teacher/scout

Most children with special needs who are seen as violent are often only violent due to miscommunication frustrations. If we take a moment to pause and allow them to work through what they need to work through, the outburst will often be avoided. Yes, it takes a little more work, a little more patience, but scouting is about making it rewarding for all the scouts to the best of our ability. As leaders we must take the responsibility to work with children with various forms of special needs, if we just boot them to a different troop what message is that telling the other scouts?

Now, in no way am I advocating risking the safety of others please don’t get me wrong. If there is a big safety issue than it absolutely must be discussed with the parents of the child, and hopefully you can work with the parents to figure out a plan of action. I am advocating for children who already struggle being accepted into society, who already get the “you’re a retard†and “you’re pitiful†looks.

As for school mainstreaming, through there are different policies for each state, the idea behind it is for children with special needs to gain the social interactions necessary for life. It is ultimately the parents’ decision on how they want their child in the school system, but it is (hopefully) a joint effort between the family and the school to figure out the best needs of the child.

I understand that you feel it is above your pay grade to work with children with special needs. But think of the families who struggle with these actions every morning, every afternoon, every night, then only to repeat the process every day. Is it above their pay grade? They didn’t choose this life, but accept and work with it every day.

Believe me, it is not an easy job. I do it every day with various wonderful children! It is exhausting, rarely painful, but it is also rewarding with how much love these children have to offer. Create a positive connection and they will bend over backwards to make you smile.

I'm sorry that we upset/miffed you.

I just wish that:

1. you gave an indication that you were done with the conversation, (if you did then I apologize I did not see the social cues)

2. You had talked to us personally instead of posting this on a forum (it sort of reminded me high school drama that I'm trying to be quite done with)

As for my actions in the submit a report conversation:

My goal was not for you to change your mind (and again I'm sorry it came out that way) but my goal was for you to see there are other options besides a written report when being asked to submit it.

I am constantly surrounded by the idea we are here for the boys, (and for my case, my students as well) so for me it tells me we're here to help the boys in the best way possible, and the scout did vocalize that he had an IEP (which detail information is not suppose to be disclosed to those not specified in the IEP) and that it would be easier for him to verbalize then write on the spot. So in my mind, to be in the best interest of the scout was for him to verbalize the report.

Just wanted to give my reasoning and apology.

This question came up in my diversity class for teaching and I was wondering how other people handle this in the scouting world: How do you celebrate the holiday's to include all religions,those who don't celebrate holidays and the family traditions of your scouts? Do you celebrate one, all or none? Have you come up with new ways to have one thing everyone can celebrate so as not to discriminate?

Beavhah-It's hard to answer that question because I have never asked that question or looked it up. I'm sure some psychological study has been done, or it has been used in children around that age who needs therapy. I remember taking a similar test freshman year of high school and the Myer-Briggs pretty well matched it. Personally, I think it would be extremely similiar, if not the same if you took the test at 11 years old, then at 18, then at 30.

I do agree that Department of Education is lacking in simple concepts and something needs to be done, but I don't agree that abolishing the DOE is the best way to go about it. I will agree that it needs some serious reform and common sense but it can be changed if our decided it might be smart to appoint someone there who knows what goes on in a school system and has actually lived it. As NCLB currently stands we are suppose to reach 90% profeciency on our standardized testing by 2014. Here's the major problem-it's not possible. Standardized Tests are "norm based" testing which is designed to spread the results out (like a bell curve) so that each section of the bell curve is relatively equal to the next. By using this form of testing it is mathamatically illogical and impossible to create a 90% proficency.

We do need a way to nationally track our educational level compared to other countries (as of 2006 in science we are ranked 29th out of 40 countries-which is well below the average score expected and in math we are ranked 35 out of 40 countries). The best way to do that is 2 options (in my opinion). 1. schools send in scores of a criteria based testing to the national level because each school has a different curriculum or 2. The government states what criteria is required in all states and create a criteria based test off of that required curriculum.

I may tend to be more liberal but in this case I lean toward the first option I suggested.

Just to further Beavah's point on teachers-I starting subsitiute teaching as soon as I was out of high school (so I was 18). According to our SAU I am CERTIFIED to teach preschool through 8th grade, my SAU typically does not put subsititutes my age in the high school because it is to close of age (as of last year there were seniors that we actually older than me because I was/am a young graduate). As soon as I turn 20 I am eligable to teach at the high school level-if I had the desire to do so.

At the age of 18 I also became a certified bartender through the Boston School of Bartending.

