Scoutmaster Teddy

Dues are $12 per year. I prefer the boys to pay out of money they earn, but a check from the parents is okay. We use it to defray the cost of rank badges, merit badges, POR patches.

If i had my way, I would have the SPL collect $1 cash from each Scout the first meeting of the month. "A Scout is thrifty and pays his own way."

I have quite a few FOS and special event CSPs. I even have one from Wood Badge.
 
I only use the standard CSP on my uniforms. The others are in a collection.
 
I agree with @RememberSchiff - let's use community strips.

My intent was to gather information on the OA equivalent for females. The topic was mentioned in the video sent to councils and the recent town hall by the CSE. Chapter, Lodge, Section, Regional and National Chief positions and their staffs are male. Following the Native American tradition, all Chiefs are male.

I'm curious as to what the female equivalents will be. As well as how the two groups would interact by Section, Region, etc.

I would hate to see the OA be abandoned for a new organization.

Scoutmaster Teddy

Any scuttlebutt on the OA equivalent for girls? Will there be a separate OA-type organization for them or will the current system be altered, as in female Chiefs? Kichkinet? Nutiket? Meteu? Allowat Sakima?

Just curious.

Scoutmaster Teddy

How much of this adult "evaluations" add to the requirement?

 

SM: "Hey, Johnny, how's that new PL of yours doing?"

Scout: "Great!"

 

SM: "I see there's a new QM."

PL: "Yep, Freddie said he wanted to give it a shot.  Doing okay, but not as good as the last guy.  We'll get by as he gets better."

 

Really?  What's so difficult about this whole thing?  If the boys are happy with the POR set up, why aren't the adults?  Start with the adult's problem instead.

 

This whole thread reeks of year-end job performance management practices of a large corporation doing multiple evaluations deciding on some supervisor's job promotion.  Now, if that doesn't suck the fun out of the issue, nothing will.

Exactly! Let the boys deal with it.

Scoutmaster Teddy

Perhaps the committee members can't "stay in their own lane." Enough with the paperwork and multiple "checklists" that take time away from being scouts. The SPL/ASPL and Scoutmaster should be aware of any issues with POR's and act accordingly.

Scoutmaster Teddy

What ValleyBoy said. I don't see POR's as a Troop Committee item. That is for the Scoutmaster and SPL/ASPL. I have mentioned POR items at committee meetings, general things such as how well a scout is doing or what issues the SPL and I see throughout the year. But I'll never allow them to oversee POR's.

Scoutmaster Teddy

Once a month. We try for the first Tuesday of the month. The PLC takes about half of our meeting time of 90 minutes. The meeting starts with the patrols getting together for a bit, which is followed by the PLC meeting. While the PLC is meeting some leaders and scouts not in a POR are doing a scout skill.

Scoutmaster Teddy

We had a Camporee on the campus of a community college. Under the street lights no less. Even though we camped, I'm pretty sure the Camporee was a "get to know XXX Community College." In a way, a promo for that college.

Scoutmaster Teddy

Deleted double post.

Scoutmaster Teddy

mashmaster - I feel your pain. My son is a scout and a soccer nut. They can play and practice all year. After the high school season is over they join club teams. Even in the snow - Quincy U has an indoor field an hour away. Soccer never ends. 

I *was* his Scoutmaster. Was? Yes. Our Troop meets on Tuesdays which is bad for high school athletes. Wednesdays work better for athletes around here. Out of 19 scouts, he is the only athlete. I transferred him to a neighboring Troop who meets on Wednesdays, the only night athletes don't practice. I know the scoutmaster so it was okay. NOT okay with my CC though... we'll see about that. My troop is sponsored by a Methodist Church - my son went to a Catholic Troop.

He too was discouraged by obnoxious behavior. My troop gets all of the kids from broken homes and those who lack attention at home. The Catholic Troop has it far easier.

A Scoutmaster with a son in a different troop. It may become the end of my tenure, but it's about him - not me.

