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Callooh! Callay!1428010939

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Everything posted by Callooh! Callay!1428010939

  1. "I have no idea what your point is, because it's obscured by your extreme condescension" The point is to be too smart for the rest and to distract them from the point with extreme condescension. OH, and a secondary point is that that Scouters should be pretty open to Scouts earning MBs from MBC's of their own choosing, from independent work, from work guided by their parents, from work they do in school, work they do in homeschool, etc etc. It's a mundane point... arguably so pedestrian as to be hardly worth mention. It's mentioned only because occasionally Scouters here make
  2. A Scout decided he would earn the Environmental Science MB. He began by borrowing the MB pamphlet from another Scout. He found his own MBCs, several of them, all published authors in the field. He never met them in person, but they communicated to him through their books, which he borrowed from the library (there was no internet then, no PCs). These book were his references for answering questions and performing tasks in the MB requirements. He did his experiments and field work solo (sorry, no buddy system - a flaw in his method). When he told his SM he'd earned the Environmental Sc
  3. The CalicoPenn answers above are soundly reasoned, excellent answers to the question. Since there's nothing to add without digressing, maybe it's time to spin a tangential thread:
  4. "Oh, my," one Scouter shakes his head, "I hope he wasn't pushed to it by his parents. Eagle is not for boys who were pushed to do it. Only for self starters who did it all on their own intiative." "Hah!" scoffs another Scouter "His parents earned it and pinned it on him. He ain't no real Eagle scout. Eagle is not for boys who had resources and opportunities dropped in their laps. It's only for those who must struggle against the current the whole way." "OK, so he's been awarded Eagle" another chimes in, "but really, come on... what are the odds that you could completely trust
  5. If you prefer being responsible for Pack level decisions and actions, why not seek a position as a Cubmaster rather than DC? Except for urgent safety, moral, or legal matters, it may be best not to undermine your Unit Commissioners and Unit Leaders by assuming for yourself tasks and decisions within their purview. You took action the unit leader had decided not to take and/or asked you not to take based on their awareness of their unit's particular situation. Even if you did a better job in that moment than they'd done, in doing so you signaled that you don't trust their judgment
  6. The acronyms read differently. "G'soosa" sounds cooler than "b'saa."
  7. pohsuwed poses a salient question: "Wouldn't "boy led" include the fact that if some boys run with the program faster than others and that we should let them run?" It's a good question about a good learning method. But in Helicopter Scouter vernacular, "boy led" can mean "boy led, my way." "Boy led" can be played as if it were a trump card to buffalo fellow Scouters and parents whom the Scouter would prefer were more deferential to his judgment. "Boy led" can be oblique obloquy on other troops.
  8. "An articulate boy shows me one thing, he's got really good parents who are raising a smart and well-mannered son. Congratulations to them. By far, in my experience, the best and most meaningful EBOR's are conducted for the 17-18 year old scouts." Indeed. Congratulations. But we see through this "articulate" business don't we? We know he's not developmentally ahead in any way pertinent to scouting. No... it's merely that he's "articulate." And that's nothing but a but a superficial illusion created by the unfair fact that his parents have and/or dedicate more time and resources to ci
  9. And what of the other of the twin relics of barbarism?
  10. Hew to the requirements. Archery and BB are beyond consideration based on the facts you've provided. But there's no sound reason to object to Aquanaut, and maybe that's the tip of an iceberg similar the one you mention in your observation: "Every year it's something different with her and her kids....this is only the tip of this years iceberg." Maybe that's what she's saying too.
  11. "What they need to learn is that it's okay, they won't die of embarrassment. I can't teach them that, they really only learn it by doing it." That sounds about right. It's something BSA encourages and provides opportunities for in the MB program - but is not a check-block requirement for each MB.
  12. Enabling and encouraging linguistic separation is not "reaching out." Assuming that Spanish speakers who reside in the US and participate in US civil society aren't smart enough or courteous or responsible enough to learn English isn't "reaching out." It's the soft bigotry of low expectations.
