saltheart

Rarely did I have the occassion to give another the opportunity to impart the "minute" to the Scouts. Although I did have a handsome corps of adult leaders, few ever gave thought to the notion that they might participate in that arena. But every once in a while one of them stepped forward, usually with something on their mind regarding a past or upcoming event in the troop for which they felt they had sage advice to share. And I never refused the opportunity, for being as rare as they were, I knew the subject they felt keen on speaking to was important to them, and the boys. Regarding the

While perusing the wealth of knowledge and experience that exists within these forums, and stumbling upon this thread, I am reminded of how, as a Scoutmaster, I used to have a couple of standard questions that I'd ask each and every Scout in SM conferences. I especially liked to use one of them when I sat on Eagle Boards of Review in the many troops in and out of our District. That one questions was... "Quickly, tell me which one of the 12 points of the Scout Law is most important to you, and why." The object was to not allow the Scouts great lengths of time to think, but to get thei

...and that was my assumption all the time...

In some ways, I often feel a sense of sadness for those who opt to make a career out of that which they love...Scouting. It is a very limited market and employment opportunites can be scarce. Moving up the ladder within is unlike the ladder outside the organization. It has fewer rungs to climb, and they're scattered hither and yon. For one entering the realm of Professional Scouting, he/she must resolve that employment and/or residence in one location may be a fleeting notion if upward mobility and higher wages are to be. It's really unfortunate, but within the community of Scouting, smal

Personally, I think a knife is a knife is a knife....except when it's a sword. And that, I believe, is where the intent of the phrase "...does not encourage the use of large sheath knives" lies. I have a rather large collection of knives. Each and every one has a purpose. Each and every one was purchased with a need or plan in mind. None of them are swords. None of them are "Rambo" beasts. None of them are cheap, overly fancy, good-for-nothing-but-looking-at knives like some of the junk one sees in stores or in magazines. Oh, and many of them are folding knives. But the greater percentage

Every once in a great while, something crosses my desk (screen) that takes my breath away, and gives me a reason to pause, and lose myself in wonder. Such a thing came my way this morning. Perhaps you've seen it...if not, I offer it as a means to take a moment away from your daily regimen and toil, and pause... ...and wonder... http://www.theinterviewwithgod.com Peace...enjoy.

DS, I have nothing but the utmost respect for adult volunteers in Scouting. And I don't think I'm selling them short at all. They all have opinions on the subject, but if most are like me, and the many I know, we find it easier and more comfortable to sit on the sidelines and discuss things amongst ourselves privately, rather than standing in the light that Mr. Sibler has placed himself squarely in. My posted thoughts are simply that, posted thoughts wishing that there could be one loud and public voice by the hundreds of thousands of volunteers to look the opposition straight in the eye

Figures...I posted this in another thread, but I suppose it belongs there as much as here...so, begging your pardon, I'll repeat it here, too... I attended my first Wood Badge many years ago, when the sun and moon were still brand new...or so it seems. Since then, if there's anything about WB that this four-beader has learned about the course, it's that a well constructed and presented course is just chock full of subtleties. And a learner going through the course looking simply for the questions and answers, the right and wrong, the left and right and up and down, will miss them complete

I attended my first Wood Badge many years ago, when the sun and moon were still brand new...or so it seems. Since then, if there's anything about WB that this four-beader has learned about the course, it's that a well constructed and presented course is just chock full of subtleties. And a learner going through the course looking simply for the questions and answers, the right and wrong, the left and right and up and down, will miss them completely. That is especially true with someone who enters the course with preconcieved notions and misinformation about the course. And knowing a little abo

It should be remembered that in both cases here, Philly and Boston, only the Boards have been heard from thus far. Not the rank and file. Not the 87,000 members of the Philly Council, nor the thousands within the Boston Council. When the cards are finally laid on the table, and the question is called within each council, as it ultimately will be if by no other means than public sentiment and opinion within the ranks of volunteers and parents, then and only then will we know where each membership stands. The Council is nothing without it's membership. And experience teaches me that the Boards d

There are times when one needs to call a spade a shovel, and Mr. Silber apparently had reached that point. I do believe he employed good judgement in his presentation and argument. I do believe he left no unanswered questions. And I do believe there will be thousands of cheering volunteers out there who will be grateful that someone, even if he's only the Council President (thanks for pointing that out DS), finally stood up and gave back some of what has been dished out against the BSA. There is no longer any time to sit this one out and just let the other side shovel their public nonsense aga

Yes, it's refreshing to actually hear an executive speak in a manner akin to the rank and file ... angry and driving the point home while trying to clear the air on the subject, leaving no doubts about the stand. I respect that. As to the donation thing, and the UW...it has always been my practice, and I shared this with my children, that when I have money to donate to a specific cause, I donate "directly" to that specific cause. Not through middlemen like the UW. I believe direct donation gets a bigger bang for the buck.

The honor is in the fact that no matter your prior reasons for having to leave, those who are putting together the staff and course this time feel that your skills, your experience, your enthusiasm, your leadership, and just plain "you" are just the kind of person they want on staff. And, having served on many a WB course in every position, I know that means a lot. Congrats.

