acco40

CharityAK, What I struggle with daily is the thought that "it is the Scoutmasters program." It is not. The program belongs to the BSA. Follow it. Please don't preference every decision you make with "if the SM feels it is okay." One of the biggest problem signs I have seen in troops, as a unit commissioner, is submissive all female committees kowtowing to all male SM/SAs. Do what YOU believe the program calls for!

A few answers come to mind. One, nobody MUST wear a uniform. It is optional for all, including youth. Two, for boy scouts, I do not believe there is a "female blouse." The yellow shirt (as I was informed) is for Cub Scouts (female). The tan, for Boy Scouts (female & male). The question is why do you not want to wear the uniform? Any hesitancy on your part MAY be interpreted as a reason the boys don't won't to wear the uniform. Why not err on the side of wearing the uniform? P.S. While sometimes an evil necessity, one should not be both advancement chair and treasurer (only one position per unit per person).(This message has been edited by acco40)

I'm no expert by any means on the topic but I think 1) A CO can only charter up to one TYPE of each unit. They can sponsor a Crew, Ship, Troop and Pack but not two Packs for example. 2) The COR must be the same for all units of the CO. 3) Adults may (debatable if it is a good idea or not) register themselves as committee members or leaders of multiple units. I do know of leaders who were registered leaders in more than one unit (me for example) and of COs that sponsored (owned) more than one unit (a troop and a pack).

What I have a hard time with is why individuals feel that "to recognize" or "adore" or "worship" that it has to be in a public manner. I tell my children that they may pray all they want at their public school. It is my understanding that nobody has invented thought monitors just yet. However, I am very much against our public education system conducting verbal prayers or moments of silence solely for the purpose of prayer. Why does you feel your faith requires you to verbalize your prayer? Boys at this age have a great desire to fit in. I can't count the number of times I've seen boys tell others to take off their hat, bow their head, etc. and to "act accordingly" during prayer. They don't yet comprehend that religious customs vary widely. Heck my own children have admonished me for not kneeling during mass (I'm not Catholic).

In the words of Jim Morrison: When I was back there in seminary school There was a person there Who put forth the proposition That you can petition the Lord with prayer Petition the lord with prayer Petition the lord with prayer You cannot petition the lord with prayer! I believe that one can be reverent and firmly believe that you cannot petition the lord (or Lord if you prefer) with prayer. Open your mind folks. I also believe that many who publicly pray are not reverent. Now I don't get bothered by those who pray, but yes I do take offense when an individual who is supposed to represent a very diverse group (such as our current president) makes references to Jesus Christ in public prayer. Now, we've had this debate before so we don't need to continue. If one studies the psychological makeup of boys 11 - 18 one realizes that they are just beginning to realize that many adults say one thing and do another! While this is no big surprise to us sophisticated adults, it is to many of them. That is why they roll their eyes when adults preach to them about sex, drugs, religion, character building or whatever. That is why I firmly believe that we influence them with our deeds much more than our words. They don't need to be told, they need to be shown (that's why we are called role models, not preachers or lecturers!).

The best things in life are free, but you can keep them for the birds and bees. Now give me money, that's what I want.

On a related note ... As a MB counselor, do you wear your uniform when a youth comes to your home or you go to his home or public area for counsel (i.e. public library, school, etc.)? Also, while not required, it is highly encouraged that the youth wear their uniform when meeting with a MB counselor. For those who are counselors, do you mention anything to youth who show up for counseling not in uniform? Personally, I do not mention anything to the boys who are out of uniform but I do praise those who arrive in uniform.

The further the age separation, the less conflict. My problem, SPL and new scout are only 19 months apart! Yikes!

Agreed. Your choice of Copeland's Fanfare for the Common Man (I like the ELP version) is great too!

We try to get the boys to run the COH. They present rank acknowledgements, (Tenderfoots present Scouts, 2nd Class present Tenderfoots, etc.). The boys lead the Pledge, Oath, Law, do the "candles", benediction, etc. and usually the Advancement Chair does the MBs and the SM the "special" awards (outing patches, service stars, etc.). We try to involve everyone. Fscouter, Thus Spake Zarathustra is a book (Nietzsche). The music from 2001 A Spsce Odyssey is Also Sprach Zarathustra.

While twocubdad may be correct in when most people wear their uniforms, what should be done is rather simple. The uniform should be worn at Scout activities.

Any trained individual in Boy Scouts should be aware of the annual planning exercise. The first part of the exercise is what is commonly called "Do Your Homework." It entails getting resources together such as calendars, themes, advancement records, etc. and then listing the goals for the troop. As a SM, I usually do a lot of background work for the boys (very yougn troop, SPL just turned 13, etc.) such as getting the district calendar, school calendars, program features, advancement records, etc. The boys usually want to start right in and pencil in where they want to go (outing locations). No, no, no! First they ned to set the goals they have for the coming year (advancement?, service?, membership growth?, high adventure?, religious education?, citizenship?, fun?, etc.). Rarely do the boys choose religion or character building as one of their goals. In my view, character is best taught by the actions of the leaders (adult and youth). Not by telling the boys what you feel is right and wrong and how to act. Words are very hollow at this stage in a boys life. They respond to deeds, not words. That is one reason why many start to question their faith at this age. Many confuse the methods of Scouting (outdoors, advancement) with the aims (character, citizenship, fitness). The goal of the BSA program is not to have a family camping club. One has to be sneaky with the boys! Tell them they are going to walk nine miles with a weight on their backs to increase their physical fitness and they will laugh at you! Having them decide to backback through the glorious outdoors and spend the night in the middle of "nowhere" and they think it is grand! Be reverent, don't preach. Treat the boys fairly, don't lecture about character. Over time, it may just sink in!

