swilliams

Apologies for creating a new thread. I looked for the old one where I had seen a link for the assessment, but couldn't find it again. I have a link for the online assessment from troopleader.scouting.org and I filled out one of the sections to see what happens when the assessment is done. The page asked me to enter my name and email for results, which I then got in my inbox. Upon sending the link out, I could ask that everyone use my information, but the info - IF the scout/committee member/ASM remembers to do that - would be coming in piecemeal, for every separate subject. A lot to try and collate, and open-ended (as I'm sure not everyone will fill it out, let alone by a specified time). Is there a paper version that could be handed out at a PLC and Committee Meeting? Or is there some way for me to see the results other than by individual email? I'm sure whichever entity is receiving these (council?, National?, both?) has a way to sort through them. As a Scoutmaster, I'd like to use this to see where our members think we are.

Do we have any updates on this hearing from yesterday?

I was hoping the rest of the title was 'rescued by Boy Scouts', lol. Even better... a girl's Troop.

My two cents as a recently-trained SM... 1. I can't speak well to what I thought of the online training because as soon as I decided to take on this role, I dove in: I have copies of Troop Leader Guidebook, volumes 1 & 2, Scoutmaster Handbook, SPL Handbook, PL Handbook, and while I haven't read every word, I've read a lot of it. I've also tried to gather as much info from online materials (Troop Leader Resources, for example) and groups like this as possible. So, long way of saying the online training felt redundant, but that's from a skewed perspective. 2. IOLS was fun, and I did learn one or two new things, as well as getting refreshers on a couple things. Can't speak to how it's run everywhere, but our Council did a great job. It was awesome afterward, during a meeting where we were doing advancement, to have a brand-new ASM with almost no scouting experience be more familiar with knots than several of our oldest scouts. They sure stepped up quick, lol. 3. Wilderness Survival and CPR. I would take these in a heartbeat, but they are not being offered, as far as I can find, anywhere in the state for the next six months. Why such limited opportunity? 4. All this training doesn't make one a good leader. I had an incident with about eight scouts going at each other in a group chat, had two scouts physically fighting on one trip, have made numerous mistakes, can't get ANYONE but our Committee Chair and one parent to read emails, and had a scout nearly drown me last Saturday. Made it through all this, and still feel like I have no clue what I'm doing. And no suggestions on how to make it better. I'm no Duct Tape.

Not to mention, our scouts have already signed up for shooting sports merit badges. If they need to change those now, they're left with the classes no one else wanted, or they're left to run amok. And boy, do some of our scouts know how to run amok. Makes me selfishly glad that I'm not doing summer camp this year, but will be doing high adventure, lol.

I took on the Scoutmaster role in mid-January. Since then, my focus has been on trying to move our Troop toward some of the direction given by Scouting America that we were not following. I typed out an example, but deleted it. Suffice to say we weren't too far off track, but changes definitely needed to be made. I feel like I still don't have a handle on all of this, but it's been a few months, and I want to sit down with the ASMs to have a discussion about the changes made and where they see themselves in this whole thing. I've been so focused on the scouts, all the training, and the stuff like working with the quartermaster to get patrol box equipment complete or cleaning out the shed (still traumatized by that, and I think I may have lung damage, lol), that I've not even thought about ASMs beyond asking who can go camping. To date, there is one ASM who is pretty reliably there for meetings and camping trips. The others (6 of them) vary in how often they show up. One ASM whose son transferred from another Troop has offered a lot of suggestions and ideas and is a regular at meetings. The input I've gotten so far also varies wildly. It seems like we're all in the 'not quite sure of what we're doing' boat, with the exception of the transfer ASM. I figured I'd ask what the role/responsibility is for the ASMs in your Troops ahead of our meeting. Thanks!

Pictures... good to know. Son said he couldn't attach them to the actual workbook and I just took his word for it. Second son still has his workbook to start, so I'll let him know in case he tells me the same thing.