At 11 years old all the characteristics of their personality are within them due to their childhood experiences. (hence how experience is part of personality because they do have childhood experience) After 11 is when they begin to fine tune their personality traits and typically have a good chance of strengthening their good traits, if they stick around with good role models. Have you ever taken the Myers-Briggs Personality Test. I would suggest doing so if you haven't. This tells you what personality traits you have and it's clear to see that you were like this at a younger age-say around 11. For exmaple my personality is considered to be INFJ. I stands for introversion which means i get my energy from the inner world of myself. So when I need to wake myself up, reenergize, I go in my room and play solitaire, something I have been doing since I was 9. N stands for intuition, which looks for possibilities and relationships. Basically, my thought process leans towards more abstract thinking, which is something I have always shown in writing papers or journal entries-started that about 12 years old. F stands for feeling, which is when I base decisions on personal values. I believe that sometimes it is better to listen to your heart instead of the facts. But still use facts to support my decision. Been listening to my heart since around 10. J stands for Judging, which is described a perferring to have a planned, decided and orderly way of life. I am a list maker-have been for as long as I can remember.

See what you remember doing at a younger age if you take this test.

Beavah-I am fully aware that even if I throw facts at people, they probably aren't going to listen to the facts because they are stuck in their ways, but hey, it's nice to be a smarta$$ sometimes!

Why dont we look at the actual data and not speculate. I am currently in Psychology 202: The Psychology of Personality-so lets get technical.

The formal definition of personality is as followed: Unique, relatively enduring internal and external aspects of a persons character that influence behavior in different situations. Now what the hell does this mean? Basically, our personality is what makes us behavior the way we do-externally shown to people and our internal thoughts and reactions to situations. KC9DDI, this does include maturity, judgment, experience, responsibility, leadership etc etc. When it comes to age heres the answer: 30 years of age is when personality becomes fully stabilized and also the age when we start to comprehend who we are. But when you look at theorists such as Jung and Erikson who describe the development of personality in different approaches.

Carl Jungs theory of Analytic Psychology focuses on two main concepts. 1. We are shaped by our past, present and future. 2. The unconscious. There are two sides of the unconscious. The first is the personal unconscious. This is basically our long-term memory which helps us perceive the world and originates from childhood, adulthood, collective unconscious and the experiences from each day. The collective unconscious is the deepest and least accessible level of psyche. We are predisposed to behave and feel same way people have always behaved and felt-personal experience contribute to predisposition becoming reality. We also have the universal images such as the villain vs. hero, the mother and child, the wise old man and the witch etc that further our experiences which, in turn furthers our personality. According to Jung, our psychological growth is through individuation which is becoming an individual, fulfilling ones capacities and developing ones self. This idea of individualization is key to understanding the idea that an age group cannot be generalized into one specific category because we all develop our personality on an individual basis because each of our environmental experiences are different.

Many people have heard of Erik Erikson-a theorist who focused on the life cycle. Im going to focus on the first 5 stages of life because those are what relate to personality the most. The first stage is from birth to 1 yrs old, called TRUST VS. MISTRUST. Which side of the spectrum the child ends up on is highly dependent of the interaction with the caregivers. If the caregivers provide ample affection, love and security then the child will fall under TRUST and receive the basic strength of hope. The second stage occurs between 1-3 yrs called AUTONOMY VS. SHAME AND DOUBT. This is the stage of potty-training and independence. They learn to do things on their own, control over themselves and environment and if the parents complete the stage with love and patience then the child as achieved autonomy, but if the caregivers are angered and impatient with this stage then the child will feel shame and doubt in other actions that they do. The third stage happens between the ages of 3-5 and is called INITIATIVE VS. GUILT. In this stage, the children are learning to do things on their own (taking initiative), and they have the desire to do so. If this is welcomed by the caregiver the child will learn that they have a purpose in life which will give courage to envision and pursue goals. The fourth stage is between the ages of 6 to 11 called INDUSTRY VS. INFERIORITY. This is when the attitudes of parents, teachers and other adults influence the childs self-perceptions. If they get praise and pleasure from successful completion of a task the child became confident and feels competent is the things they do. If the child is being scolded and ridiculed they will feel they are inferior and inadequate to do what they want to do. Now, why have I gone into depth about this, BECAUSE BY THE END OF THE FOURTH STAGE THE PERSONALITY IS FORMED AND WILL AFFECT THE REST OF ONES LIFE. Adolescence is we figure out what our identity is, try different roles to figure out what we want to do, but our personality that has already been formed is what allows us to figure out who we want to be.

So basically, Personality is developed and formed by the age of 11 because of childhood experiences. The adolescence period and young adulthood (which is 18-35) is when you learn who you are as a person with a help of the personality traits that have already been acquired.

