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TMSM

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Everything posted by TMSM

  1. A few will learn by reading the book, some by listening to others but 90% learn by peeing on the electric fence themselves - Will Rodgers Point is its better for scouts to learn by doing - start by doing then correct what is wrong. Boys like to do - not listen. We use older scouts to teach for 10 minutes tops, then we play a game to re-enforce how it works
  2. Depends on what you think the purpose was/is of round tables. As a servant leader I go to serve the scouts better, learn what I can ask questions and bring back new ideas. 3 years ago I was a bumbling new SM who was thrown into the position during a period of heavy drama. I went to all the round tables and asked questions regarding my circumstances - I was amazed and humbled by how many scouters were willing to go the extra mile to help me. Our troop went from12 uninvolved scouts to 40+ enthusiastic scouts that want to do/try every thing. Much of the changes that occured because of the h
  3. Yes, its the first page I turn to when I do a scout master conference.Its not mandatory but its good for them to do so.
  4. Thats a tough one. It doesn't sound like swim team would qualify unless he joined to get in shape for an upcoming mile swim.
  5. #5 states under the auspices and includes the 25 hours from #4 so I would assume 4 would have to be under the auspices also.
  6. It must have been a temporary bug - I tried to skip around on MBC but could not. Although on YPT I was able to take the test without covering any of the material and it did mark me as trained.
  7. I am not sure why someone would want to be an ASM but not want to camp. ASMs should assist the needs of the SM and you outdoor chair should be making sure you have enough adults on each campout.
  8. Depends on where you are camping but earning the Paul Bunyan award is fun. Find a dead tree 6-8 inch diameter, tie a heavy rope 20 feet up to help guide where the tree will fall. Each scout gets 3 swings each turn (help guide where to chop and what angle etc). When the tree falls they use hatchets to de-limb, then they use the saw to cut the tree into 4 foot lengths then they drag it out and have a bonfire. Our PLC does a no-mess kit meal weekend every year. Scouts come up with different meal ideas on how to not use pot, plate or bowl. Usually only a spoon needs top be cleaned - example i
  9. If you don't know where you are going all roads lead there.
  10. I think its better when the SPL can choose who will assist him so I would not recommend an ASPL election. We follow the guidelines of having the SPL choose ASPL with consent of the SM. I think it takes 6 months for most SPLs to get the hang of it but we do a 6th month term so more scouts can have a chance to be SPL.
  11. I think you've nailed it Barry. My other 3 ASMs share and contribute to the vision. The potential ASM had his own vision and would often share this with potential new parents (he wanted to grow the troop to 90 and have 10 ASMs). He wanted me to send a printed note home to every parent each month detailing the requirements we would be working on - he was upset when I told him I had no idea what requirements the scouts where working and that it if the parents wanted to know it would be a good topic at dinner time. He was also very upset at how much influence I had within the the troop - in
  12. I did try to recruit a new ASM but asked him to wait a year, He had taken the SM training while he was a Den leader and had skills. I thought he would be great to take over as SM but in the first month he screamed at me in front of the Scouts for not letting him decide which patrol his first year sons would be in. A few times he jumped in front of the SPL and forced the troop to listen to how much he knew about the subject on hand. A few more times on the phone or in front of adults he went off on me and finally I asked why would he want to assist me if he thought I was horrible at SM and I s
  13. I have found that without stating specific roles we (SM & ASMs) were all tripping over each other do the same things. Better to pick an owner and the rest of us can back off and also know that task will get done.
  14. Thats a good point - Patrol outings need an adult leader. I have been suggesting to the SPL and PLC that they should consider a patrol outing or a Patrol campout. I do not know of any troops in our area that do patrol campouts dut to the cost of camp sites in our area - midwest.
  15. Thanks for the info and encouragement. I take no credit for the how well the troop works. All I did was provide a framework, back off some adults (some out of the troop) and went low key as much as possible. Without the scouts stepping up and taking on roles and being accountable we would not have a good program. In 2016 we had 20 scouts at Summer camp and only 3 adults - it was a great time. I felt like I did nothing but sit around. In 2017 we had 28 scouts and 12 adults - It was mostly a fuster cluck of adults trying to do everything and nothing at the same time.
  16. Scouts seem to be happy based on BORs. We have a 90% retention rate of first year scouts and I have 4 scouts older than 15 and they are starting to want have thier own space and have different responsibilities. I have bumped a few adults out of doing things that the scouts could do and may have ruffled feathers but I trust the older scouts to get stuff done. We have around 25 of the 40 scouts camp per month and have 32 out of 40 going to summer camp. Its taken 3 years to get here but the Troop is mostly where I think t should be. Are focus is now on being even more Patrol focused and perhaps d
  17. As SM I have limited the number of ASMs to allow the scouts to own and be responsible for most of the program. The scouts do all planning, do all of the testing and signing of requirments in the books, plan and carry out COH. As SM i do leadership training, sit in on PLC, provide a scoutmaster minute each week and do SM conferences. We have 40 scouts and what I think is a good scout run program. I currently have 3 ASMs. 1 is the adult QM (he assists the QM and pays for things with a credit card), 1 older scouts ASM (he is Eagle coordinator too) and 1 ASM that can do anything I can do. I
  18. Wow thats not a good way for a troop to run. The SM should have the ability to provide the program he seems fit to have but he should discribe to the committee what the program is, what the goals are and what outcomes to look for. Type As are great to have as part of the troop but without a set set of goals or philosophy to stick to it becomes difficult to determine how well the troop is being run or whether or not to stay in the troop. As SM I too spend much of my time explaining to new parents how boyscouts is different (Umpteenth +1) and I had a new parent say he was going to punch me
  19. Eagle94 - Do you attend committee meetings? As an SM I provide a monthly updates as to how well the scouts are doing at leading themselves, the challenges and failures they have had. I will also provide a self assesment on the times I have had to grab the wheel to prevent injury (rarely) or disaster ( a few times a year) and provide examples where parents helped a bit too much. I also end my SM portion of the committee meeting with a statement that we are all here to make sure we put on a good program for scouting and I ask for questions and comments on how we can be more scout led, and t
  20. Cyclone - How do you plan to support the Troop. Some of the issues like the number of campouts, meetings or summer camp may just need more volunteers to help pull the trailer, organize summer camp (payments, forms, drivers) or additional ASMs. A couple of new supportive parents can go a long way to improve a program. As a parent you should ask some questions regarding size of committee and what their current needs are.
  21. Our SPL makes final announcements , we do a scout master minute then retire the flags
  22. I have read quite a few reviews on line but no good proof this help with water proofing down. Not unproven either so its worth a shot to try.
  23. Were you refering to Nikwax Down Proof? or just Down Wash. The Down Proof adds water resitance to the down itself Nikwax Down Proof™ has been specifically designed and optimised for down filled gear. It adds Durable Water Repellency (DWR), which protects against rain and condensation, improving the natural insulating properties of down. Nikwax Down Proof™ prolongs the effective life of your down gear. It leaves a flexible water repellent treatment on individual down filaments and fabric fibres allowing moisture vapour to pass through, maintaining breathability and optimising
  24. I have been sleeping in a hammock for 6 years now in scouting and we have a few scouts interested in it. I have also taught Hammocking at Scouting University so send me a message if you are interested in a slide deck I created. Here is a Safety sheet and a PDF 680-055_SafetyHammocks_WEB.pdf hammck camping.pdf
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