I'm a defender of the project workbook in that it helps a scout understand the scope of the project better, makes the plan more realistic, helps reduce unforeseen issues, etc. But... In looking over my son's workbook there was a lot of redundancy that I'm not sure was helpful. He was getting advice from the Eagle Coach on how to write things out and what to include to increase the chances of approval by Council. That should, IMHO, be something spelled out in the workbook itself, not be information that a scout needs to get from someone else, lest his proposal be rejected or have the workbook come back for revision. From a technology standpoint, having to get physical signatures on a page then scan that and add it back into the workbook is something that could easily be improved. Being able to insert pictures, would be helpful.

I'm not sure what's happening here, but not happy. This forum has always been a great place for help, inspiration, and guidance. Being downvoted for using third-party software, which hurts NO ONE on this forum is pretty unbelievable. And not by one poster, but two. Tron gave incorrect information. I merely asked for help. Taking a break from this place for a while. Mad at myself a bit for letting this get under my skin so much, but there's enough negativity in the world that I certainly don't need another place for it.

Because you care? And maybe because it's extra-rewarding to see a scout that has faced challenges be able to accomplish the 'top achievement'? It also sounds like you know this scout a bit more than perhaps others. A scout in our Troop went from not being able to write a paragraph without the lines drifting across the page, to taking AP European History. I think it's natural for us to root for the 'underdog' and want them to reach 'the pinnacle'.

I'm returning the downvote because I just checked the GTA and it is "recommended" to do monthly entry, not "mandated". You may have some weird issue with the use of third-party software, but don't give false information. Not appreciated.

Thanks for that info. I was unaware of the mandate from National. Hopefully SB is better now than it was when I used it three years ago. It was a nightmare. We had lost data, scouts removed from the roster, etc. I gave up the Advancement Chair job 2-3 years ago to take on other roles, so I'm just starting to refamiliarize myself with the program. We still use Troopmaster because of the reports. SB still doesn't have (as far as I've heard, and from the little I've seen while poking around) the functionality of TM in that regard. We do batch uploads to SB, so it's not all that much more work. Just saw that you've given me a downvote as well. What the hell, man??!!

For any who use Troopmaster... we have a scout who transferred to our unit. His old unit kept an activities log on Scoutbook, so I'm able to see what he had done that applies to his First Class rank requirement for 10 activities. However, in Troopmaster, I can't figure out how to enter them. I can edit the entire requirement to show it as completed, but he only has 8 of the 10 activities done. Troopmaster, as we've been using it, pulls from the activities we enter and the attendance for those activities. Since he wasn't with our Troop last year, the activities he attended aren't listed. Any suggestions?? At this point, I'm thinking maybe just wait until he has two more activities done, then mark the requirement as done?

We had a scout come to us from Belgium years ago. He made Eagle and is now doing a gap year back in Belguim. I didn't know there was such a thing as International Spirit Award.

I agree with the bold, particularly training, which is why I stated: "I put "training" in quotes because we have a hard enough time getting parents involved without telling them they need training, lol. Still, at a minimum I want them to understand what the Patrol Method is and to understand why having their support on camping trips (because that's the specific weak point in our Troop for parents) is crucial." The trouble we're having is that we are really struggling with adult participation on trips, and it's been this way for a while. We've barely managed even finding enough drivers for our last two camping trips, let alone those who will stay. Our Troop has a policy of minimum three registered YPT adults on a trip in case of an unforeseen event or emergency, though four is preferred. We have three for our upcoming trip on the 31st. I'm totally okay with, and in favor of, going with just three, but one of the two ASMs attending is expressing concern about having only three adults. For reference, we typically get 15-20 scouts on a trip. Willing to accept that offering more adventure/learning for the adults may be the exact wrong thing to do. Trying to brainstorm how to encourage, but maybe I need to be thinking more about how to make it closer to glamping for 'Support Adults'. LOL. Our ASM types are already ASMs.