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WisconsinMomma

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Everything posted by WisconsinMomma

  1. My middle son did archery at summer camp but his MB was incomplete. The camp returned his blue card with an incomplete note stapled to it. At last night's troop COH, he was given an Archery MB, doh! And he got back the blue card with the incomplete note stapled to it and it's not a signed blue card. So, it seems that we need to hold this merit badge and either have my son practice his archery to get his targets hit to whatever standard for the MB (that was the only thing he didn't complete) or he just skips finishing this MB. Has this ever happened to anyone else? Now ho
  2. I've got a Bear den that is struggling for leadership. A mom was the den leader but something happened with her family, new baby, move, etc. They are not participating. Then a dad was den leader, but he is struggling and wants to step back to assistant den leader this fall. We have like nine scouts and no adult to step up at the moment. Our secretary has a son in bears and complains about the guy saying he wasn't doing enough. But to be fair, he'd try to organize an event and no one would get back to him with replies, and that's not easy. So, how would you invigorate this bear den
  3. Regarding fiefdoms, well.... isn't this called networking? I'll just say that I'm a total nobody (not really), but Wood Badge helped me meet great Scouters and it has made opening some doors easy. I have two instant allies in my WB course director and my WB ticket advisor, and they are automatically interested in me doing work for them via the WB ticket! I have to go do stuff and contribute, and everyone will help me because I say the magic words "wood badge ticket". If you want to try it, it could work for you, too! Think of Wood Badge as your premium Scouting Networking channel,
  4. They want it done by October 1! I am watching it and need to take a break, this is a good training but it is not easy to go through.
  5. Most of the time I really don't care what our District is doing. I care about what the Unit is doing, and... the only reason I offered to help with BALOO is because it's a wood badge ticket, I had taken BALOO in years past, and I knew they were short on trainers because they asked all the new BALOO trained people a few months later if they wanted to come help teach the course. It was very easy to walk on to teach BALOO, and it was also very easy to volunteer to run a Council wide Traffic safety merit badge -- all I had to do was connect with the right person and say hey -- this my ticket, an
  6. Not at all! But if you had a bad training and it's a subject and organization you care about, and you clearly have the skills to teach it -- go for it! I don't know what to say about the politics in your Council, but surely, someone somewhere is probably desperate for help and you could be just the person to fill in or take a tiny piece here and there so you are not such a big star. Sometimes in my courses, a person has come out to teach just an hour or two and then they leave! That's actually really nice for the trainer and the program. ETA: Whatever you are doing for Sc
  7. @MattR are you going to talk to your DE about your feelings and let him know you're feeling micromanaged? You should! Get him off your back. Everybody is conditional. Now I can understand that if people spend more time complaining than Scouting, that's a problem. But if people want to do Scouting, then get Scouting! Do the parts you like to do and don't stress over the rest of it!
  8. But if everyone is working on their units, then how does the district run? Everybody working on district is giving a little extra time to Scouting beyond the unit level. If everyone did a little bit, it would make it easier for everybody. Furthermore, if the Scouts are running the program and Patrol method, don't the adults have more time on their hands???
  9. So, have you since volunteered to be an IOLS trainer for your Council? I taught portions of BALOO in the Spring, my first time teaching it, and I am sure there are people who had more experience than I did taking the course. Of course, I invited comments in some areas, like Geocaching and I asked if people had experience with it, but when I did a segment on basic First aid and CPR, I taught it exactly to the BSA guideline. If a person knew all the material coming in, at least they were able to hear me reinforce that YPT is non--negotiable, don't make up your own loopholes. That's
  10. I'll just throw in that scoutmaster conferences and boards of review at camp are not always the best environment for the scout to succeed in. Our Troop has a new scout weekend and they have tried to do all this advancement stuff at the end of the outing, and it's a big fail -- you've got 11 and 12 year old who are exhausted and it's 10 o'clock at night and there's no point. We discussed this at committee and I think this year they will do the advancement stuff after they get back home when the kids are fresher. The same kind of thing happened with my son as he worked towards First Class
  11. I think the best thing you get out of Wood Badge is meeting other great Scouters from your area. It's the networking, and meeting great people inspires you to live the Oath and Law.
  12. I went to Wood badge right after my second son crossed over to Boy Scouts, I had graduated as his Den Leader, and I was continuing with Cubs as Assistant Cub Master. My husband is going to WB this year, his third year as an ASM. (I'm a Fox married to a Bear.) I sell Wood Badge to cub level Scouters by saying that I was never a Boy Scout, and Wood Badge lets me experience Scouting the way my boys will in their troops, so it's a great chance for non youth members to get more of a taste of what it's like for the boys.
  13. Oldest son is now a First Class Scout!!

