evmori

Bob, Right on the $$$$. The only reason I wouldn't tell a Scout's parents is if he asked me not to. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Mark, Good question. I haven't given my SPL or ASPL the OK to sign off requirements. But say I did & I found out at the SM conference the Scout lied about about why he wasn't at event. I would stop the conference, talk to the SPL or ASPL to see if they knew the Scout lied before they signed off. If they did or didn't is of no matter to the Scout who lied. (It will matter to the SPL or ASPL who signed.) I would then tell the Scout this requirement was signed under false pretenses and explain to him how lying is not living with the Scout Oath & Law. I would also tell him he will not advance beyond his current rank until the adult leadership & the SPL & ASPL feel he has "mended" his ways. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4"10

dsteele, Great story! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

sctmom, I agree 100%. We should point the boy to a person qualified to handle these things. We should also inform his parents. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Welcome to the campfire! If an entire patrol or troop attends a merit badge pow-wow then I would count it as an activity! Why not? sst3rd says these are designed for individual Scouts. Well, so are the merit badge classes at summer camp. What's the difference? Having returned yesterday from comleting my Vigil (I am still tired) and having som of my Scouts in attendance for the work weekend, we don't count OA activities as patrol or troop activities. Why? Because not everyone in the patrol or troop is eligible to attend an OA function. I feel if entire patrol or troop is eligible to participate in an activity then it can be counted as a patrol/troop activity. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, I always do the SM conference's after all the other ranks requirements are complete & before the BOR. I know there is no order for the rank requirements except the BOR is last. That is just the way I have chosen to do it. Since Scout Spirit is prior to that and since there is no way I am signing that if a Scout lied to me then there is no way this Scout is having a SM conference. Follow? Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, Yes I would let the Scout know he lied to me. Read my last post. Will I ask why? Yes. Do I care why he lied? No. Would I ask him all the other question you listed? Maybe. There are two steadfast rules in my Troop. No profanity. No lying. Simple. The adults in my Troop don't and won't tolerate a Scout or other adult that lies. And until that Scout can prove he has mended his ways, he will not advance. And the adult will be kept on a very short leash. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10(This message has been edited by evmori)

Bob, Nope. You can't compare a swimming requirement to honesty. I expect my Scouts to be honest. In fact, I have sent Scouts home from camping trips for lying to me. If I wouldn't sign the Scout's Spirit, why on earth whoul I ever consider holding a SM conference until I was satisfied this Scout had mended his ways & was now living by the Oath & Law. Everything in Scouting is not as literal as you want to make it, Bob. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, Whoa cowboy! If a Scout lies to his SM about why he couldn't go on an outing you would pass him on his SM Conference! What happened to living by the Scout Oath & Law? I'm not playing devils advocate here. I really must question why you would do this. Lying is not being trustworthy and not being trustworthy is not living by the Scout Law. I am appalled at your answer! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

What I love is an organization penalizing the BSA (or any organization) because they don't agree with the Supreme Court decision. It seems like a double edged sword to me. A no win situation. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Zahnada, I don't consider it a destructive attitude. We can tolerate certain things if the reason for the toleration is rational. But tolerating something just because someone's feeling are hurt isn't a good thing. When people try to turn an organization into a PC organization, they make the organization so wishy-washy it is no longer the organization it was meant to be. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

I say no to phone cards. At the summer camp I attend, a Scout is not allowed to use the phone WITHOUT an adult leader from his Troop present. And this is enforced. The adults in my Troop carry cell phones & if it is an emergency, we will let a Scout call home. If it is just a matter of neeeding something brought to camp, we get a list from the SPL & we make the call home. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Ron, If a Scout doesn't show up for Patrol/Troop meeetings of outings or rarely shows up then I wouldn't consider this active. He either has a very busy schedule & Scouts is being left out or he just doesn't care to come to Scouts. You might want to have a sit down with this Scout & find out his situation. You might find he is just too busy now but does plan on being active in the near future. Bob, Nah. It seems my tactics have provoked good discussions PLUS evoked some very useful information. Besides, I love a good debate! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

If I'm not mistaken, HIPPA doesn't apply to summer camp medical forms. I think HIPPA only deals with hospital, medical centers & doctor's offices. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, WOW! you really make many assumptions about my posts! I am refering to the paragraph after "We were really concerned". You have something to back up your assupmtions I hope. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

PC & Scouting don't mix. Nor should they. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

mk9750, Bingo! Right on the money! Bob, Where did I ever say I " do not follow many of the basic methods of the scouting scouting program."? Is this one of your assumptions? Is so, please remember what happens when one ass-u-me-s. mk9750 is on the money. In my unit, I do what is best for the Scouts, not the adults. If the adults benefit wonderful. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

" I understand attendance isn't the measure of a Scout. Committment to the Scouting program is." Really? Show me where that is written. Really? Show me where it says committment isn't important. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

I think the post Mark had about the Scout determining how active he wants to be is good. Great way to set the activitity level! But, I gotta go one step further. Bob will probably think I'm an idiot like he normally does. Say the Scout tells you he will only be able to be at one meeting a month & will only be able to make the camping trips 3 or 4 times a year and won't be going to summer camp and he doubts if he will be able to attend any extra activities all because he is too busy. And he has just been elected Patrol Leader. Now the Scout has decided on his level of participation. What next? Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

SomeTHING not someONE. A youth that is involved in many activities PLUS school is very busy. While there is nothing wrong with that, one of the activities or school will not get the attention necessary and therefore suffer. I understand attendance isn't the measure of a Scout. Committment to the Scouting program is. A Scout who puts his patrol/troop on the back burner doesn't have that committment. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, Excellent post! One question though. You posted "Can you truly and fairly judge an individuals "activity" without understanding their entire situation?" If a Scout is involved in sports, band & church group as well as Scouts he is very busy and something is going to suffer. Now if this Scout misses practices for his sports team, he probably won't play. Likewise for the band. So can we use the same criteria as part of defining "active"? Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10(This message has been edited by evmori)

I've sat on numerous Eagle Boards. We always focus on the Scout's leadership in his Troop & during his Eagle project. The questions regarding this usually come from the responses the candidate give. Some of the "stock" questions we use are: What was your favorite merit badge? What merit badge did you like least? What's going on in the world? Why do you want to be an Eagle? Tell us what you did to earn the ____ merit badge? What did your service hours for rank consist of? Are you going to college? What are you thinking of majoring in? Why? What are your hobbies? These are just a few. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

SM406, While knots are not required for the Eagles rank, an Eagle candidate should know the knots required for the ranks below Eagle. One can view the asking of a Scout to tie knots during a SMC as a review. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, And your response wasn't a personal attack on me? Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Get what Bob? Sounds to me like the pot calling the kettle black! You don't seem to like it when someone questions your opinions but it's OK for you to question others opinions. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen Bob. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10