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LATEST POSTS
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Thanks everyone. In addition to the above advice, I picked up copies of the SPL handbook and the PL handbook and plan on looking through them before handing them over. One thing I have going for me is that I've been a track and cross-country coach for a few years now. (Some of the scouts I've coached previously, and one caused my eyes to wet a little when he told me he was hoping I would be the next SM and it was a wish granted. This kid...) Hopefully some of that experience transfers. It's at least similar in that I can't run for them - only encourage them when it gets hard and celebrate the wins and milestones with them. I'm signing up for Wood Badge, but that doesn't start until April 4th. Now I have to focus on prodding younger son to decide whether he's going to complete the MBs he needs to rank up, or whether he's done. He's my lazy one. Smart as a whip, but so hard to get him to do anything. I think he wants to make Eagle like his older brother, but when push comes to shove he's reluctant to put in the work. Same thing with deciding whether he'll retake the SAT after doing some test prep, or not. I'd be delighted had I gotten his score, but he's not thrilled with the score, and I know he's capable of more. In many ways, dealing with scouts who aren't family is easier. 😂 -
By BetterWithCheddar · Posted
I detect a bit of satire here, but also some truth. In my region, it's cold and dark for much of the school year. The Pack calendar ramps up in the Fall, we get outside for maybe 2 glorious Saturdays, then we settle into our routine of meeting 2x per month in the school cafeteria. Even though our council camp is equipped with a few nice, winterized cabins, few parents want to accept the liability of organizing a weekend outing. My son's Wolf Den tripled in size this year due to an influx of "indoor kids." These 2nd graders have tried team sports, realized they were already behind their peers, and opted for a more inclusive activity. They have a limited desire to go outside, but their parents said they can't be on the iPad all the time, so here they are. Most of these kids and their families are kind and decent. I'm glad Scouting exists to keep them active, but it's an odd dynamic. I think the shift to more indoor programming is at least partially guided by member preferences, -
Then they moved it to 90 and then 120 days. Not sure what it is now. 90? -
Maybe? Maybe not less tarnished, but less irrelevant. Irrelevance is likely a bigger threat.
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I’m am a mixed age patrol guy. I’ve tried them all and the fastest scout growth occurs in patrols with older aged and experienced mentor role models. But, building patrols is not easy. It takes experience. I agree to a point that the scouts have to be involved. But, if the adults (role model, mentors) struggle, the scouts certainly will. Don’t throw them in dark without some kind of guidance and plan. Work as a team with everyone understanding the goal as well as the challenges. Make the successes and failures a team responsibility so that both scouts and adults work the problem together. I promise the scouts take these things to heart and will work to fix challenges the next time. They don’t like it any more than adults. And you will be amazed how seriously they do these things as the troop learns and grows when they know that the adults have their back. This subject is an example that scouting is hard and the more the adults and scouts work as a team, the more confident everyone feels trying new ideas to improve the experience. Scouting is a safe place because failure is an opportunity to grow. That goes as much for the adults as it does for the scouts. Another deep discussion is news scouts and how to get them merged in the troop. But, that is a different subject for another day. Merry Christmas everyone. Barry
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