jyoklavich 10 Posted May 3, 2003 Share Posted May 3, 2003 My Son has accomplished a lot in the 6 years he has been in scouting. He is up for his ScoutMaster conference and becomed scared. According to the Scoutmaster and other scouts, he will be required to meet with the Scoutmaster and 2 other Asst. "die hard" Scoutmaster for his conference. They will review and test him on everything in the scout book from Tenderfoot to First class. I thought the SM Conf was for reflection, and review what was accomplished from Life to Eagle. Special reviewing his Eagle project. Is there a hard fast BSA policy that states what the Eagle Scout Master Conference should be like. Preferably, any guidlines you can point me to. My son feel he is about to go on FACE THE NATION. Your Thoughts, YIS Joe Link to post Share on other sites
red feather 10 Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 Welcome to the campfire. What rank is your boy going for? Our Troop protocal is a boy has a scoutmaster conference for each rank. I believe that is a requirement for each rank, check your scoutbook. Normally a SM conf is between the SM and the scout (of course in view of other adult scouters) and is not a grilling session. That is reserved for the BOR which in our troop is held by star scout or higher (with adult oversight) for the ranks up through 1st Class, star and above BOR are held by adult scouters and yes is in part a review of what the scout has learned and in part what and where the scout is in their development. Never is a BOR a Face the Nation setting!!! If you could give more information as to what has happened in the past, etc that would be very helpful. yis Link to post Share on other sites
evmori 11 Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 Welcome to the discussion! I don't think there are any hard and fast rules regarding SM conferences. I handle mine as more of a discussion with the Scout about his likes & dislikes in the Troop, how he's doing in school, his strengths & weaknessses, etc. It is never hot lights & bamboo shoots under the nails. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10 Link to post Share on other sites
EagleWB 10 Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 This sounds more like our Eagle pre-boards. Here we meet with the boy and cover any and all questions that might come up during his Eagle BOR. But, before and during this the boy is told there is a lot of material going to be covered and we keep notes so he can study things he might be especially weak in. We also review how his project went and see if there are any potential problems that could come up. Remember an Eagle project is not done until reviewed by the board. We also use three adults not from the Troop so the boy will become more at ease with being reviewed by strangers. Link to post Share on other sites
scoutldr 732 Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 Excuse me, Red...did you say you have youths conducting Boards of Review???? THAT should spark a firestorm on this thread! Link to post Share on other sites
jyoklavich 10 Posted May 4, 2003 Author Share Posted May 4, 2003 Here is Joseph Eagle Project, I had him send me all of his doc file and work to post... http://Yoklavich.tripod.com/jyeagle/project.html He has NO fears about the BOR with showing his leadership, rather, asking why do I need to know everything in the scout book. On page 175 and page 11, nothing states that an Eagle SM conf, will require a scout to know every scout skill ... Link to post Share on other sites
ScoutNut 147 Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 OK - First off, your son has been involved in quite a few SM Conferences. He should know the drill by now. Hopefully his troop is just teasing him, although that is no excuse. A Scoutmaster conference is NOT a group inquisition. There should be only the SM(or ASM) and the scout, and it should be done in full view of other people. A Scoutmaster Conference is a time to get to know the scout. It is a conversation between 2 people, not a tag team question & answer grill session. Like the Eagle BOR, the SM conference for Eagle is not, and should not be, a RETEST of everything they have done since joining a scout troop. Talk to his SM & find out what exactly is going on. Let your son know that you are proud of him and that he should be proud of himself as well!! Link to post Share on other sites
ScoutNut 147 Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 BTW - GREAT JOB!! Can you send your son up here to IL? I could sure use some landscape help & that trellis looks real nice! Nut Link to post Share on other sites
matuawarrior 10 Posted May 4, 2003 Share Posted May 4, 2003 ditto with the suggestions. We do the same with our BOR's for the last 6-years. Scout to First Class are handled by the Jr. Leaders who are Star or higher. These jr. leaders are shadowed by 2 respected committee members. Star to Life BOR's are handled by a combined board of committee and venture crew officers. Our crew officers must have either the Ranger or Gold award to sit in our BOR's. We keep a 2-3 ratio on BOR's, 2 adults-3 youths. We also have an Honor Board set up the same way for disciplinary reviews. Did the the Adults think this up? No, it was our Jr. Leaders and Crew Officers. We have had 0-less problems with discipline when the Scouts and Venturers know that their peers will be handling their reviews. We also train our Jr. Leaders and Venture Crew Officers how to properly conduct a BOR. Matua(This message has been edited by matuawarrior) Link to post Share on other sites