Scoutmaster Teddy

I will agree rfd536. Good luck enforcing the separate dens.

The BSA is liable to change their minds many times before the 2018 cub year.

Scoutmaster Teddy

Guide the ASPL to the best of your ability. He's ready - he just doesn't realize his potential.

"Train them, trust them, let them lead."

This is a great opportunity for mentoring.

Scoutmaster Teddy

Any direction, requirement, method announced today, i.e., no coed troop, is likely to be washed away by the time it happens.

Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.

Scoutmaster Teddy

I read it on the Internet before I heard about it within my council. Business as usual.

Scoutmaster Teddy

We plant a tall stake near each tent. On the stake we attach a wood scout emblem with each scout's name wood burned on the emblem. Two in a tent - one stake with two emblems attached.

Never, unless a dire emergency exists. The ASM needs to apologize and be trained on proper behavior with the boys. 

I'm not a fan of letting Scouts take Eagle-required Merit Badges at Summer Camps or Merit Badge Universities. The idea of having them complete a few requirements at home and have the rest forced into their minds in a few hours is questionable. Do they learn by "filling in the blanks?" Doubtful. What about knowledge retention? 

As Scoutmaster, I am seriously considering not allowing Scouts under First Class to take Eagle-required Merit Badges at these events. 

I consider anything less than what I went through in Marine Corps Boot Camp as non-hazing. The Ordeal wasn't that bad, even with the scant food and formations, etc. I enjoyed my time as did most, if not all, of the scouts who were with me. We even had adults with CPAPs. If the work was too physically demanding for you they had the option of assigning you sit-on-your-arse work.

Scant food, maybe. In volume, yes. In calories, no. Although after the "feast" I did stop at McDonald's and get dinner.   The feast was nothing more than a snack.

And we wonder why they are so "snowflaky"...

We do not encourage OA in our Troop for most of the reason already stated.

1. Does not allow females (we have a female Scoutmaster)
2. The Ordeal looks like hazing
3. Looks like what we tell the scouts they cannot do - secret organization, hazing, exclusion etc.

That all being said, I have seen councils where it looks very well run and very open

Egads! What Council/Lodge is this? My Asst. Scoutmaster for OA is female. And an Vigil member to boot!

Hazing? Seriously? Be quiet and work. That's all. If it's more than that someone needs the boot. Geesh!

Dean

We have elections. Out of three eligible in 2016, no one made it. This year we had one eligible and he made it by one vote. Some resistance we have faced include:

- Cost (yearly dues plus Ordeal/Brotherhood fees, etc)

- Time needed for work weekends, Conclaves, Chapter meetings, etc.

- Don't like the uniform already. Why add another item?

- Adults ("I'm here for the Scouts, not for me." Duh, accept the nomination, complete the Ordeal, and help Scouts become active in the OA big dummy.)

- A *lot* of my Scouts are ones that would not fit in with the other Troops (Catholic, LDS, a small quiet Troop) in town. They are poorly disciplined, can't pay attention, from broken homes, are there because their Mom and/or Dad and/or guardian made them go, etc. I'm Catholic but I don't fit in the "clique" that is the Catholic Troop. Some go on very few campouts due to not wanting to listen to leadership and the fact you can't play video games. That makes them ineligible for nomination due to the campout nights requirement.

Last item was a rant. Catch-22 style.

I just completed my Ordeal a few weeks ago. I'm off to my first Conclave Sept. 15th.

Dean

Thanks for the info! I was beginning to wonder what happened to Clarke. I was looking for new podcasts.

Dean

I'm in Section C-3A. Just completed my Ordeal. Konepaka Ketiwa Lodge.

Thanks for all of the "congrats" on the tap-out (tap-in?). I finished my Ordeal this past weekend. Now to encourage my Scouts who are Arrowmen to get back in the game.

Dean

Found the problem. Errant mouse-click changed a setting to only see what I've posted in.

:-)