  13. As a parent, I wouldn't engage an MBC about MB requirement related issues because I figure those are for my sons to address. However, if for some reason, or no reason, I happen to be the first to contact an MBC about some logistical detail, it's fine if he requests I have my son contact him... that will happen even if he doesn't request it. But if he refuses to discuss the matter with me or dispenses pedagogical advice from too high a horse, I'll conclude that it's the MBC, more than my son, who needs to work on dealing with adults he doesn't know. Mention "parent" and MB together and y
  14. 10 w/AOL = Scout, Age 10 + FCFY = 1st Class Scout, age 11 + 4 months = Star, age 11 yrs 4 months + 6 months = Life, age 11 years 10 months + 6 months = Eagle at age 12 years, 4 months Unless something is missing from the above math, that's what current requirements make possible. To achieve it, a diligent, able boy would have to have and use all necessary opportunities and resources. It seems unlikely. Eagle at 14 sounds like a fine goal. Eagle earlier or later also sounds like a fine goal. To "it isn't a race" and "have fun" a boy might reply "but it's fun to tr
  15. "but in the long run, does this really help us in developing consistency with in the troop?" A troop can develop consistency within the troop (a good thing) and it can develop certain kinds of experiences and knowledge within Scouts (a good thing). But improving one of those areas does not necessarily improve the other... and may even degrade it. Not all good things go together as well as chocolate and peanut butter.
  16. In 2016 how many pre-2012 Blue Cards will finally be turned in when the Scout finally completes that partial he started on a Blue Card in 2011?
  17. "I overheard a boy (New Scout) talking the other night about having to set up the dining fly. He doesn't like it. I have a feeling that this is the same feeling shared by most if not all boys in the Troop." Excellent! They have good instincts. Odds are, it's not just the "some animals are more equal than others" implication of setting up while others lounge that that irks them; more likely it's the very edifice of centralization and collectivism that this dining fly represents. That they haven't brought it up openly, suggests that they fear a totalitarian collectivist climate in wh
  18. Depends on circumstances. Depends on who has been doing what leading up to this moment and doing what at this moment. Scouts' level of familiarity with the task... is it a novel task they should learn or a familiar chore? Is this a "many hands make light work" situation or is it a "too many cooks spoil the broth" situation? Will adults be "helping," or helping? Will they be crowding out boys already leading tasks? Whatever the case, anyone who considers themselves completely exempt from lending a hand, deserves, at mealtime, to be relegated to that outhouse mentioned in the OP.
  19. One can borrow reference material. But for records one needs access to e-copy or hardcopy. For boys who can't afford wet clay tablets and stylus for recording their work in cuneiform, pen and paper may be an affordable alternative.
  20. Double dipping can be good time management and relieve one of the administrative burden of "counting" something else that one would rather just "do" and not "count." There are times when this might look and feel like corner cutting though. Counting something the Cit in Community service both for that and for Star may be one of those times. Unless there's a rule... it sounds like it's the call of the person responsible for signing/initialing the blocks.
  21. "Florida is full of nutjobs." These relatively recent stats don't support that statement: http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k9State/Ch6.htm http://www.samhsa.gov/data/2k11/WEB_SR_078/SR110StateSMIAMI2012.htm If we're talking about any mental illness: "Nationally, 44.7 million adults aged 18 or older experienced any mental illness in the past year, corresponding to a rate of 19.8 percent of the adult population; among States, the highest rate occurred in Rhode Island (24.0 percent), whereas the lowest rate occurred in Maryland (17.2 percent)" - in Florida this rate was 18.5% whic
  22. 2nd (or is it 3rd?) the motion that it may suit as a thought-piece wall hanging for adult area, but that more Oath/Law-ish things would be redundant. The number of items already exceeds Buddhism's five precepts and is fast approaching Judaism's and Christianity's Decalogue. Brevity is the soul of something-or-other. Any new addition should require two deletions.
  23. Let the incident inform future decisions that might involve reliance on this person. But don't let it upset your state of mind for one second. Life is too short.
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