Good food for thought, dsteele. I've been around Scouting for, well, let's just say a very long time... And, to use a rather ill-suited rhetorical phrase, perhaps we've gotten just a little too fat and happy in our reliance upon funding from middlemen charity like the United Way. And, given that the issues raised by the BSA stand on gays in Scouting (which I support, by the way), the problems with the United Way using what it deems to be its big stick with which to beat the BSA into submission will not disappear, ever. As long as there are those both in and out of the United Way who will

Absolutely this is a black and white issue. We can not and should not set ourselves in the position of keeping secrets from parents, unless, and only unless an abusive relationship between child and parent is suspected. In that circumstance we have pretty specific legal obligations to report to authorities. Youth Protection training should be teaching us that. But we are not trained nor are we licensed to maintain a Scout Leader / Scout relationship of the same nature as client / attorney, or doctor / patient, or even that of Priest / Parishioner at Confession. Were not tattle-tales all.

Figures...I posted this in the "other" thread, only to find this one now. I'll take the risk and post it here also.... Just some food for thought, (interjecting himself warily into the discussion...) As a Scout Leader I always made it my business to bring the Scouts to the understanding that I was their Scoutmaster, a mentor, a guide, (hopefully) a good example to follow, and perhaps a friend. But I also did my best to include in that understanding that I was not their "best friend" as one of their peers might be. I was still an adult. Still (usually) a member of the their parents g

Just some food for thought, (interjecting himself warily into the discussion...) As a Scout Leader I always made it my business to bring the Scouts to the understanding that I was their Scoutmaster, a mentor, a guide, (hopefully) a good example to follow, and perhaps a friend. But I also did my best to include in that understanding that I was not their "best friend" as one of their peers might be. I was still an adult. Still (usually) a member of the their parents generation. Responsible for their care while with me, but ultimately responsible to their parents as to things that transpired

Ummmm...folks, I think if you go back and re-read my post you'll find that it was the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) that I referred to as being where the name issue lay...not the Minuteman Council. Lord, no. To my knowledge there's no issue there.....yet. And I hope it stays that way. Be that as it may, the point is still the same. There is a move afoot across this country to sterilize our history to be nothing more than "feel good" memories. And that is just a little bit more than scary. Towards the end of my first post, I referred to a fear that school books shall soon be thu

Some folks get all the excitement... Our ordeal overnight, with only the sleeping bag, presented us with perfectly clear skies, fall moon bright and clear (like a light bulb in your face), cool temperatures and no bugs, and soft sweet meadow grass on which to make a bed. Ah yes...I remember it well. Of course, many I participated in after that were downpours at 2:00AM. Guess we were just lucky.

Very well said, Mark. I'm a life-long northerner (Massachusetts), and also have little reason to sympathize. But history is still history. And It's our history, whether we like it or not. I would also agree with TwoCubDad. We seem to be approaching the precipice where our history will become little more than feel-good and sterile. And it will not be only those we percieve now a "evil" that will be removed from the public view and speech. It will be those for whom we've held high regard. Witness the very recent debacle here in Massachusetts where a vocal few sought to have the team na

Too much money? Yeah, I'd side with those who might think that a troop can, indeed, have too much money. IMHO, fund raising should be target specific. A troop running any type of fund raising effort(s) should have a real target for the money raised, not just the idea of having tons of money in the bank. Therefore, as much as it might not be against the rules, I'd never approve of an effort by my troop to raise money so that it could have $50,000 in CD's. The policy we've maintained over the years, the good ones and the bad, in as much as we could keep to the target, was to raise sufficien

The notion of voluntary term limits is fine...for districts and councils where "volunteering" for the duties and offices at those levels presents ample and qualified candidates. But in some areas, like our council, many times the district offices would go unfilled were anything mandatory to be the rule. And this does not even begin to address the issue of talent and enthusiasm. In those same offices, when a good qualified person is found, it's hard to say "time to go" after a certain period knowing that filling the opening again will be like pulling teeth.

So many jokes..... So little time......

Absolutely it was the boys idea...er..should I say "realization". As I said, years ago, when the whole tradition started, it was the Scouts who voted not to hold weekly meetings during the summer. "Fine", I said, "what will you do?" That was when they informed me that they intended to keep the monthly outing schedule going so as to not miss a month of the year when they would be out camping...together, as a troop. "Great", I said, "go for it". Then, shortly thereafter, the SPL contacted me saying the he wanted to schedule a planning meeting for that years June trip. Well, one thing lead t

Our troop always takes the summer off. The Scouts decided years ago that they wanted June, July, and August for themselves. Except for the monthly camping trip, that is... And the planning meetings that would necessarily take place for each camping trip... And the gear preparation meetings that would necessarily take place for each camping tip... And the last minute inspection meeting that would necessarily take place for each camping trip... It was in the late 1970's that one vigilant and observant Scout noticed that the meetings required to put together summer trips