Jump to content

Pselb

Members
  • Content Count

    105
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by Pselb

  1. 45 minutes ago, Oldscout448 said:

    Hmm, If we follow tradition you are supposed to go find a snipe in the woods not logs.  But as you seem a decent fellow I suggest you just roast another marshmallow 

    Well, I'm not a scout, but I do know that snipe are indigenous to swampy areas not woods.  I think you would be sending me on a wild goose chase, but we all know wild geese hang out at rivers and lakes unless they are migrating and then will rest at night in open fields, again, not woods.  However, if you would like, I could possibly look around the fire here and maybe find an old coot or two for you.

     

    • Haha 1
    • Upvote 2
  2. I probably won''t go back to lurking.  Some of the people here have given me some worthwhile ideas to kick around.  I don't ignore my kid one iota, but sometimes one is made to feel like as "just a parent" that somehow I'm letting my kid down.  But he comes back home each week and seems to be having a good time with it. 

    I do see the toll it takes on the scout leadership and am concerned that by becoming involved, it will detract from my other responsibilities.  No I don't hang out at bars, don't play golf, and pretty much am a stay-at-home dad that spends as much time as I can with the kids.  It's important that they take on some independence and I don't ever want to feel like I'm tagging along or worse yet interfering with him and the social contacts he's making.  When I do see the other boys, they seem like nice kids, so I'm not worried about the crowd he hangs out with when it comes to his Cub Scout activities.

    This virtual campfire is a comforting place to hang out and ask dumb questions. 

    Am I supposed to throw on a log now? or as the newbie I'm supposed to go find some more logs in the woods?

    • Like 1
  3. 28 minutes ago, Sentinel947 said:

    I'd say most folks here are parents as well as leaders. There are a good handful of folks who's kids are finished and too old for the program.

     

    My English teacher friend would have fun with this one.  He'd be wondering if the kids are too old for the program or the leaders......  From some of the other comments over the years, it's hard to tell.  :) 

  4. I've lurked for a few years as my boy came up through a couple of years in Cub Scouts.  Now that he's getting older and has stayed interested in Cubs, next year Webelos, I thought it okay to get a bit more involved on the forum.  I'm not a eat, drink and sleep Scouting volunteer so does that warrant the red arrow judgements for my comments about it?  Just wondering because when I was lurking it didn't make any difference.  If my offering a parents perspective in is a problem, I can surely go back to lurking.  What seems to be the tradition on this?  Just curious.  I can stay off  if this is a problem.  My boy's fine with the way things are so I can go back to the way it was for me.

  5. Thanks, that's good to know.  With all the conversation about how school activities affect participation in scouts, I just thought it might be different than with those home-school kids that have a more flexible schedule.

  6. Here's the routine:

    1) you tell them in person.

    2) then you send them with a written note

    3) then you email them

    4) then you text them

    5) then you leave a message on their voicemail

    6) then at parent/teacher conference they will swear up and down you never told them.

    I find the most effective way is to staple it to their foreheads.  THEN they remember.

    I have found over the years of teaching that if someone wants to remember (memorize) something, like 7 phone numbers, all they have to do is READ them faithfully every morning and every night for 21 days in a row..  That's all there is to it.  That's 49 numbers in a sequence block of numbers.  Now, taking that logic and applying it to something else, remember, these are kids. you need to tell them 42 times and they will remember.  :)

    • Haha 1
  7. I have a question.   How many scout leaders out there that either have home-schooled children of their own or have home-school kids in their units?  How does that influence what's going on?   Okay, that's two questions.  Mea culpa.

     

  8. Wouldn't life be so much more tolerable if everyone left their dramatic political agendas at home?  I would think things would be a lot more fun if they did.  I get enough of that at work and even a bit of it at church, I don't need to go out looking for more to fill up my limited free time.  :)

    I forgot to add: when my boy was learning his 12 point scout law part, I do believe one of the words was Cheerful.  Might be more enjoyable if that became a higher priority.

