sctmom

No offense Bob, but LOL. Qualified merit badge counselors? Surely you jest. That seems to be a serious problem in this area. Seriously, this is a district wide event, covering a very large rural area. So the boys can't meet with me later and there is a chance the only "counselor" they will see is an adult leader in their troop. I do not plan on just handing them the badge. But having never taught a merit badge class, I need ideas so I don't have them falling asleep or rioting within the first few hours. Even general tips on teaching this type of information would be appreciated. Hard to be "hands on" when talking about the government and laws, unlike teaching cooking or knot tying.

By the way, OGE what are you doing over here in the Girl Scout area? Isn't that against some manly rules of conduct (unwritten rules of conduct of course)? Aren't you betraying BSA by being associated with such a sinister program as GSUSA? (all said with tongue in cheek) It's FRIDAY! And the weather is NICE!

It's amazing how often I see posts about Girl Scouts needing "all the help we can get". Sometimes Cub Scout Packs say that and sometime Boy Scout Troops say that. But not to the extent I hear it from Girl Scouts. Girl Scouting seems more open to adults helping that are not necessarily moms of the Girl Scout girls. Cub Scout Packs focus on the parents of the current Pack. Boy Scouts troops, for the most part, look to the dads of the boys currently in the troop or maybe young adults that were in that troop as youth. Just an observation.

I have found quizes online from where others have taught this in the same type forum. I am also considering let the group play a game, while I discuss the necessary items one-on-one with the scouts. From what I see, a lot of folks teach this in a group setting and sign off on requirements. So, I'm sure that of all the folks who read this forum, somebody has some ideas on what to do and what not to do.

The most recent Scouting magazine has an article on bullying. I skimmed the article, seems like this is a focus for BSA right now. Maybe there are some ideas from that article you could use.

I am thinking more along the lines of the games helping teach the ideas, not to test them. Doing some instruction, tell them to take notes, then playing the game as a way to reinforce the facts they need to know. We can't meet all of the requirements. Especially visiting a federal installation, state capitol or the national Capitol. I thought I would have a few current issues for them to consider writing letters to Congress about. Some may finish their letter that day and some may not. Maybe an open forum to discuss both sides of some of these issues. I need to find some issues that boys this age would be affected by directly and would be interested in. I just don't want to be a repeat of Social Studies class, droning on and on for 6 hours and the boys get nothing out of it. I want to have chances for them to get up and move around a bit, yet still learn.

Well, I'm jumping into Boy Scouts with both feet as my son crosses over. I volunteered to teach Citizenship in the Nation at the next Merit Badge College/Day. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of some games to keep things moving and interesting. Dividing the boys up into teams like in College Bowl and have them answer questions.

OGE --- ROFL Yarrow, thanks for that clarification about the Gold award. I thought it could not benefit Girl Scouts but wasn't sure. I like the Girl Scouts page for Girls. It has a long list of emails that girls have written about what they did for the Silver and Gold Awards. Some of these girls put a lot of thought and effort into their projects.

OGE, You know that I'm one of those "radical" thinkers.

As Yarrow pointed out, you can form a Venture Patrol. Basically an "older scout patrol". Patrols can go on trips and adventures without the whole troop. Is there some type of recognition within the troop that would help? Maybe they can "earn" the right to go on a high adventure event. Like the boys get points for helping lead the younger scouts, then the adult leaders say "when you get X number of points, we will go on a high adventure trip." Or every few months there be an Eagle-only Patrol Trip. Just some ideas.

OGE, I've heard the same thing about troops not wanting dads involved. I heard it from dads of Girl Scouts! Their wives are the leaders of the Girl Scouts. They said the parents of the troops can decide what they want, and they decided no men camping ever. I think it is like so many things, one must look at each troop and the surrounding community to determine what is best for the girls.

I'm also unable to edit. I was trying to make the word "not" in bold. It should read --- "He may NOT "go back" and work on advancements....

tdyer - Please refer to your Cub Scout Leader handbook. It describes clearly that a boy cannot go back and earn previous ranks. It also discusses the minimum age / grade requirements for working on the next rank. See page 8-4 "A boy who enters Cub Scouting after completing second grade first earns the Bobcat, and then begins work on the appropriate rank for his grade (or age). He may "go back" and work on advancements designed for younger boys. A new Webelos Scout, however, must earn the Webelos Badge before he can earn the Arrow of Light Award." The earliest a boy can start on his Wolf badge is when he turns 8 years old or completes first grade. So if you have Super Cub in the Tiger program, he can't start on his Wolf until he completes the first grade, unless of course he has been held back and is already 8 years old. Bear rank starts at 9 years old or completed second grade. Webelos starts at 10 years old or completed third grade. The Leader's handbook also addresses what to do with boys who get held back a year in school during the elementary years.

If you look on ebay for Boy Scout shirts, sometimes you will see it advertised as great for costume parties or punk dressing or something of that sort. I'm sure some will be offended.

