DadScouts

True, and I have no problem with this. Unfortunately, BSA doesn't allow too many responsibilities to be placed on the Scout either, which is why I sadly just called it quits as Advancement Chair for my Troop after over a decade and 50 Eagles. Far too many parents earning Eagle. When I realized I was ready to tell a couple of parents the Scout store product ID# for an Eagle medal and just go to Council to buy one to save everyone time and paperwork, I knew it was time for me to leave.

We ban aerosol sunscreen and bug spray for their flame thrower potential at summer camp, actually tell Scouts they will be taken and not returned. You could have a laptop available and show a couple photos of burns for first aid skill purposes. Could ask him if he was alone or with others and how would he feel if someone else had life long burn scares from his antics.

Rodney Scout Reservation, Maryland. Don't worry, things went up the chain of command above the camp director, both during the week and afterwards.

Never more a true statement written anywhere. Went to an excellent camp this summer, as far as MBs go. Strict (& low) limits on # of Scouts who could take each MB. Leader guide had highest # of pre-reqs for MBs I have even seen. The week went as expected on both fronts. Saturday morning at the end of camp had a couple of missing MBs I needed to track down for my Scouts. Every dept head and the camp manager were in a building ready for Troop leaders to come in and discuss. I went right up to the camp manager, shook his hand, and thanked him and his staff because I had the highe

Ranks handed out night of BOR, or latest the following meeting. (Our Troop has an excess stash of patches.) MBs? Whenever. Scouts give them to me, I see the 2-3 week/month old date, and toss in my shirt pocket and SM hands them out in front of the Troop about 1x/month. Only exception is no one gets anything post-summer camp until the big COH held each Sep - just too much paper and patches. $s? One BOR, w/o my knowledge, withheld 1st Class rank for a very disorganized Scout who owed $s for an activity months prior. Parents, who actually are well to do, were contacted without results

What if the Scout developed and implemented a plan to recruit, help in process, and train others to become counselors at that camp? Rather than one Scout doing great service at a camp he would be leveraging his time to get multiple people to do the same.

Agree 100%. Call them Merit Badge Palms instead of Eagle Palms because that is exactly what these new things are. MB Palms would be held in the proper esteem as accomplishments like, well that international revered award, The World Conservation Award, aka the PPP (the Purple Panda Patch).

This is a shame. We had palm BORs and for ex-SPLs who were active JASMs, doing mentoring for Senior Patrol and New Scout Patrol the BORs were a great way for some adults to sit down with a Scout and discuss college app process, scholarships, and other true life skill stuff. Ya, could still have that but the palm BOR was a kick in the rear reminder to get some great adults together and have this chat with the Scout. Our palms actually held short-term leadership assignments where the Scout, in advance, set up the goals for those 90 days and the BOR was a great chance to review successes and n

I got you to -12. You're welcome. I think Red and Green are simple purpose: Up means you like or find the post helpful and Down means you dislike or find it non-helpful and "Report" is asking someone to taken to the principal's office.

"Not every good thing a boy may do has to lead to Eagle rank." From your lips to God's ears!!! I will pay big bucks if someone would beat this into the thick skulls of many of our parents!!!

BTW, since I posted weeks ago basically saying "Troopmaster, or nothing" I emailed Troopmaster for a reporting enhancement. This wasn't a bug fix but an addition to a report. One day later they agreed to do the enhancement and said it would be added to their enhancement list - ETA about a month. Next day other email, wouldn't be done by the end of the month but rather the end of the week. That afternoon yet another email - forget the end of the week, the change was done and would be uploaded that night system-wide. This was for a "nice to have" not a "need to have" report formatting chang

I agree, but seem to recall the current BSA workbook and policy doesn't necessarily agree with this statement, sadly.

Local HS has about 15 male sports. Of the 2 best 1 was created and coached the entire time by an Eagle Scout. About 10% of the team is Eagles and about 5% of the team attends West Point, Naval Academy, or Air Force Academy. Coaches who understand the potential of Scouting know how to use those Scouts. As an aside, know personally the # of kids who never get those scholarships but thought they were is VERY high. Worse yet, the # of kids who get the scholarships and then drop the sport or transfer to another college is equally high. Trying to play a sport so a school pays for college has t

"Audit"? LOL. I'd bet a large % of MBCs are not currently certified for those badges per the "official" district/council records, since those records are out of date or incomplete - if they exist at all. Agree with all the comments here. In a class is the only circumstance where I would even think of signing my son's card. Also completely agree the trend towards "in Troop" MB completions is a poor one. Some parents are pushing to get signed up as MBCs since "it's so hard to find one" off the district list. I thinking taking MBs outside of the Troop and outside of a summer camp (do

Troopmaster over Scoutbooks. Period. Email Troopmaster and they will likely have a bug fix out in a week; if you are asking for a Troopmaster enhancement they often give that to you in a month. Ever try to email BSA tech support? The owners of BSA Internet Advancement and myscouting.org, or wait it's now my.scouting.org, now own Scoutbooks. The patient will die quickly. Ask any Council staff about ScoutNet and they will roll their eyes. The day BSA requires Scoutbooks to be used over Troopmaster is the day I start doing paper advancement reports again.