     

  9. 5 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

    I'd just pick out an easy area that overlaps with something you are doing anyway and offer that once in a while. Gives you some cover and isn't much of a commitment. I know a few parents whose main contribution was wheeling and dealing to hook us up for field trips; they didn't actually ever go camping or meetings much.

    Just a couple of ideas to float by you.  Take these Merit Badge counselors I have been reading about.  It would seem that I'm right back to just working with kids like I do every day of the week.  Not a strong point to be considering.

    Also if I were to promote the already existing courses the Conservancy, state park, library, etc. offers would it not appear I'm promoting those programs rather than scouting?  If I give promotional materials to my son,  isn't that a bit much to use him as the conduit?  Just a lot of things to think about on my part.  I get enough politics at school (professional) and church (volunteer), and one of the nice things about the other areas is someone else sets them up and all I do is teach and someone else can deal with the hassles.  It's not that I can't handle it, the question is whether or not I want to. :)

  10. No offense taken, you need to be at a parent/teacher conference.  Your comments weren't even on the chart when you compare them to what parents say when you're flunking their child. :)  I've learned to be quite bullet-proof when it comes to people's comments.  

    From what I'm gleaning from the forum, it would seem that no two units are alike in operation.  I get enough of kids during my everyday job, so I'm thinking more of a upper level position, but without any experience it would be difficult to position in.  I have no background in scouting as a youth so I'm coming in as a true green-horn.  I'm curious just because my son seems to be quite pleased with his involvement.  

  11. Good thing my boy isn't interested in baseball.  A lot of that "work" doesn't really apply to playing baseball, the reason a boy would want to be in the program.  I can see him getting more excited about playing first base than being part of an opening day parade.  Not really a strong incentive to getting me on-board.  It makes one wonder for whom is the program focused.

    • Confused 1
    • Sad 1
  12. We have a class-B camper that's a bit crowded for 5 people, but we make it work.  We use it because our home-schooling involves a lot of field-trips and the cost of restaurants and hotels would limit us considerably.  When we do a family camping trip we use 3 small tents, one for the wife and I, one for the girls and the boy likes his own tent as well.  we used to have a small popup until a hail storm in Nebraska did a number on it.

  13. LOL!  You want a kid?  I'll send you one!  Catch me on a good day and I'll even cover the cost of shipping. :)  Yes, I have a son in the program.  Apology accepted.

    As I mentioned:

    My church takes a lot of my "free" time, but the wife and kids are also involved as a family.  The wife teaches at the grade school level and I teach at the high school/adult level Sunday School.  All our kids are old enough to be enrolled at that time.

    I volunteer for the local historical society and genealogy club because of my interest in history.  One of my daughters volunteers at the historical society along with me, a chip off the old block, I guess.  I also do a tad bit of volunteering at the local library archives section.

    Occasionally one of the school clubs asks me to do some presentations, so that counts I assume.

    My wife and I (and sometimes the kids) are involved with volunteering at the area Nature Conservancy with their special programming for school, church and community groups of all ages.

    The same for the local state park that does special nature programming on topics that interest us.

    I am considering doing a bit of volunteering for the local archaeology society, get my hands dirty for a change.  There's not much recently that calls for their expertise.

    I am a member (not a volunteer) at the local Conservation Club just to get out of the house at least once a month just for myself. 

    The summers are limited for us in that it is the time we focus on home-schooling field trips for our kids on outings that take us out of the area more than an hours drive or so.

    A lot of my volunteering is on the instructional adult level in that it gives me an opportunity to interact with adults outside of school and church.  It's a lot more fun teaching people who want to learn and I don't have to grade their efforts.  A lot more relaxed and fun.

    The fanfare in the national news about all the changes in the BSA has peaked my "interest" so as to look into it a bit.  It hasn't affected my son in any way, or at least he hasn't mentioned anything, but if I were to get involved, it would probably be in a position that wouldn't affect my son directly.  I don't want him thinking I'm only in it because he is.  That way it doesn't show partisanship against the daughters.  It would be me volunteering because I have a separate personal interest in it.

    I thought as a start, and as I learn more about the scouts, I would try the forum.  If there were other nature programs out there with similar forums, I'd be on them too as I explore my options. 

