The best Scouting position I held as an adult?

[Eamonn 61]

In another thread someone mentioned "Grumpy Old Men".

I rarely think of myself as being old and in keeping with the Scout Law try not to be over grumpy.

Still I have about 30 years in Scouting as an adult.

During this time I have served as: Assistant Cub Scout Leader, Cub Scout Leader and Scout Leader. (Back home in the UK.)

On several District, Council and Regional Committees here in the USA.

Unit Commissioner, Assistant District Commissioner, District Commissioner, District Chairman, Webelos Scout Den Leader, Cubmaster. Scoutmaster, Council Training Chairman and at present Sea Scout Leader/Skipper.

By far the job I disliked the most was District Chairman.

The job I had the longest was Scout Leader back home (Scout Leader is the same as SM.) I was very young and full of ambition, wind and vinegar. I had an ego the size of the great outdoors, which while not a good thing wasn't always a bad thing.

I really enjoyed working with Webelos Scouts. Everything was an adventure to them, I love the way they see the world and really loved showing it to them.

I'm having the best time with this new Ship. Sea Scouting is new to me. The Scouts we have are super and it seems that Sea Scouter's are a very special breed who really do go out of their way to help each other.

I was Training Chair. When all the new Training's came along. The training team was made up of some of the best Scouter's I have ever worked with. While of course we had the odd participant who really didn't want to be at the training's and tried to be a royal pain, for the most part the people who attended wanted to be there and were very enthused about being in Scouting.

As a Cubmaster I was blessed with really good Den Leaders and a great Committee, with them in place being a Cubmaster is easy -Maybe a little too easy??

Being a Commissioner is OK if you could just be a Commissioner, sadly it seems that Commissioners become the "Let the Commissioners do it" force in Districts and Councils and end up doing FOS presentations, Camp promotions and everything else that comes down the pike. Add to this some of the UC's did give a whole new meaning to being grumpy and at times I ended up trying to do damage control.

So while I'm really enjoying being with the Ship and do enjoy working with the older youth (Kids!!) the position I liked the most was being a Scout Leader. I'm sure in 30 years time when I really am old and maybe very grumpy I hope I will be saying it was Sea Scout Leader.

So which job in Scouting do you like the best?

Eamonn.

[Beavah 205]

Been a den leader, ASM, SM, UC, DC, CR, Explorer Post advisor, Venturing advisor & associate advisor, district training chair, district program chair, council exec board.

 

Favorite: ASM. All of da fun of working with kids, none of da bureaucratic responsibility. Undoubtedly the best position in U.S. scouting.

 

Close 2nd: Venturing advisor. Very different; very fresh. Really youth-run.

 

Least favorite: Council Exec. Board. So badly removed from kids and service and the Scouting ethic as to make me question my involvement with the whole movement.

[hops_scout 9]

Alright, so I'm not an adult but I'm going to chime in here as well:

 

I have served as numerous positions in the troop over the last several years.

 

Den Chief- was a lot of fun; quite a bit of responsibility for me at the time

 

Patrol Leader- I don't remember much about being a patrol leader and I think part of the reason for that is that at that point, we weren't truly Boy-led so I didn't do much.

 

Quartermaster- this was a lot of work and I tried so hard to stay organized. It didn't work out too well and we are still trying to keep organized. We need a system of doing gear inventory.

 

ASPL- My term as ASPL kind of blends with my term as SPL. Our SPL at the time was not real active at that point. I believe he had already made Eagle and had moved on to other things.

 

SPL- My term as SPL was awesome. I feel I learned quite a bit; not only about myself, but also the responsibilities needed for that type of position.

 

JASM- This has been my favorite position of responsibility. I like to hang low and keep quiet and let the Scouts learn from their mistakes. I'm trying to be more of a leader than a boss. I am more of a behind-the-scenes type of person and don't like a lot of attention. I feel that me serving as a JASM is working great and I think the boys are really starting to listen when I say something. I'm pretty much acting as an advisor to the SPL and ASPL at this point as well as working to teach the newer boys camping skills; some of which are starting to get a little more advanced than what the older boys in the troop use.

[Kahuna 172]

Scoutmaster, beyond doubt, was my favorite. SM of two different troops over the years and ASM of others. Those were my favorite jobs. However, my most favorite SM job was JLIT SM at Philmont. You got to work with some of the sharpest, most motivated Scouts in the country for two weeks at a time. It was a very memorable experience.

[kenk 11]

Beavah,

 

You've absolutely made my day!! Today my son crossed over to Boy Scouts and after 5 years as a den leader (including two years as Cubmaster as well) I officially started my new position as an Assistant Scoutmaster. I think I'm going to have lots of fun in our new troop.

 

Yesterday I took the SM/ASM training (the 8+ hour classroom course), and I spent most of the time smiling knowing I don't have to take care of all the details and paperwork, but I do get to enjoy activities with the young men and a great group of adult leaders.

[kittle 10]

My experience with Scouting has been rather short (only 4 years). In that time I have been a Bear leader, Lone Scout leader (Long story there), and Webelos leader (1st year with only my son and next two years with other boys). I haven't held a poition of leadership in my son's Troop yet and due to circumstances probably won't be able to even though I have had all the needed training to be a SM or ASM.