  14. My husband is at Wood Badge - now he's a good old Bear married to a good old Fox!

  15. I am so happy to hear that you got a very clear response and support. That's excellent.
  16. We are running a brat stand all day today with Cubs and parents.  Wish me luck! 

  17. I have mixed feelings about bringing in girls early and going coed. I think that following the rules of separate troops and dens is good. I think giving girls experiences is also good. When you decide to skip the rules it gets a little confusing to go on your own. I think it's interesting that this CO said, "push the boundaries". I wonder what kind of CO would do that? I guessed this was in California, but it's in Minnesota, which is too close to home for me! If I had daughters, I think I would want my daughters in a troop that follows the program. Because if a CO is winging
  18. I was talking with some friends last night and one recounted a story of a near drowning on a Girl Scout outing. I am sharing this only to emphasize why the BSA's (is that still the right abbreviation?) Safe Swim Defense guidelines are important and useful. Girl Scout overnighter at a campground, note, not a scout camp Most parents not on trip Pool with no lifeguards No one really supervising No swim test Do you see where this is going? My friend who is a lifeguard and swim instructor decided to rent a cabin at the campground and take the rest of her family.
  19. Barry, really. This thread is about a male ASM losing it on kids in the Troop. There are high-strung men and women who are a problem for the program. Don't bash the moms.
  20. Oh Gawd, a SuperScout. I feel bad for you. But, hey, a guy doesn't get a pass on crap behavior towards kids just because he got an Eagle. He doesn't have special privileges, he's supposed to be giving service, doh! Have you had a talk with him directly and let him know you don't appreciate his behavior? Maybe a little momma bear will help him wake up. I don't mean an angry momma bear, but you can look him in the eye and tell him that his behavior is a problem and you need him to calm down. The best way he can serve your son and the Troop is to give the kids some space to learn on th
  21. Yes, but, this adult is not teaching the Scout Oath and Law. He does not belong in uniform, and Bearess should bring out the nukes, i.e. inform the Scout Executive and ask for help to resolve the situation so no other kids are harmed. Tell me, why should this adult stay in a leadership position? Give me a few good reasons. The kid appears resilient, but that does not excuse the adult's behavior.
  22. Ugh, I am so sorry Bearess. Your son does not need to leave. This adult needs to step down. Screaming at a boy until they cry is not appropriate. I think you should call the Scout Executive and have a conversation, so this is documented very specifically. Get it on the record. Then the Council can decide whether their volunteer deserves another chance to humiliate and bully children or not. The kids need to see consequences for bad behavior.
  23. I took Wood Badge when my two older boys were just starting Boy Scouts. I am still involved with my youngest in the Cub pack, but if we all stick with Scouting, I'm going to be in the program for the next 10 years. Might as well get trained. BALOO is important for Cub Scouting. I recommend Wood Badge to people who expect to be active in Scouting for many years, and for people who did not grow up in Scouting and would like to experience the patrol method firsthand. My involvement in Scouting is increasing a lot through the Wood Badge ticket work... which is likely a lifelong commitment to S
  24. If any of my sons earn Eagle, it will be interesting to see what they want for Court of Honor. I can see my oldest wanting something short, short, short and sweet. The other two might like the pomp and circumstance. As I progress towards Wood Badge completion and hopefully, beading, I have to decide if I want something short and small, or invite a lot of people from WB class. It's nearly the same thing as COH and I can see pros and cons of going bigger or smaller.
  25. Just 2 cents - you can handle another post, right? Our troop once had a committee chair who was difficult to work with and antagonistic towards my son with ADHD. I know there are some Scouters out there who do not do well with kids with differences, and who put know-it-all-ness, power trips and ego into their volunteer jobs. It's disgusting. You are not alone in that kind of experience and I'm sorry that your family had to struggle through it. I hope you and the Elks throw your son a fantastic court of honor! Congrats to your son!
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