AdvanceOn 10 Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 I got this information from Meritbadge.com. I know their source is BSA. I'm going to try to find the source straight from BSA but wanted to get this in now. I feel really uncomfortable with Scouts doing other Scouts BORs. I don't think it's appropriate or allowed but I can't say that with 100% certainty at this point. "After a Scout has completed all requirements. . . This board of review is made up of at least three and not more than six members of the troop committee. One member serves as chairman, usually the committee member responsible for advancement. Unit leaders, assistant unit leaders, relatives, or guardians may not serve as members of a Scout's board of review." I know it doesn't say that scouts can't be on a BOR but it does specifically say committee members. Link to post Share on other sites
Chippewa29 13 Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 When I went up for my Eagle SM conference, it was my SM and three ASM, all of whom had helped me quite a bit in the journey. They joked for a few weeks about the hot lights and before we went in, asked me if I needed more deodorant, because I was sweating quite a bit. Once we were in there, we just had a nice discussion about what had happened in the past 6 1/2 years and asked me how my perspectives had changed over time. Of course, there was some teasing, but it ended up being a great experience. All four of them said they felt as proud of my getting the Eagle as their own sons. I hope the Scout in question will get the same treatment I did. Link to post Share on other sites
mk9750 11 Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Scoutmaster conferences in our Troop progress from generic questions about how a Scout is doing, and whether he is enjoying himself (Tenderfoot), to a pretty tough review of basic skills (2nd and 1st class), to discussions about Troop leadership (1st Class and Star), to discussions about citizenship and community leadership and setting the example, not following it (Star and Life). Except for the couple of times the SM might require a Scout to review a skill or two that he know a boy might be weak on, we do little retesting. Each SM conference is more serious than the last, but mostly because the topics are more serious. By the time a Scout is at the threshold of Eagle, it's a pretty safe bet that he has earned it, at least in our Troop. A Scout in our Troop has generally spent 5 - 7 years proving himself. He has been reviewed numerous times, and our SM and ASMs have spent many hundreds of hours with him, working together leading the Troop, working on Merit Badges and special skills, helping with Eagle projects, etc. Our SM conference for Eagle includes a review of all the candidate's paperwork, and a very in depth discussion of the responsibilities that come with being an Eagle Scout. It is a very friendly chat. But by the time this occurs, there is practically no way a Scout would have a problem. One point I'd like to make about a small comment made here: At least in our District, it is VERY frowned upon for anyone to prepare a Scout for a Board of Review. The District Advancement Chair, who does all of the reviews (at least he's been to 100% of those from our Troop), hates to see a Scout prepared with answers to specific questions. And I agree with him. It is very difficult to get to the essence of a Scout, to see if he truly is of Eagle Scout charecter, if he has thought about the answers that might be expected before the questions are asked. I am hoping, as others guessed, that the SM and ASMs were just "funnin'" with your son. By the way, if there has been an ASM that has been very involved in a Scouts career, I think it is a great value to have him there too. Please let us know how it really goes, and congratulations to your son, and you! Good luck! Mark Link to post Share on other sites
saltheart 10 Posted May 5, 2003 Share Posted May 5, 2003 Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that when I was a Scout, (when we were evolving out of the Neanderthal period...), testing of a Scout and all his Scouting knowledge was a rite of passage, almost ritualistic, when it came to Scoutmaster Conferences and Boards of Review. Somewhere along the way it seems to me that the "testing" was dropped and disallowed by the National Council. I seem to remember the reasoning being that once a Scout is "passed" on this or that piece of gained and learned knowledge in the the rank process, he's deemed to have learned it and been tested on it, no further "testing" being necessary or allowed. Of course, this assumed that the troop was doing a good job and did not need to retest the Scout (or second guess themselves). Am I correct? And if I am, why would any Scoutmaster or Board of Review approach an Eagle BOR, or any BOR, as described in the OP? And why would that be an acceptable method? Or, am I dreaming this all? Link to post Share on other sites
jyoklavich 10 Posted May 6, 2003 Author Share Posted May 6, 2003 Ok, The scoutmaster told my son last night. We will review everything from the "Trail to Eagle". Tenderfoot to FirstClass. Another Asst. Scoutmaster gave him an example, by asking some detail orrienteering questions. Grilled him pretty hard. Right Now, my son has to play the game of this troop. But this does not sound correct or right... I wish there where guidelines from National that set the standard and rule on what is exactly to be expected. What everyone has posted on this discussion forum, sound like our SM are wrong. I need solid, hard core written information from the National Scout Office... any documents... Can anyone point me in the right direction. Im sure he can get through this, but if I had hard documents, then I would feel better... I am on a polictical tight rope, with my Son Eagle rank at risk, and knowing what is right and wrong Link to post Share on other sites
Bob White 20 Posted May 6, 2003 Share Posted May 6, 2003 The info you seek is detailed in the Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures Manual available through your local council Service Center. Your unit is violating the advancement policies of the BSA in numerous ways and needs to get back to the official program methods. Bob White Link to post Share on other sites
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