My son is just crossing over the Boy Scouts. One of the assistant scoutmasters of the troop had long hair until recently. One of the best scouters at our Council camp has long hair. So what? As I read this thread again today, I remembered something the Scoutmaster said last night at the committee meeting: "I work for you folks. " Add to that the focus of the committee is "what is best for the boys." In what way is cutting his hair best for him or anyone else? What purpose does it serve other than to show the scoutmaster's power? If the scoutmaster thinks he can hold a boy from being Eagle over the length of his hair, what else is he going to do that is totally against BSA policy? If the young man in question goes to the military he will have to cut his hair, he may one day decide to cut his hair before entering the job market, or for a job such as police officer. That's fine. But that is not TODAY! It does not affect his ability to be an Eagle. If he keeps his hair clean, then he is following the scout law of being "clean". I don't know any Eagles with long hair or I would let them know about this. Even if you find 6 long-haired Eagles, I would still say others (Committee, District) need to know about this scoutmaster.

OGE, ROFLOLOLOLOL So can YOU figure out to get the councils and districts to have an up to date list of counselors?

MomScouter, you sound like me! I'm also in IT and can't figure out why the listing of MB Counselors is so difficult. It isn't rocket science.

You can make it clear to whoever you contact that you want to remain anonymous. I'm sure they would understand and do not want to put your son in a bad situation. They can deal with this without naming who called. What these men are doing is called "bullying". It is not acceptable. They are teaching the kids that it is okay. I would not want my son around these men or their sons.

Forget about alienating the other leaders. This is about the boys. ALL of the boys. As FSCOUTER says "go do the right thing." If you don't stop this, who will? As I tell my son, we don't have to be best friends with everybody in scouting, but we can be polite to each other. The other thing is this is against all BSA policy. How they discipline their children at home is their business, but in scouting activities it is EVERYBODY's business.

Contact the Cubmaster and Committe Chair immediately. This leader needs to STOP this abuse right now. The kids should not be yelled at, poked at or made to do push ups. This person needs to go to Leader training before any more meetings. If they can't handle noisy kids then they need to find something else to do in their spare time. These are little kids, they WILL be noisey. They have spent the day in school, sitting down, working, being quiet. There are many ways to get them to behave and be quiet (quieter, I should say) in den meetings. Yelling is NOT one of them. In my opinion, NO scout (Cubs, Boys or Girls) should ever be punished with push ups or other physical exercise. Please call someone right now about this leader. If you can't get anyone to listen locally, start calling the district. Let us know what happens.

I chuckled as I read OGE's last post about how private schools have higher test grades, richer students, etc. Let me repeat something that has already been said "location, location, location." I graduated from a private school about 20 years ago. Out of 18 that graduated that year, most never even took the SAT. I can think of 4 others who took college courses. I think one actually got her 4 year college degree. I got my 4 year degree plus some more. We were not rich by any means. Most of the parents were squeaking by to get that tuition money. There are many other private schools like that in the south. There is one within a mile of my house right now that is like that. It is run by a local church. I've seen their recruitment flyer, it no where mentions test grades -- it's focus is on religion. Most of the kids there are from blue-collar families. At the other end, I live near a major city that does have the type of private schools you refer to. It also has some public schools that produce very high numbers of college students. Why? Like you said, their parents are college educated, the parents are executives, nothing less is expected of these kids. On a side note, a lot of them have died in car accidents each year because those BMW's and Jaguars are just way too fast for the 16 year old owner! I went to private school for 11 years. I was the valedictorian and no one talked to me about college, scholarships, career planning, nothing! There are many more schools like that one that still exist today.

The article I saw on the ACLU web page where they objected to a after school religious club was the one that spent the whole time on "saving" the children, even going so far as separating them into the "saved" and "unsaved". Our local middle school has a Christian Athletes group that meets at the school. That's fine with me. The point about gay marriages not being legal --- the issue is that they want them to be legal so that partners can get health benefits, get to visit their loved on in intensive care. They put as much time and effort into relationships as heterosexual couples but cannot have the legal rights. Marriage is NOT about sex, it's about love, give and take, the laundry, paying the bills, fighting and making up, taking care of each other, growing old together. If 2 people spend 40 years together taking care of one another, why can't they get health insurance on one another? If one dies, the other is treated as a stranger off the street. Slontwovvy writes: "Still, though, nothing I said stated or implied that I was against equal rights for people of a different color, race, or gender. I don't know where you're getting that from. " I applaud your efforts to look at the ACLU webpage, but I thought you would have found some of the same articles I did where the ACLU was helping with those type cases. The ACLU is not just about gays. That may be what you hear about a lot, but over the years they have done a lot that all of us have benefitted from. I did start another thread that listed some of the other things ACLU has helped with. A few others have added more cases that are beneficial to most of us. Thank you for taking the time to look and be open minded.

I know a father of a cub scout who has ruled out a very good troop for his son. Why? One of the asst. scoutmasters wears an earring. It must have been a very small stud because no other parent seemed to notice it that night. I asked my son an indirect question about did he remember the adult with long hair and an earring, his answer was "huh? I don't remember anybody with long hair."

Strangely enough, people who learned the Girl Scouts rules first think that the BSA Guide to Safe Scouting doesn't cover NEAR enough. As Bob White said "The problem is common sense isn't common."

Dad, It was a rhetorical question. I was not accusing anyone of anything. With all due respect, if you are against homosexuality, you aren't going to find anything to agree with under the tab of "gay rights" on the ACLU webpage. I'm not sure what Slont looked at, but I feel confident that there are large sections of the ACLU webpage that he would disagree with.