 

I have to say that my favorit was Bear Leader. I had a group of 6 3rd graders that LOVED what they were doing and worked between meatings so that we could do fun stuff at meetings.

 

When I became a Web leader, I was excited about all the fun things we could do. I can't get them interested in anything and they don't enjoy it. I am ready for the end of this year and a break of one year until younger son starts Cub Scouts as a Tiger.

 

 

[seabear 10]

Not sure, but I think every position that I had the honor to served as; the best was being with the kids.

I held most of the positions from Council up to the Units: Packs, Troops, Posts, Ships, Crews, and Teams .46 years now that rocking chair patrol looks better every day now.

[CA_Scouter 11]

SM by far. ASM was good, but I had to follow the previous SM's plan, and Camping Chair, was, well, just sitting in a chair.. :-)

 

As SM, I get to work closely with the both the Scouts and the Committee, so I have a lot of influence on how the program is run.

 

Besides, its just... FUN!

 

 

[eagle90 125]

The most rewearding, and at the same time the most challenging position I have served in was being a Jamboree SM in 1997. Trying to take a group of 36 relative strangers and meld them into a working unit in a short period of time was the challenge. The reward was seeing it work and having the ultimate Scouting experience at the Jamboree.

[gwd-scouter 11]

I have been in almost every leadership position from Tiger Den Coach to Cubmaster, Troop Committee to Scoutmaster. Held a bunch of District Committee jobs too.

 

But, my absoluate favorite leadership role was that of Cub Scout Resident Camp Director. For five years I got to host about 300 cubs and their parents for four days of fun and adventure in the blue ridge mountains, and worked with a wonderfully dedicated group of Boy Scouts and adult volunteers who helped staff the event.

 

Sure it was a lot of hard work with many months of preparation. But once camp opened and the boys started arriving, it was a non-stop and enhausting great time.

 

I miss my Cub Scout days.

[John-in-KC 311]

It's not a registered position...

 

Assistant cook at one of our Council camps for maintenance workdays, or at our other Council camp for OA inductions. There's something about making sausage gravy in the morning and seeing folks gobble it up

[Eagledad 2777]

Gotta say Scoutmaster was best for me. I think the reason is because the Scoutmaster has the best view of the vision becoming reality. Its like being on top of the hill; you have the gods-eye view of everything. Unfortunately, along with a great view comes a heavy burden of being guardian of the vision. When I was ASM, I willingly gave up some of that view because the sacrifices required for a Box Seat ticket can be great. But once a person commits to shouldering the burden, they learn to balance the load, and relish game.

 

Saying all that, I admit working with older scouts is a very close second. Like Kahuna says, you get to work with a wonderful group of young folks who constantly knock your socks off. I am excited to read future post of Eamonn's experiences with the Ship.

 

I love this scouting stuff.

 

Barry

 

[purcelce 11]

I've been an Asst SM, Asst Dist Commish, Assoicate OA Adviser, and Troop Committee member, worked on summer camp staff and worked many camporee committes

 

Now I'm a Unit Commish and Venuring Crew Advisor.

 

The best is Crew Advisor. Close second is ASM. Anything working with the kids is where I get a since of accomplishment and satisfaction.

[Kaji 11]

Since we had a youth throw in his 2, I figure I'll throw mine in as well on the youth positions, since my experience there is more varied. I held all but librarian, chaplain's aide, and quartermaster in my time as a youth, and by far my favorite jobs were Den Chief and Troop Guide, for about the same reasons, really. Den Chief was more to the effect of Den Leader (sort of like the classic Cub Scout structure where the DC lead everything and the Den Mother would just be there to provide extra supervision), which made it that much more fun at the time. As for troop guide, I found it a lot of fun to be working with the new boys, especially during the year or two I was a Den Chief as well and would be helping them make the transition into the troop.

 

As for my adult experience, I've got a year as a Webelos Den Leader, and closing in on a year as an Assistant Cubmaster that is quickly turning into a year as an Assistant Webelos Den Leader, so in some ways I'm kind of liking Den Leader a bit better, although the freedom to float about a bit that I have as ACM is nice now and then, and I do poke my head in with the other dens now and then and lend a hand where one is needed.

[Loping Okie 10]

I have had a short tenure as an adult compared to some of you. A late starter who only stepped up when things started going wrong in the pack. (For which I have much regret in wating that long.) I have been WDL, Pack CC, and helped some as an associate OA Advisor since I have got reinvolved. I had a lots of jobs in the troop as a boy, DC, SPL, PL ASPL, SPL, JAS but that was over 30 years ago!

 

I have now moved over with my son as an ASM and am doing a District job organizing Webelos Woods for this year. I am learning the vision from one of EagleDads ASMs when he was SM. Dont sell the vision short, or the effect of those who have it. It is very infectious and even though I have only a passing acquaintance with Berry I am beginning to see that his Vision is affecting me greatly. Pebbles in the pond...

 

ASM is the most fun I have had in years. Dont see that changing any time soon.

 

Mark