David CO

Perhaps we are establishing a new expression (Out Like Flynn).

45 minutes ago, perdidochas said:

I was on Facebook this weekend, and saw some people badmouthing BSA due to some kind of problem with a downs syndrome kid not having his MB and Eagle Project (after completion) approved by National. Anybody know more about it?  I'm confused as I thought that Scouts with special needs could get approval for Alternative merit badge requirements, etc?  

 

http://ksltv.com/392336/exclusive-family-of-teen-with-down-syndrome-suing-boy-scouts-over-eagle-scout-merit-policy/?

 

 

There is a thread in Open Discussion.

There seems to be some confusion here. Even scouts with special needs don't get merit badges for just trying. 

There is a process for making adjustments to the merit badge requirements to accommodate special needs scouts, but the requirements are still challenging and involve real learning. The boys must earn their merit badges.

Anything else would be a slap in the face to all the other special needs scouts who earned their awards.

2 hours ago, JustAScoutMom said:

And you are not unique to a lot of men....which is exactly why a woman has to be at a campsite when girls are there.

I'm a Health teacher. Sit a girl down in my classroom and I will have that conversation. I just don't feel comfortable discussing it in the context of scouting. 

TMI

TMI

Regardless of what BSA might require, I would want my boys taught by a skilled, trained, and experienced professional. Nothing less would suffice for me.

12 minutes ago, ItsBrian said:

I'm finally starting personal fitness, meeting with my counselor tonight. But going over the requirements once more a few days ago since I forgot since the last time I looked at it.

I'm so glad I did not wait any longer to start it, I did not recall seeing 12 month period of exercise for improvement. 

What do you think about it taking a year to complete one merit badge?

Physical fitness can't be achieved in a short period of time. Unless it were to be turned into a bookish topic, with scouts just reading about and writing a paper about personal fitness, I don't see how it could be done any other way.

Your goal should be actual physical fitness, not just the merit badge.

It would seem very strange to me to receive an award from a subordinate. Awards are usually given by, or recommended by, a higher ranking authority. If an award is to be given to a COR, the IH should be the one to do it.

Of course, there would be nothing wrong with unit leaders making a gesture of appreciation. 

1 hour ago, RememberSchiff said:

Maybe he will come back to the BSA?

I hope not.

25 minutes ago, Eagledad said:

Machines are consistent, Humans are emotional. 

You will be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

4 minutes ago, Eagledad said:

Subjective is an opinion. Objective is impartial. 

Barry

Subjective evaluations are also impartial, unless the instructor is actually cheating.

If an instructor is properly trained, a subjective evaluation is much more than just an opinion. Anyone can have an opinion. A highly skilled instructor uses a trained eye to observe and subjectively evaluate a student's performance. 

How about, "As a guest, I will do my best..."

It rhymes. It also conveys the message that, as a guest of this country, they should do their best not to mess it up.

3 hours ago, Hawkwin said:

That is what makes it subjective.

What is wrong with subjective evaluations? 

As a teacher, I do subjective evaluations all the time. Any hands-on coursework will require at least some subjective evaluation. The only way we could remove them from grading would be to make the class all bookwork, and I definitely wouldn't want that, either at school or in scouting.

My favorite Physical Education class requirement was about swinging the bat with a level swing. Now, anyone who has actually played baseball or softball could tell you that nobody ever actually uses a level swing. I know what is meant by a level swing, and I can grade accordingly, but there is really no such thing as a level swing.

The same is true with swimming. It is not important that in a strong manner be precise, just so long as the instructor understands what it means and how it should be evaluated.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned pets. One of the reasons why I was restricted in some of my scouting activity choices was my dog. I could leave my dog alone in the back yard for a couple hours during a ballgame or a meeting, but not for a weekend or a week.  He was a good doggie...yes he was...yes he was.

3 hours ago, eagle90 said:

I tell my scouts "You have 20 practices and 8 games a month. We have one campout.  

You can't compare a game with a campout. A campout is an all weekend affair. 

I can fairly easily schedule my other work and family responsibilities around a game/practice schedule. Scheduling around weekend campouts and week long summer camps is really tough. 

Hello Muddah. Hello Faddah.....

5 minutes ago, RememberSchiff said:

Maybe we should go back to arguing about art? 

Ooh. I do like to talk about art. But I suppose that would be straying too far off topic. 

40 minutes ago, RememberSchiff said:

My point was that scouts/scouters should overcome these disagreements - trite or serious depending on whose perception - and participate in scout activities together. A Scout is a Friend to All and a Brother to Every Other Scout?

A brother? How can a girl be a brother?

19 minutes ago, Eagle1993 said:

To me this is what is critical going forward.  If you are against girls joining, I understand.  But if you cannot treat girls that are in BSA with the same respect and honor you treat other scouts then it is time to consider your future in scouting.  

 

Not really. There is usually no need to go to such extreme measures. It is easy enough to simply not interact with units you don't like.

2 hours ago, RememberSchiff said:

I cannot understand why any scout or scouter would say they will not participate in a scouting activity with other scouts because those scouts are girls, gays, geeks, SPED, blacks, Muslims, LDS, gingers, vegans, jocks, ...

I am old and remember when black Boy Scouts could not attend our summer camp yet we attended the same high schools. My friends attended a separate black scout camp.

We have disagreements, but we are all scouts.

You are an intelligent man. You understand that people of certain religions object to, and even condemn, the beliefs and behaviors of certain other people. Yes, we have disagreements. Very serious disagreements.

You trivialize these disagreement when you lump them together with benign characteristics such as hair color and food preferences. You insult us when you compare our disagreements with racism.

If, for this and no other reason, we were to distance the scouts in our units from those in yours, just to avoid the insult and indignity of being called out as bigots, that would be reason enough for us to not participate in a district or council scouting activity.

10 hours ago, JustAScoutMom said:

Do most scouts fail simply due to the distance of 100-200 yards without a stop?  

Some do. How is he at running? Can he sprint 100-200 yards? 

Endurance is not something you can develop overnight. Neither is muscle tone. 

If general physical fitness is a problem, you might want to work on that first.

23 minutes ago, Jameson76 said:

Not discounting your anecdotal experience

But to be clear, there is nothing preventing her Girl Scout troop from doing any of the activities similar to a BSA unit.  That is their choice.  

Nor is there anything preventing a girl-led boy scout troop from making the same choice. Imagine the frustration she would feel if she were to join a boy scout troop because she wants to go camping, and then the other girls voted against it. 

2 hours ago, Hawkwin said:

 but all I gained was miles on my car and bigger holes in my wallet.

Too bad. I got a lot out of it. I think I may have enjoyed it even more than the boys. Frankly, I had a blast! Of course, I was a Scoutmaster back in the days when scouting was a lot more fun (for both the leaders and the boys). 

2 minutes ago, Hawkwin said:

Except as adult volunteers, we are not consumers. Our scouts are the consumers. 

When I write out a check, I feel like I'm a consumer.