then is purpose of a DE? At what point in BSA history did these positions appear? Five years as Den leader, CM and CC I never met a UC and probably glad I never did. ronvo

Remember CA - no more than 40!

t158sm wrote 4. What has your troop meeting program been the last few months? Planned out last August by the PLC at the yearly program planning weekend. September - Fishing October - Cave Exploration November - Climbing December - Orienteering January - Winter Camping February - Space Exploration March - Hiking April - First Aid May - American Heritage June - Swimmimg July - Canoeing August - Wilderness Survival Did you do the merit badges or just activities that could be used for the badges?

Thanks for the responses - they are really helping me see reality. Keep'em coming. Regarding question number 1 - Do you think our expectations are too high of the boys and we need to find the balance of boy led and adult supervised? I mean I seldom see meetings of adults that stay on agenda and start and end on time. One hour you seem to have reached a good place. Snowman thanks for the honesty. I also think that the same troop at different times with different boys will do better or worse at this. One hour - that is a BIG troop. Can a troop that large reall

The troop our 10 Webelos crossed over to is adult led. I hope to help the development to boy led. I know this will take quite some time. What I would like to survey you fleeow scouters on is the following: 1. Is your troop boy led? 2. Do you make good use of the patrol method? 3. How many boys are in your troop? 4. What has your troop meeting program been the last few months? Thanks in advance for you responses YIS ronvo

Dan I agree that the boys having fun and learning is NUMBER ONE. However , and I am not sure how the district we are in does it, when I was a scout - every patrol there could come home with a blue ribbon. The competition was against a standard and not the other patrols. This is how Scout Competition should be. And Blue ribbons are always more fun than yellow. I also believe that every Patrol is entitled to that Blue Ribbon through a progam with ZING and the opportunituies to learn Scoutcraft skills. John - By traditionalist I am not saying that we disregard all the progess that

I know I am not the only one who thinks that too much emphasis is put on advancement these daysand not enough on Scout craft. And I am not sure how to word my thoughts so see if this makes any sense. First off - Scouting never was a Norman Rockwell picture just as American Life never was. Rockwell is an idealized picture. However I do think that his paintings were based in reality and that our realitiy has changed for the worse. I would like to see more of the "old school" scouting. Pioneering, woodcraft, etc. A meeting where time is spent carving neckerchief slides not working on a

Gern You Heretic! All right thinking people KNOW GOD intended T-Shirts to be WHITE! Fruit of the Loom are the most orthodox HANES BEEFY T are best reformed Jockey are a bit mainline BVD fundamentalist

I was thinking about this the other night. Who do the professionals expecially on the National level answer to. Obviously not the membership. In the most recent Scouter paper for our council was the announcement that the DE for the district next to us has regigned due to "unhealthy levels of strees." Also did not B-P say this would happen? Did he not say it should be an all volunteer run organization? Maybe Kudu, you can shed more light on that. Sad, very sad. (This message has been edited by ronvo)

Thanks Mike. Since I have not been involved in a trrop since my youth, whne did the NSP thing start? Now not to question the wisdom of those at Natioanl but it seems that the NSP just isn't the right way to go for a number of reasons. Again I have not been involved in a troop so have never seen th NSP in action. However here is a list of cons I came up with. 1) Who is suppose to be the Patrol Leader. Shouldn't that be a job for an experienced scout? 2) Is not part of our program to help boys mature by having them help/teach younger scouts. 3) As I understand it after

Klodi I also see form the pictures a scout using semaphore flags - another skill US Scouts have lost. Is this skill common practice in Europe? YIS ron

OK then WOODCHUCKS what about our situation very similar Number of older Eagale Scouts 5-7 Active Scouts ages 12-14 in One Patrol We have at least 10 new Webelos crossing over. New Scout Patrol or Make up Mixed Patrols with new and 12-14 y.o. Scouts? IF NSP - one with 10 boys or 2 with 5 each? In spite of my opening I do respect your toothy opinions! (wish I could make a buck tooth smiley!) ronvo

This weekend was our Crossvoer ceremony at our B&G. I am happy to report we had 100% Crossover! 9 Boys to our Troop at our CO and one to another (his own church's). Two weeks ago only five were going on. But a bit of enthusiastic talk and a visit to the Klondike derby and they all are ready to go. I just hope the troop gets them going fast so they don't lose interest. It was bittersweet - I have been the den leader for these boys since Tigers and most of them have been there the entire time. I tell you those boys looked as if they grew from the time they arrived at the B&am

kahuna- re SE at camp, I feel your pain - you are think of something that was known as Scouting - today it is too much of a business - and SE are business men with "real work" to do - not "old scouts" I worked two summers at a council camp as a youth in the 70's and never once saw the SE visit. Eammon said I also have some concerns that if this band of Volunteers start running the camp it will become "Their Camp" -It's not. As if the paid staff from director on down doesn't think that!? Also - In my old 1950's SM handbook a scout gave me (BWwherearrreee yooouuu?)- I seem to recall not

Season's Greeting's to All, Now that we have settled the religious debate ;^) I want to turn our attention to the upcoming year and what we resolve to make it better for Scouting. I for one will work to make sure my Webelos have and excellent AOL ceremony and encourage them to crossover to a troop. I will strive to live by the Scout Law on a daily basis. I will NOT enter into religious discussions on this forum, it serves no one. I will work to become "... physically fit" Blue Skies! ron

Merry Christmas Fellow Christian Scouters and Season's Greetings to All! I started this thread because I was miffed that the guy who "declared war on Christmas" used an old BSA background for his "declaration". This thread has evolved into another he said/he said religious debate which has little hope of ending. I admit to having ignited this fire and adding some fuel to it. I would now ask that we close this thread and move forward, respecting each others differences in religion and helping each other in our common love for Scouting. Look for a new thread in Open Di

Corrections to my post! It should be: "straight" bar/restaurant what really is the difference Are you comforatble in this environment? Sorry bout that! rv