Scouts may require parental effort. Sending a child t o soccer practice does not. Enough said.

During my junior year (1976) in college, Linda Ronstadt performed in an official Cub Scout uniform (shirt, neckerchief, shorts and belt). I must say, I've never quite seen a Scout look so good! Having front row seats, I've got a framed photograph that I took of her on my desk at home.(This message has been edited by acco40)

Ah yes, common sense. When cooking with alcohol, most (if not all) of the alcohol content is burned off. If I ran the zoo (was SM) for that troop, I would have made sure the other parents were informed about the culinary delights and if okay with them, gone forward with using the sherry.

A few brief comments: 1) A husband - wife team DO NOT satisfy the two deep leadership requirement for leadership in the den. That needs t obe remedied ASAP. 2) Newsweek magazine had an excellent article on autism (quite literally, too much of a male brain) last week. Read it. Like most maladies, the severity of the autism can vary quite dramatically. Learn the individuals strong suits and work with him (he may do will with analytical tasks, don't make him social chairman!). Good luck.

Twocubdad, read the posts carefully. Let's say the Pack did have an activity in August (8/2 as you suggest) but the Cub Scout did not attend! Would you still award the Scout the pin? I think not. The requirements are clear. Don't add, don't take away.

Parlez vous Francais? I'll never forget my college French class. I had an American professor and she spoke nothing but French in the classroom (total immersion theory). Not too bad. Then when we had our "lab" test, a Vietnamese teachers aid had recorded his voice as a story and a series of questions. The slight different accent through me for a loop (not one of my better subjects). I can still read a little French but can't speak a lick anymore. By the way, the French need to hire a really good PR firm!

Analogy: Professional sports team fans. Excluding Packer fans, many fans use the term "my team." They live their life vicariously through "their" team and in the case of the NFL, live and die a little each Sunday. When the team wins, it is most definitely "my team won" or "we won" but many times after a loss, "they lost." I understand what Bob White is saying. Some adults do go overboard on their concept of "owning" the troop. This phenomena occurs much less in Packs. Packs are usually more decentralized than troops wrt adult leadership. (Funny, Packs are adult run, troop boy led, which one should have more of a reflection on the adults?). At summer camp one year the "troop that I served as an ASM" was awarded "Honor Troop." When the SPL was awarded the ribbon from the camp staff, he immediately waved it in front of the boys who all cheered and hollered in joy. The SM did not approve and yanked it out of his hand as if it was his award. Some use the term "my troop" in a harmless fashion. Others really don't get it and feel that it is their troop. Why I don't chastise those who use the "my troop" phrase, I'm guilty of it occasionally, we should strive to set an example to others and I believe BW has made an excellent suggestion.

Welcome, but I will give you a warning. Please don't use this forum as a resource for improving your English. You will be sorely disappointed. Now a few questions for you. What is your age, how long has boy scouts existed in Vietnam? Is it coed (are girls allowed in your troop)? Did you get a chance to go to Thailand for the international jamboree?

I wonder if all districts recharter in December? I know mine does. Our troop recharters in January so it is weird to receive a 2002 Quality District Award in January 2003(earned the previous month) when it seems as if all of the Quality Unit Awards are of a different year. Now the big, big question! The award does have the year on it. Why do they change the color scheme every year?

I did not think that Quality (Unit, District, etc.) awards went by calendar year but by the chartering year. Can someone lead me to some information that makes that distinction? Thanks. From: http://www.vikingbsa.org/Programs/Awards/BSA_Non_Rank_Awards/Troop_Quality_Unit_Award.html The Quality Unit Program was first introduced in 1986. The Quality Unit program is an effort to recognize units that have met specific requirements established on a CHARTER YEAR basis. (This message has been edited by acco40)

THE REQUIREMENTS ARE AS FOLLOWS: The pack has to plan and conduct a monthly pack activity for June, July, and August. The Recognitions A pack committee member should keep the record of activities, participation of dens, and attendance of Cub Scouts. Submit the application form to the local council service center as soon after your August activity as possible. An appropriate pack meeting ceremony should be planned for the presentation of the awards, which are: For the Pack - A full-color certificate suitable for framing and an attractive streamer for the pack flag. For the Dens of the award earning Pack - A den ribbon for each den that has 50 percent or more of its boys participating in each of the three activities. For the boys of the award earning Pack - A pin for each boy who takes part in all of the summer months' activities. (English majors: does "all" quantify the summer months or the activities? For a Pack with one activity a month, no problem. But for a Pack with two events in a month does the Scout need to attend every summer month (June July August) or every activity?) Because the minimal requirement is one activity per month, I would interpret the requirement as the Scout needs to attend at least one Pack activity per month in the summer. Therefore, if a Scout has zero attendance in July, he does not earn the individual award (pin). (This message has been edited by acco40)

pardon my studpidity, but what in tarnation does the folowing mean: "These Male Soccer Moms have outlawed butter knives and Gi Joes, but have they ever thought the problem could have started when they allowed their sons to wear black lipstick and pierce their noses." I'm at a total loss in try to understand the above.

Second Class still has the requirement that on one campout, plan and cook over an open fire one hot breakfast or lunch for yourself. In the age of "immediate" everything, few boys have the patience to cook over an open fire. Finding wood is usually a lot easier than finding propane out in the wild! I believe it is important for the boys to know how to light and make use of a fire.