     

    • Upvote 1
    • Downvote 1
  14. The logic doesn't seem to follow through.  If I my son wanted to play summer baseball, there would be the coach and maybe an assistant coach.  I'm only guessing in that my son is not in the program.  There's 9 on the team plus a few substitutes.  That makes the majority of parents irrelevant.  And me in particular in that I'm a history teacher, not a Phy Ed teacher. :)  Even if I were to "get involved", I wouldn't know the first thing about baseball, I played it as a kid, but that's about it.  What training would I get?  None.  So where's my carrot-on-a-stick?  My boy wants to play baseball, I drop him off for practice and watch his games.  That's what parents do.  

    On the other hand my church approaches me and says they would like someone to work with the youth, maybe teaching Sunday School.  Okay, I have the skills, I have the training, I can be effective.  As long as all my children are involved in the program, not a problem.  If one daughter wants to do soccer, the son does baseball and the other daughter wants dance lessons.  Fine, I can drop them off at the appropriate times, BUT if one or all of these programs want "parental volunteers" to help, then how do I tell my kids that their activity gets my attention and the others don't?  Or I can do all three and burn myself out and find no time to volunteer for things that interest me as an individual.  

    Now, I may be an "outsider" to scouting, but the vast majority of parents who have kids in the program fit into my situation.  Those that are volunteering may not be able to recognize this factor.  Their world is scouting, ours is not.  The only connection is we have boys (and girls) in the program.

    Yes, my situation is unique to me and my family, but I'm thinking there are many more just like me for other reasons who would find my shoes a comfortable fit.

  15. I thought it was my response!  Kind of hard to tell.  I didn't see any disrespect in your comments, nor do I think I showed any in mine.  We've both stayed on topic and the only difference between our posts is yours seems to be focused on the subjectivity of the issue and I trying to be more objective about it tries to focus on how difficult that subjective fluidity is among different personal moral standards.  Personally I would be slightly concerned about what the girl did (maybe one eyebrow up), but my fulcrum tipping point is more in the middle where it isn't an issue to me either way.    I can understand others leaning one way or the other for a variety of different reasons.  It would appear that from Remember Schiff's post, the Girl Scouts themselves are playing around with the fulcrum as we speak and have done so for 3-4 years.  I guess we both have to wait until the dust settles and see what the Girl Scouts come up with as their final solution.   If the Girl Scouts say it's not okay to be doing it for PR reasons, then I'll sleep easier tonight.  If they say it is okay, then I'll sleep just as easier tonight.  After all, it's not my call.  If I happened to be walking down the street and the gals were selling in front of any legal business, I'd buy a box of Thin Mints.  If the gals were selling out of a van on a dark street in a questionable neighborhood, I'd still buy a box of Thin Mints (as long as the box hadn't been tampered with :) ).  

    • Upvote 1
  16. Oh, now "seediness" is added to the mix?  Who determines that?  Again, who's in charge of the fulcrum?  All I know is the exact spot I pick will be the basis for personal harassment from both sides of the issue.  No thanks.

    Oh, one other observation.  The Girl Scout and her parents obviously are at a different point on the morality scale than others.  Does that make her right or wrong.  I can ask you and I can ask her parents.  I'm thinking I'm going to get two entirely different answers.

  17. 34 minutes ago, Chadamus said:

    While that's not my personal experience as a volunteer, you've summed up this forum fairly well of late, IMO.

    All I have to go on is what is put on this forum.  Knowing more about what is going on is my intent of being on this forum.  DOING more about it remains a big question mark that I don't have the expertise to deal with.  Even at the school where I work, we have administrators.  I'm just a teacher doing his job.

  18. 13 minutes ago, Tampa Turtle said:

    Common sense is any youth organization staffed by volunteers like scouts, band, lacrosse, football, lego robotics, is gonna put the touch on parents to pitch in from time to time. 

    I assume that this refers to organizations not associated with the public school system.  The clubs at our school are staffed by school employees who have expressed an interest in those areas.  If I need to do a field trip for a class of 25 students, I may ask a parent or two to help herd the group, but most of the time it is another teacher.  What other organizations do is of no impact on me.

