SemperParatus

And they all lived happily ever after... (except of course for the mean 'ol TDL) With that turmoil behind you, I hope you can settle down to a long and fulfilling career in scouting.

meamemg, That would probably depend on whether the BOR chair thinks of asking you - some may and some may not. I would see no problem, however, with you selecting the SM or ASM that you want to have introduce you to the BOR (and thereby possibly 'sit in'). Of course, in doing so be as diplomatic as possible. Go to the SM (you don't want) and respectfully ask that you would like to have ASM (who you do want) introduce you because you have developed such a strong relationship with him. I remember when I first became a SM, I was more than happy to let the old SM (then an ASM) introduce the

The fuzzy one is wise. If it takes a village to raise a child then it takes a whole troop to raise a scout. Other scouts, SMs, parents, committee members all could and should play a vital role in helping this scout mature. Shower him with love and the attention he is craving.

I assume your parent's have a copy of the uniform inspection sheet and so it is just a matter of not following directions. http://www.scoutstuff.org/misc/isheets/34282.pdf Since the parents are so new, I am sure they want to get it right from the beginning. At your next den meeting, invite the parents in for a uniform inspection. Let each parent perform the inspection (using the sheet) on their own son. Have needle and thread (and fabric glue for the lazy ones) available and let the parents go to town while you take the boys off for some fun and games. When you return, reward the

Hope you don't mind if I play a little Perry Mason (uh...I guess you don't remember him). How about Johnny Cochran? Do you know if your Scoutmaster is calling 'council' on a frequent basis to ask about a lot of things? In other words, does he often quote 'council says'? Does he say who specifically he is talking to? Do you know if your scoutmaster is attending a roundtable (meeting of other adult scout leaders)? Do you want to earn some merit badges now? Are there any other adults in your troop that have questioned the information you are sharing here? Have you s

Amouse, Are any 'council' people coming to your troop meetings?

Soooo...how did it go?

I was in a rush, so now I have time to elaborate. My best friend is in charge of the FBI's Internet Crime Unit and he spent an afternoon showing me all the bad stuff that criminals do on the internet, just with names. He has four kids and goes to great lengths in keeping their names off of the web. I follow his lead.

Our 'dress code' is wear the uniform. Nothing specific on backward hats or droopy drawers. Too many rules on this can get confusing and the scouts will begin to make it a game by finding the exceptions. I am sure I have seen what you have described in our troop, but it seems to disappear quickly, so I guess either somebody (another scout, parent, adult leader) said something or the scout took a good look at himself in the mirror.

Handle through the Scoutmaster Conference process. Scoutmaster conferences need not be held only at the time of rank advancement. I think the first step is for the SM to identify the issues (why the scout is 'lacking' spirit) and go from there, in a gentle yet firm manner. Any specifics you want to share?

I agree - here is the bsa internet guidelines http://www.scouting.org/webmasters/standards/

Our troop has our number and logo on the trailer. It sits hidden at our charter org facility so we are not too concerned about vandalism. As far as theft - it would probably be a lot easier to find with the large identification plastered on the side then without it. We do not put names of scouts on the trailer to respect the boys' privacy. I have seen other troops do that, but our committee decided against it.

acco40 is correct. SM typically introduces the scout to the board and with the board chairman's permission may 'sit in' as an observer and to answer questions of the board that may relate to the unit. SM does not, however, participate on the board by asking questions of the scout. Proper protocol is for the SM to ask the board chairman if it would be acceptable for him to observe.

I really can't follow all the numbers and letters, but I clearly like number 1 (apologize). Humility will go a long way in making this a workable situation for you and others. With that attitude, I would hope things will go much more smoothly and all will eventually fall into place. Do emphasize the shared leadership approach so everyone can be involved and no one is overburdened. Good luck to you.

The Eagle Board chair (typically the district advancement guy) will likely meet with the board members for 20-30 minutes before the eagle candidate is brought in. He will provide details on how he would like to see the review progress and you should address your concerns/questions at that time. Typically, the chair will have certain questions that he wants asked (either by him or assigned to others) and will also allow some flexibility by the other board members who are more knowledgable of the scout and the unit to ask their own questions. The 'tone' is usually set by the board chair but t

Roy Williams' thought on the uniform from his scouting magazine interview upon assuming the Chief Scout Exec position: "What are your thoughts on the importance of the uniform in Scouting?" "Well, certainly I would like to see every Scout correctly uniformed, because it is one of the methods of the Scouting program and serves many purposes. I would hope that leaders would take the time to see how uniforms should be worn; and if they're a uniform-type volunteer, like Scoutmaster, assistant Scoutmaster, den leader, or Cubmaster, that they would not do it halfwayand that their uniforms

EagleInKY and Eamonn, The use of the possessive adjective 'my' is used (subconsciously in most cases) when communicating on this forum because you are communicating with people who are not part of your troop and, hence, who are not inclusive in the possessive 'our'. In other words, saying 'in our troop, we...' is the most appropriate usage of the possessive form when you are speaking with other members of your troop since you are all part of the 'our'. When communicating with people who are not part of your troop (i.e., those on this forum), the possessive 'my' is the most appropria

That patch varies by council/region. I have seen different versions in different places. I have also seen scouts wear it on their right pocket flap and below the flap as a temporary, albeit permanently sewn on. The insignia guide does not provide for its wear, so our troop takes that to mean it shouldn't be worn on the uniform (although there are scouts in our troop that do put it on their right flap because they have seen other scouts do it - we don't make a big deal about that).

Dan, I say it because it was humorous, not a big deal. The proposal was by the SPL and his assistant both of whom had been in scouts for over 8 years and who have attended troop JLT and council JLT. They know all about the 'uniformingness' of scouts and why we wear one - they were just trying to push the envelope before their term was up. I couldn't slam my fist down on the table since I had fallen off my chair from laughing so hard. I guess in the future I have to use those little smiley things so that those with little jocularity understand humor.

Right on EagleInKY. One time, I had a PLC that wanted to change the troop uniform 'policy' to wear Big Johnson t-shirts instead of the scout shirt. Needless to say, their decision-making was redirected to more appropriate areas.

amouse, If you are looking for pictures, the internet is full of them. For example, see www.scoutpatches.com Just do a search for boy scout patches and you will have all the pictures you could ever hope to see.

OneHour, "It is mandatory whether you are going to Summer Camp or not or whether you have seen it or not." What do you do about that 'mandatory' rule if a boy misses the meeting for one reason or another (or the parent decides they do not want their child to watch the video)?

EagleInKY I believe the attached is an exhibit in the G2SS with discussion suggestions. http://www.scouting.org/pubs/ypt/pdf/46-013.pdf

Our troop has fallen into the cycle of showing the youth protection video, A Time To Tell, to the whole troop every other year? We make it available to parents/scouts as they join for private viewing, but no one ever seems to check it out. What do other troops do? Also, do you have any professionals come in to lead discussion/reflection or do the adult leaders just muddle through the discussion as best they can?

Happy shopping. Definitely look for a new pack if the present one is not meeting your perceived needs. Better to do that now after only a couple of months then delaying for a year or two and getting more frustrated. It is suggested that Webelos visit more than one boy scout troop to make a better decision, cubs and their parents should do likewise.