evmori

What laws were violated? From what I read none were. The Scout was not abused. He was bullied. There is no sexual abuse here! I agree with the "boys are boys". If this behavior from the same Scout continues then there is a problem & it needs to be dealt with. I think we are going a little overboard here. Was this a violation of the YPG? I don't think so. Kicking this kid out at this point will not accomplish anything. And letting a father who is not a registered leader dictate how a Troop will handle a situation is not right! What if the older Scout did no more than call the younger Scout a moron and the parent wanted the older Scout sent home? Should the Troop send him home? NO!!!! Boys will push the limits if they think they can get away with it. Usually when they get caught, they stop. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Kicking him out is the wrong thing to do at this point. I think the situation was handled by the adults very well up to the point of sending the Scout home. This could be a one time incident. If it occurs again, then there is a real problem & soemthing more severe should happen. It was never stated if the father of the younger boy was a registered leader in the Troop. If not, I would not let a parent dictate whether another Scout should be sent home. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

yaworski, Mt. Lebanon & Dormont. Mostly Dormont. Where did you live & when? Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

EagleWB, The camp we attend provides all the food, cooking gear & tents. Eagle90, I couldn't agree with your posts more! It's amazing what the Scouts can learn cooking for themselves. Besides cooking, they learn to follow the directions. If they don't (usually) the outcome affects more than just them! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

The new pants are pricey & those new pockets are trash. Having said that I am all in favor of full uniforms. In my Troop, I only require the leaders (SPL, ASPL, PL's, QM's, etc) to have full uniforms. This is strictly a $$$ issue and my logic is all Scouts need a position of responsibility to advance past 1st Class so they will all eventually need full uniforms. Plus, this gives the parents some time to save up or find a used pair. I am always in full uniform. Setting the example, ya see! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop1 1 Peter 4:10

I would hate to see this Scout not get his Eagle but the rules are the rules. Technically, a Scout can't begin to work on his Eagle project until he has reached the rank of Life & if he didn't have the correct number of required merit badges earned then he technically didn't complete the requirements for the Life rank. The key word here is technically. I'd be interested to hear what happens in this case. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Rooster, Thanks for saying so well what I was fumbling around. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, I agree with everything except the First Class First Year part & the only rules part. And you forgot the most important element FUN! If the Scouts aren't having fun then they won't stay! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

"The other big issue is that he requires more socialization practice than is available in schools. Yes, you read that right. I took him OUT of school to work on his social skills." I have never heard of this before. School is a place of learning and a place where kids come in contact with all types of personalities. By pulling them out of this environment only hampers them in being able to deal with these types of people. Remember, this is only my opinion. I have two deaf kids. Well, my son is 21 & daughter is 17. Big kids. My son was full mainstreamed in high school only because we fought for it & didn't give up until he was. This is our right a parents. He earned his Eagle in 1998 & graduated with honors in 2001! He just finished his 1st year at RIT & was on the dean's list the entire year. Our daughter was fully mainstreamed in 6th grade & that was also a fight! She has been on the honor role ever since she started middle school! She is also on the basketball team & starts on JV and gets a lot of playing time on varsity! If we would have pulled our kids out of regular school none of this would have ever happened. My wife & I fought tooth & nail to get them the best education we could. Did it payoff? Yes it did. I don't feel pulling kids out of situations just because they don't like them is good for the kid. I think we need to remember that when they grow up & go out into the "real world" they will encounter many different things they have never seen before and we as parents won't be their to bail them out. They need to learn how to handle things & make decisions on their own. I am not saying home schooling is bad. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

In the many years I have been involved in Scouting I have seen good professionals & bad professionals. The bad one always focused on the money end of the program & were kiss ups. They were never around when you really needed them for program help. Sure they showed up at roundtables but usually to push popcorn or another fundraiser. However, my current DE is excellent. He was my Cub Pack's site guide the 1st year I ever went to summer camp. I really got to know him well & he is an exellent professional Scouter. He is currently helping me keep our feeder Pack up & running. In general, I feel the perception of the professional Scouters is bad. To me, and there are exceptions to this, they are more concerned with the money a unit raises than the program a unit delivers. I realize they are evaluated on this but if their individual units are running terrible programs then all the $$$ in the world won't help. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

