juggerwubba

My point is no-one even MENTIONED record keeping. I know how to keep records because of my real world training. I use spreadsheets, databases, even pencil and paper occasionally, but I have never been shown the tools that BSA produce for this.

So I realised something frightening last night. I have taken Fast start, NLE, Scoutmaster specific, OLS, woodbadge, several additional trainings (safety afloat....) attended TLT, staffed NYLT, read Boys Life and Scouting magazine, joined forums such as this one, but it was only last night as I was reading the new eagle scout documentation(which I stumbled on by accident) that I realised that a vital part of the scoutmasters role had NEVER been mentioned to me. No one ever showed me a Troop record book, or a advancement wall chart, or mentioned that I would ever need to record any information at all. Can someone tell me where this kind of basic paperwork, like budget planning, advancement tracking, recording dates that scouts are elected or selected for positions, is taught?

My ticket Counseler was lovely! He allowed me to rewrite my goal of delivering TLT - to say that I will offer ILSfT instead......Yep, no-one on the course had spotted the fact that TLT was replaced in August by Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops. I only found out because I was trying to download Introduction to Leadership Skills for Crews. He then gave me permission to plan a High venture activity for my Youth leaders, rather than sitting on my hands waiting for them to plan. I was told on the course that I could not put "plan" anything for my ticket, because the boys have to do the planning. My ticket ended up as "supplying adult supervision for a high venture activity".

Gosh basement - that is how I feel. I almost left scouting the minute I got home from woodbadge. I decided to wait until the next scout meeting - and the boys were awesome! It helps to remember that!

lol basement!

Lets just say I am in the midwest. I guess I have spent over 25 years following syllabus documents and delivering the content in my own sweet way. I am a teacher by profession and by vocation. It doesn't seem difficult to me, but as I say, it is what I do for a living. I always find it painful when a course does not deliver its promises. Two of my scouts told me that they did not learn anything at NYLT that they could use in the troop. That prompted me to work on NYLT staff this year, so I could check out the content. I attended wood badge in order to increase my ability to lead the troop. Since my first woodbadge weekend, I have met a series of challenges within the troop. I think that it is my 25 years of experience as a teacher, youth leader, mother and wife that has given me the skills to deal with these situations. (Perhaps I should have struck up a verse of "back to Gilwell" and all these problems would have gone away) I get my first session with my ticket counseller tonight. Could be interesting. BTW. I have been to Gilwell. Four times. My son's cub scout resident camp was there in 2005 and 2006

I think that there is a crucial point here: A 21c woodbadge course RUN ACCORDING TO THE SYLLABUS makes a big deal of letting you camp without adult supervision. A 21c woodbadge course RUN ACCORDING TO THE SYLLABUS allows you time to bond as a patrol and practice leadership skills A 21c woodbadge course RUN ACCORDING TO THE SYLLABUS allows you to discuss TGOL and the movies shown and gain insight and understanding. I would really like to have attended the 21c woodbadge course. Unfortunately for me, I attended two weekends of something else. Ah well. Perhaps there is a message in that for me.

I guess I just have to "man up" and get on with my ticket items. I just can't help feeling disappointed. The course I attended was not the mountaintop experience advertised. I can certainly not recommend it to anyone I like. I am still trying to decide if I can recite the Scout law without barfing at "trustworthy" I'll grow out of it.

I am getting the impression that the course I attended was a 21c wb course with additional material. Some of this material may have been from the "old" woodbadge course. Whether it is good material or bad material, there is not time over two woodbadge weekends to do a course-and-a-half. I still feel that I was asked to play a game, but at no point were the rules ever explained. I know I did not win the game, but I am not really sure if I was having fun. If anyone has a copy of the rules would they please let me know!

Soon they will tell us that we cannot light fires or play with knives and axes....

We used two separate campsites in the second weekend. The first was a patrol site using our own tents, isolated from other patrols, but for sleeping only. No staff were visible from our tents. We also had a patrol site where all 8 patrols shared a strip of land nearer the Troop Meeting Room. We were given two picnic benches. We put up a dining fly and our cooking equipment. On day 5 we "hiked" just under a mile to a site which all 8 patrols shared. We used our own backpacking equipment for this campsite. My tent fly overlapped my neighbor. All the tents were that close together.

So should the patrols be separated for the outpost, or all together at one site?

2-3 evenings free? We even had to turn up a day early for meetings the evening before the course re-started! Day 4 we had a patrol activity and then troop campfire after dinner. Then at 10pm we had a ridiculously over-the-top cracker barrel with the SPL in a Tux, staff all in white blouses, chocolate fountains, chafing dishes full of cordon blue snacks....... Day 5 (the overnight) we had scheduled activities from 8.30 until late.

That is a good question. Checking the Gilwell gazettes, we did get patrol time each day. Checking my memory, the time was filled with going over PLC notes, getting ready for the patrol presentation - we thought we knew what we were doing, but the goalposts moved.... - and sleeping. Well, I took a sanity nap after pitching my outpost tent, and another of my patrol team took a nap on day 6 during the feast prep time.

I would not say that patrol time was really a feature of my second weekend.