Another CM paycheck!

[Scoutfish 16]

During my first year of being a CubScout, I would be mu biggest critic and I would constantly overthink everything I planned or did.

 

I wondered if I was doing a good enough job. I wondered if the scouts liked me as a CubMaster. I wondered if they were having fun with me as the CubMaster. I wonderd if they really enjoying the program. I wondered if I was doing it right.

 

So, over time, I realized I was doing a pretty good job since scouts would come up to me for a high five or handshake whenever they would see me here or there. "Hi Mr.Fisher! Hey CubMaster Fisher!, Hi Mr. Mark!"

 

Yeah. I realized I wasn't causing the world to end.

 

So, today. while working a hotdog stand for our CO at the CO's fall festival..several Boy Scouts that I had not seen since crossover and a few I haven't sen since I worked with them as a first aid MBC .....walk up and shake my hand (scout style) and give me the Boy Scout salute.

 

Then they start talking about this and that and what they have done advancement wise, what they have learned, what projects they have participated in, etc.... Then as they are about to walk away, one turns around and says:

 

"Remember this?" and gives me a high five.

 

Yeah, that was awesome!

[OwntheNight 10]

Yea, it is cool when you know you've made an impact on their lives somehow. I still run into some of the boys from my first Pack. They still bring up stuff that happened at Pack meetings, or certain campouts 4 or 5 years ago. We can still laugh about it now, or give each other some good natured ribbing about it.

 

I moved across town this summer, so I don't get to see the boys as much as I used to. Even when I lived on that side of town, I would see them at the grocery store, out at dinner, the mall, or wherever. They would still stop and say hi, even when they were around their non-scouting friends. When their friends would ask who that was, they would always say "That was one of my Cub Scout leaders."

 

Those moments are the best paychecks I can ask for!

[briantshore 14]

I received a paycheck at our Pack meeting tonight. Our council gave all new recruited scouts a special BSA logo baseball for signing up this year. I handed them out to the boys tonight. One of the tigers came up to me after the meeting and asked me to autograph his baseball.

 

$$$$$$ Money in the bank $$$$$$$$$

[Jay K 15]

I keep the "conselor's record" Panel from the Merit Badge card when a Scout completes a Merit Badge with me >Brag alert< I have over 200 of them! I tell the parents when I clip them off and hand the other two panels back to the Scout: This is my paycheck! It's usually good for a laugh.

[Tampa Turtle 1011]

My ASM paycheck was when one of the boys ran up to his Mom after we came back from a in-the-boonies canoe camp-out saying "Mom, mom the sky was AMAZING!".

[SeattlePioneer 144]

At least around here, you can get a REAL Cubmaster or Scoutmaster paycheck by leading a Scoutreach unit.

[BartHumphries 10]

Seriously? A literal paycheck for building a Scout program for minority youth?(This message has been edited by BartHumphries)

[SeattlePioneer 144]

Hello Bart,

 

 

Yep.

 

For example, I was a Camp Commissioner at a Boy Scout Camp last summer. I was assigned a Scoutreach Boy Scout Troop and the Scoutmaster was an Eagle Scout who was probably a scant 21 years of age.

 

On evening Troops cooked their own food. Regrettably this troop was unable to get a fire started to cook dinner and more or less went hungry.

 

I didn't find that out until the next day. I don't know where their Scoutmaster was while they were trying to get a fire started.

 

I'm afraid it didn't occur to me to be checking on Troops to see if they were making dinner with a degree of success.

[Eagle92 110]

Yep, some SCOUTREACH programs have paid "paraprofessionals" who will operate several units until enough volunteers come aboard, get properly trained, and can take over so the parapro can move on to the next unit.

 

Other SCOUTREACH programs have retired volunteers who do the same thing. That is how it is in my district: a retired volunteer serving 3-5 units. As you can guess Scouting is now his life, and he loves it. And he puts in a lot of hours.

 

Unless you tried starting units in a minority area, you cannot imagine the challenges there are to get them up and running. I started several units as a DE, and the minority units were the hardest to get oprganized, hardest to get volunteers for, and the hardest to get going. Also the established minority units had more challenges than the other established units. It sometimes takes someone who can devote their full attention to the units. It's not easy, and the paycheck for the parapros is not a lot. The ones I have met and worked with are in it for 2 reasons 1) Love of scouting and 2) to make a difference. I know when I applied for a parapro position it was also for 3) to gain experience to become a pro. Unfortunately i didn't get the position, but a good friend of mine did get it, and did a terrific job. But it was very demanding on him.

 

EDITED: I do not like having an all minority unit as I think all units should be integrated. But troops IMHO need to be community based, with members living near each other, going to school together, etc. And unfortunately communities do seem to be self segregrating due to socio-economic conditions. One reason why I am glad to be with the CO I am with; only one other CO is integrated, and the a good portion of the leadership from that CO's units came from us.(This message has been edited by eagle92)