FScouter

"... the council has already budgeted for the $390,000 it expects to receive if each of the county's 7,937 Boy Scouts pay the $52 fee." "Anticipating money not yet in the bank, are we?" That's what a budget is, anticipation of income not yet earned, and anticipation of expenses not yet incurred.

From the Insignia Guide: "Boy Scout neckerchiefs are optional. The troop decides by vote, and all members abide by the decision."

Our troop builds a crossover brigde based on plans for a single trestle bridge in the Pioneering merit badge book. Since our crossover ceremonies are indoors with a relatively low ceiling, we modify the trestle so it is not so tall, and add outriggers on the sides for stability. The walkways are straight from the book. There is no storage issue since the bridge is disassembled after the event. The best part of this bridge is that the Scouts build it themselves.

To expand on this a bit, does anyone know what the requirements are to become a lifeguard counselor, and where one would go to get that training?

"In our house its shampoo and body wash." Body wash? Is that the new wave version of soap? At triple the price no doubt?

The BSA Lifeguard Counselor Guide is #34536. The requirements can also be found in the lifeguard application #34435. http://www.scouting.org/forms/34435.pdf

You must be referring to the 1st Class requirement 9c which dealt with water survival skills. The boy had to jump into the water with all his clothes on, remove his shoes, socks, shirt, pants, tie off the pant legs, inflate them, swim 50 feet, etc., etc. That was one tough requirement. It was pulled out in 2002 and added to the swimming merit badge requirements. The Boy Scout Handbook is rewritten roughly every 10 years. Between editions there are several printings. The current 11th edition came out in 1999. It has gone through several printings since the first release. Each new printing corrects any typos, and includes any changes in the rank requirements, in your case the revised swimming requirement. Another change was in the cooking section where the new food pyramid diagram replaced the old four basic food groups. There are no regional differences.

I've bought 4 shirts on the eBay and never paid more than $15 including shipping. Excellent condition too. Don't overbid. If the price goes too high, bid on a different shirt. After a few days you'll have a quality shirt at a low price. Short sleeved shirts seem to have better prices in the winter. Last year prices were higher because the national Jamboree created a big demand. Each participant needed multiple shirts.

A denless dad could become a den leader.

When I'm in a blue state, I listen to Big Joe Turner.

Being married doesn't make more Scouting work. Assuming multiple positions makes more work. BSA recommends one person - one position.

I don't believe the conventional wisdom about "don't wear cotton" applies to sleeping in a sleeping bag. No one sweats that much and if you do you're not cold in the first place. I also don't believe that a full bladder consumes any energy at all. Urine doesn't dribble out of the kidneys cold. It's the same temperature as blood. One could make a better argument that by urinating you lose heat energy.

I think you may be overly concerned. I see leaders with no kids in the unit as a real benefit. They're in it because they love Scouting. So many leaders are involved soley because their kid is a member. They don't do anything unless their little darling gets a direct benefit.

Stop the announcements, and the song will stop too. Fred is right; announcements are not part of a pack meeting.

My comments were soley to johndaigler's query about leadership teams in general.

"... then perhaps more good comes from the "misdirected" team, than a team that won't follow a 'good' leader . . ." There may be strong teams of leaders marching in lock step, arm in arm, down a path of their own design. They may even be doing some good things for boys. But if they are not on the Scouting path, they are not doing Scouting. They are not fulfilling the BSA mission, they're fulfilling the own personal mission. (In my opinion) this kind of leadership is bad, and far worse than the disarray of 1 or 2 leaders trying to pull the rest onto the Scouting path.

At the same time, it would be good to ensure that those other adult leaders own and have read the Cub Scout Leader book, have taken the training for their respective positions, and are following the BSA Cub Scout program. You don't need the CC rightfully pointing out deficiencies in the other leaders.

The SM and assistants are not doing their jobs if they stand by and let the "boy led" meeting degenerate into chaos. "Boy led" does not mean boy-led-into-the-ground. It is not the SPL's job to present his ideas to the adult committee. He should not even be there. The PLC, led by the SPL makes the plans for their activity. The SM is there to counsel. The SM takes the PLC plan to the adult committee for their support. Support includes securing the permission, recruiting the adult leaders, drivers, etc. and anything else needed to support the PLC plan. The committee is wrong to expect the SPL to do their jobs.

Eating right before bed is not a good idea. Digestion requires a big supply of blood. The body diverts blood from the extremities to the digestive tract. Reduced blood in the extremities makes you feel cold.

"Why do something 12 times when you can do it once?" Because by doing so you kill an opportunity to teach boys a life skill; the value of money, the honor of working to earn the money needed to pay for the things you need and the things you want to do. When Mom or Dad write a check at the end of the year, the boy learns zip. Except maybe a sense of entitlement and that somebody else will pay for his ticket. Ask yourself how annual dues paid by the parent supports the mission of Scouting.

Your initial perception is right. Bylaws are a waste of time and cause problems. Bylaws are the result of adults failing to follow the Scouting program. If boys don't pay dues, it's because the SM has failed to instill in them the importance of paying their own way. A bylaw does not fix that. As to what can or cannot be written into by-laws, force yourself to justify every rule with support from the Boy Scout Handbook, SPL Handbook, PL Handbook, and SM Handbook. If there is no support there, the rule is doomed to failure.

"I'm fairly certain the idea came from the PLC itself as this Troop is almost fanatical in being 'boy run'. " If the troop is run according to Scouting, the PLC would not empowered to make decisions contrary to Scouting methods. "Boy run" means they operate within the Scouting program. Whatever decisions they make should be supported in their Patrol Leader Handbook, SPL Handbook, and SM Handbook.

Dismantling patrols is never good for any reason. Why have a "patrol" if the adults break it up to suit their personal ideas of "Scouting"?

Dear Forum Members, Signatures and tag lines are trite, add nothing of value, result in fewer messages per screen and more scrolling. Signed, FScouter Troop 86 "I used to be an animal" "Jesus Loves You" "tag lines are silly"

Congratulations on your new position. So much to tell you. Where to begin? I'd say get a copy of the Scoutmaster Handbook and read it cover to cover. Then re-read the chapters on the patrol method, program planning, and advancement, and boy leaders.