insanescouter, "My experience both as youth and now as adult leader is that the mess hall style is better for summer camp. This is because the Scouts are in so many different places and have so much going on that it is just easier on everyone to let the camp handle the main meals" I don't agree with this statement. The Scouts should know what they need to do & when it needs to be done by! It's the same as going to a merit badge class! I realize not all Troops are the same & some Troops view summer camp as sort of a vacation. This is all well & good but I still feel that the patrol method needs to be stressed every step of the way. Just my opinion! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, You can't make the assumption that the only reason boys quit Scouting is because of the program. Some boys who do great in Cubs don't make it in Boy Scouts because they (or their parents) aren't ready for move to Boy Scouts. It has nothing to do with the program. I'm having a hard time trying to explain this. Could be because I just got back from the beach last night. Would someone please give me a hand? Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, Cubs are different than Boy Scouts. Cub Packs are usually larger. When I was a Cubmaster, we had 50+ in the Pack. Not all the 2nd Year Webelos went on to Boy Scouts. And the ones that did went to different Troops in the area. A lot of kids who crossover to Boy Scouts don't like the program or their parents don't like the program & they drop out. And I don't mean the individual unit program I mean the BSA program in general. This doesn't mean the individual unit has a bad program. There are other reasons for boys dropping out of Scouting that the Troop or Pack they join being a (in your eyes) "Bad" unit. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Just wondering. I realize there are many summer camps out there. I was curious how those units who attend a summer camp that has dining halls uses the patrol method during summer camp? The camp my unit attends - Heritage Reservation - has two Boy Scout camps - one dining hall & one patrol cooking. My unit attends the patrol cooking camp. We do this to reinforce the patrol method. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

This is a great topic. One thing I think we all forget is we are all located in different areas (rural, urban, suburbs, etc.) and this has a lot to do with our retention rates. There are more programs (sports, academic, etc.) for boys to join in urban & suburban areas than in rural areas. Kids will try something & if they don't like it, they will quit. While I don't condone quitting something without seeing it through I realize this happens. If units only retain 50% of the boys that join their unit that is 50% more than they had. I don't feel this is an indication of a poorly run unit. There can be many other circumstances that are unknown. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

mattbib, I don't agree. I don't want homosexuals in the porgram so I am being intollarable. And the BSA agrees with me. The BSA doesn't permit girls or anyone who refuses to repeat the Oath. Scouting is the be all for everyone. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

OGE, My issue just came. I plan on taking it to the beach this week to read. I'll get back to ya. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Korea, I'll make up but I ain't kissin' him! Bob, I think we need to agree we disagree. What do you think? Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10 P.S. I am leaving for the beach with my family tonight so I won't be on for a week!

ScoutPro, Excellent post! My feelings are that the 1st Class Emphasis is a program offered by the BSA. It is one of many programs each unit can choose to utilize. It is not required. I choose not to use this program in my unit so in Bob's eyes, I am a bad leader. If that is true, I guess any leader who doesn't use all the BSA programs is a bad leader in Bob's eyes. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

super_racenut, Welcome! The awards should come from the Pack. If it agreeable to the Pack, they can be presented at a Troop meeting, though. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, I don't think I'm a bad leader. Just being sarcastic. My Dc & DE think my unit is functioning just fine. One of the reasons we are a small Troop is for many years we didn't have a feeder pack & we are not affiliated with a school. When we got a pack up & running we grew to around 20 Scouts. Now the pack is in a flux & we are not getting as many new Scouts. In a five mile radius of my Troop there are 6 other Troops. Mine and two others draw from the same schools. So just because we are located in a large metropolitan area doesn't mean we are the only game in town. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, Yes Pittsburgh is a very popoulated area. There are also many Scout Troops in my area that draw from the same schools. There are only a few Troops that are large (30+). Most are around the size of mine. But, since you seem to know everything about my Troop, city & program I run, I must be a bad leader since I don't follow the optional programs the BSA offers. Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

But poor attendance can be the result of poor Scout Spirit! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

Bob, Wow. I guess you are always right! I must have a weak program since I don't use the 1st Class Emphasis. I must even have a weaker program since I don't have a New Scout Patrol! I must be a bad leader. I guess since my Troop has had eight Eagles in the last ten years has nothing to do with the strength of my program (we have had an average of 12 Scouts in the Troop over the last ten years). Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10

A Scout not reaching 1st Class in one year in no way indicates a weak program! Man, for someone who is so concerned about doing things the "Scout" way, Bob, you seem to be blinded by the program. 1st of all, the program is First Class Emphasis not First Class First Year. 2nd, you make judgements about units who don't follow what you feel is the "Scouting" way. It seems to me you feel the "Scouting" way is if it is in any BSA publication, it MUST BE DONE! I don't agree. Bob, the first word in Boy Scouts is Boy. If all we are is people who push kids through the ranks & don't take the time to let them learn at their own pace then we are in this program for the wrong reason. The reason I have stayed long after my son earned his Eagle is I love the kids. They are fun and a joy to be around. I love teaching them about Scouting, Scouting Skills & life skills. If it takes a Scout two years to reach 1st Class so be it! If you think that is the sign of a weak program, Bob, then you are wrong. Remember a boy can be a Boy Scout until his 18th birthday. And since they can become Boy Scouts when they are 11, what is the big rush! Ed Mori Scoutmaster Troop 1 1 Peter 4:10