johngordon

Thanks for your input. Seems like the new scout patrol idea should work. My wife and I agree with your assessment but she will go find a divorce lawyer if I start a new troop so I guess that option is out. I dont know that I can accept the current troop as is and I am not sure how much change can reasonably be expected to occur. John

Well, we had our committee meeting and I have mixed feelings about the outcome. We discussed the patrol issue and the fact that the older scouts were not showing as much scout spirit as we would like. The other members of the committee are very resistant to the idea of keeping the younger scouts together in a patrol. I discussed the issue of having new scouts next March entering and dealing with the same issues but mainly got a we'll cross that bridge when we come to it answer. Thhey believe that if we put the older boys together then they will not interact with the younger scouts and continue to use bad language. I countered with the fact that they were currently not interacting with the younger scouts and using bad language. Regarding the lack of proper uniform they said well in the past the boys rarely even wore the shirt so we are doing much better. I am not sure that the situation can be fixed. It would be difficult to move to another troop given that this one meets in the community center for the neighborhood but paerhaps this may be the only solution. In regards to training the current SM would like to participate in leader training but hasnt yet. My wife thinks that I am becoming obsessed with these issues. However, I look back upon scouting as one of the most formative aspects of my adolescence. As a physician I put the ideals of scouting to use EVERY day and I really want my son to have that same opportunity. In a country where CEOs lie to us all and even Martha Stewart is cheating, Scouting represents the best in us as Americans and citizens of the world. I'll keep you posted. John

Troop supposedly has 20-28 boys listed on roster but many are older and rarely attend. I really do not want younger kids to be tainted by older kids view of Scouting which is not based on traditional values. John

I have not considered having someone from District come to meeting as that may be either unhelpful or overkill in my mind. I wouldn't mind having another parent or two from the new scouts with me but trying to avoid an "us vs. them" scenario although this may play out in that fashion. Have offered to run a JLT course and bought the book and video and discussed this with newly elected SPL. Current adult leaders suggested doing this in the late summer but I would rather do it sooner than that if possible. SPL seemed mildly interested and suprised to find out a lot of information existed including this web site. Oh well, I'll let you know what happens on Tuesday. John

Thanks for reply. Training does not happen until the Fall here. The question remains as to how to address this issue on Tuesday night with the troop committee. The new SM's son just joined last year so he has essentially very little scouting experience and when I raised these issues with him he said that he planned on just deferring to the leaders who have been with the troop for a couple of years and therein lies the problem! I am not a political animal (which is why I chose avoid academia) and would really love to just go there and speak my mind but feel that this could ultimately prove counterproductive. Seems unusual to have parents who are so active but yet seemingly taking the Troop down the wrong path. John

I have really enjoyed reading these forums and am looking for sage advice regarding dealing with some issues. My son just moved up from Webelos this spring along with 5 other boys. The Troop that we joined meets at same location as the Pack so it was a natural move to join that Troop rather than explore other options. As an Eagle Scout with fairly extensive Boy Scout summer camp experience I was very enthusiastic about my son moving into Scouting. Well, it has been a rather eye-opening experience. The Troop has a number of active parents which is a plus. Unfortunately, none of them apparently have a great deal of scouting training with the exception of the former Scoutmaster who has stepped down into ASM role for job demand reasons. The older boys wear uniform shirts only, no neckerchiefs, no pants and no real attention to shirt patches. The Troop is not functioning using the patrol method and meetings have been a bit disappointing with about half the time spent sitting around listening to announcements and half playing basketball or football. On the plus side the troop is very active in terms of outdoor activities but at a recent campout the main activiites were "kill the kid with the ball" and similar games which completely freaked out the new scouts. We live in an affluent suburb and I dont believe that financial concerns are the issue with the uniform. In speaking with the parents of the other new scouts we would like to change the Troop to better reflect Scouting as we knew it. We would like to keep our sons together as a new scout patrol. Our thought is that when the other kids see how a patrol can function then they may get with the program. We considered starting a new troop but I would rather fix what is broken with the current troop. The parents of the older scouts seem relatively open to the idea but I dont want to push so hard that things dont work out. The Troop Committee seems firmly to believe in mixed aged patrols but with the older boys showing little scout spirit I am concerned that this will be a disaster. I will be the Cubmaster for the Pack and we will hopefully graduate 6-9 Webs each year so I cant really put too much energy into the Troop given my responsibilities to the pack. Help! Thanks for any wisdom.