Just wanted to clear up any confusion of development of personality!

Moosetracker-you do have the general idea on Rainbow, but it is more fun than you let on-it's just as much fun for me anymore because of my age. The International Order of the Rainbow for Girls, which is very much like Masons, Demoly, Eastern Star, Daughters of Job etc etc focuses on girls between 11 and 20 (or 21 if they want to extend) years old. The goal behind rainbow is to teach many things, including responsibility, leadership, communication, public speaking and learning who you are as a person. Yes we have meetings every other week, for me it was the second and fourth Monday, and then the first and third Monday's would be rehearsals where we would work on skits, drills, scrapbooks and hanging out with people that you come close to. Yes we travel around the state, and out of state, but we get to meet new people and see different part of the United States and our own state, when we get together we do sleepovers, girls night out, laugh and have a good time.

2 years ago and last year I ran for Grand Worthy Advisor, which is like being the State President of Rainbow, which is like a full time job with lots of travel, working with people and many many other responsibilities. I didn't win but after that first year of running I started seeing major issues within the organization that I wish to help fix. But I'm almost done, sick of some of the bull that goes on with the adults, and I get out of there (what we call majority out) on my birthday, which makes me exicted.

So it is a great organization for younger girls but once you get to the point I am at with age and going up the line of responsibility you kinda get bored and frustrated with it.

Y'all heard how everything went last night and some may be curious about what I plan on doing as Cub committee chair.

Here is what I am thinking. At somepoint our COR needs to confront me because last night I told her that I do not understand how can refuse us a vote after asking me to be Cub Committee Chair with the full knowledge that I am 19 years old, because that's backa$$wards. Her response wasn't much, simply "I'll have to findagle something". So when she confronts me I plan on telling her that I made a PROMISE to her, to the past Cub CC and the cubmaster that I would be there, I do not go back on my word and I wish I COULD say the same thing about her. I cannot do this job without the final vote if a tie needs to be broken-it is simply not possible. I will only do this job for a year, so you have a year to find someone else. The reason being, I was only asked to be a pro-tem for this job and I plan on keeping it that. I will be senior in college having to do capstone, student teaching, classes oh and planning a wedding.

No garntees I would change my mind but I do want to know your input in whether this is the right decision or if you have any other suggestions.

Off to go babysit two year old twins who make seem right! Let me know what ya think

Basic government classes in high school and college state that you are a legal adult at 18 years of age, any book will tell you that.

When it comes to BSA, at 18 years old (with insurance) you are allowed to drive the scouts to any outing, you are considered an assistant scoutmaster which is an adult job in itself.

The older adults are suppose to be there to mentor us and help us succeed in our goals within scouts and even sometimes outside of scouts. But what can you do as a 19 year old who feels like the roles (in this situation) should be reversed and that feels like she has more experience in a committee lifestyle and rules than those around her? I have been in a committee lifestyle since I was eleven years old and was, in essence, Committee Chair by the age of 15 and stayed in that position for 2 1/2 years untill my proceder came up the line. Do I have a lot to learn, of course, and I'm willing to listen and learn but have the experience that many my age don't. So when I offer my experience and it is taken as a grain of salt because of my age what is to be done? Sometimes age shouldn't matter, if the experience and knowledge is behind that young age then go for it and see what good, and what bad, can come out of it.

This is the future daughter in law who has decided to put her 2 cents in.

Lisabob-I rather disagree with your it is very common for young adults to see the world in all-or-nothing, black & white, terms In todays society our young adults are more receptive to ideas and look at all sides of things instead of focusing on their own belief, in fact, it tends to be the older generation who get stuck in their ways and only want their way or the highway. Our situation is a perfect example. The adults who do not want us to vote are very clear in what they want and in our time trying to negotiate they have not listened to what ideas we have. If there have been disagreements within the committee about when health forms should be due back to me I make a compromise for the date they want and the date I came up with. Both my fiance and I have always been able to look at the grey areas and make rational and compromising decisions. So please, before you automatically assume that the young adults of todays world see white and black, take a step back and listen to what we have to say.

Something to think about-earlier this scout year our COR decided to talk with every adult to get their opinions on what needs to be corrected within the troop-everyone including us because she wanted to make sure our voices were heard. So we told our COR that we would like more respect given by the other adults because our ideas are pushed out of the way, we are ignored and many go with the stereotype that young people are foolish and care about themselves etc etc etc. She wrote it down, agreed with us. Then this whole thing goes down and she turns her opinion around and disrespects who we are as people and everything we discussed earlier in the year.

Well we are about to leave lets see how it ends up.