  19. 1 hour ago, cyphertext said:

    @Pselb You keep referring to Cub Scouts as "someone else's program".  Your son is in it, so it is his program, and since he is under 10, by default, it is your program too.  Like others have said, maybe you don't need to be the den leader, but you definitely have something to add to the program.  

    By the way, my wife is also a teacher.  Although she wasn't the den leader, she saw the chaos of our first couple of meetings and helped me with planning the meetings to keep the kids engaged and under control...  She was my coach behind the scenes.  She was not a registered volunteer, but she added greatly to "my" program and it benefited all the boys, not just my own.  

    She also has to run her own copies for her tests... no magically appearing in her box in this district.  :)

    Maybe your son's den leader has the meetings well under control and doesn't need your help there, but could use help with planning an activity...  not asking you to create the activity, but you might suggest "Hey, the state park has this great program and it would be a great activity for the outdoor requirement.  I can email you the info on it."  Just sharing your experience or knowledge with the den leader may help as he is trying to find activities and things for the boys to do.  

     

     

    :)  My son IS someone else.  It's his program, not mine.  I support his interest in the program, not the program itself.  He doesn't seem to be having any issues and is excited to go back each time without a hassle.  Life is good.  If asked for my expertise and I am available, I will offer what I have.  So far those kinds of requests have not been forthcoming from the den leaders.  Instead they want me to BE a leader.  I haven't got the time to make that kind of commitment.  I'm from the old philosophy of "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."  My son is happy which means to him and HIS program, it ain't broken, and my meddling is not warranted.  You need to couple this with the discussion you have been having concerning helicopter parents.  Is this "involvement" the training ground for future helicopter parents when the boy goes on to Boy Scouts.  Next year my son will be in Webelos.  I have no idea whether or not there will be an increase or decrease expectation coming my way at that point.  I would think it would be ideally a decrease in expectations in light of what others on this thread are calling "boy led" down the road in Boy Scouts.

    1 hour ago, Pale Horse said:

    #1: This isn't somebody else's program. This is your son's program.  You teach highschoolers, but I assume you're familiar with elementary education. When teachers assign projects, homework or spelling lists, you have to know that kids aren't going home and doing everything by themselves.  Absolutely zero science projects have been completed by 7 year olds with their parents off doing their own thing.  Parental involvement and assistance is needed then just as it is in Cub Scouts.  

    #2: Nobody is asking you or anyone to recreate the wheel, but how do you think outings to the conservancy, state park, or historical societies take place?  Everyone just mysteriously knows where and when to show up to a place, and everything is ready for you?  No, a volunteer has to contact the location, reserve a time and then disseminate the information to other parents. Not a big deal, or anywhere hard to do, but when 40 families look to the same 4-5 people wearing uniforms to do everything, it becomes irritating.  More so, if we see that you're already doing these things with your family or volunteering at these locations. Honestly, it would be incredibly easy to put forth a little effort to "make the pack go."

    #3 Have you attended any parent meetings to even know if the pack is running fine?

    Every person's time valuable; any excuse that someone is "too busy" to help comes across as petty.  Our registered volunteers are all fully-employed in professional careers. 

     

    As I have mentioned earlier., my son is home-schooled so all of our parental time is devoted to his education (as well as 2 other daughters).  On the other hand what parents do with their kids in off-school hours is up to the parents, not the school.  We give out the assignments, they turn them in.  That's how the system works.  How is it a reflection on the student's learning if the material turned in is a result of the parents and not the student?  I see it all the time.  That's quite a disservice to the student.

    10 minutes ago, qwazse said:

    Because @Pselb might not have been around when the Law of the Pack was extant, I'll pitch in and make his argument.

    The full line read "The Cub Scout helps the pack go."

    There was no mention of parents in The Law of the Pack. Except, when the parent is Akela, but that was to emphasize that the behavior that the Cubs were learning also applied at home, where their "Pack" was their family.

    Thank you, well said.

    • Downvote 1
×
×
  • Create New...