KoreaScouter

There's something rotten in Denmark; this is not normal boy behavior. Talk to his DL and find out more about the family situation. You may be backing unwittingly, and unavoidably, into a mandatory-reporting situation. KS

My non-scientific observation on all the Survivor rounds is that people who have been trained in ethical, moral, team-based behavior and effective leadership methods do very poorly on the show. Reason: success on Survivor depends on a person ultimately abandoning ethics, morals, teamwork, and effective leadership to achieve a personal victory. KS

If you haven't already, download the DO cookbook off the Internet. Best advice for new DO people: don't try to hurry things by putting too many coals below or above -- you will burn your food. For baked beans, I start with cans of supermarket beans -- the number of cans depends on the size of your oven. Don't drain off the liquid; it'll look very thin and soupy at first, but will thicken as they simmer, and thicken even more after you take them off the coals. I add honey, barbecue sauce, crushed red pepper from your nearest oriental market (looks like coarse red soil), dried diced onions, spicy mustard, and crumbled cook bacon. The amounts of each depend on how much you're making, and your taste. Put enough coals below and above the oven to keep the beans at a gentle simmer for at least an hour. Some DO purists will blow a gasket, but for many dishes, lining the DO with wide, HD aluminum foil makes cleanup tremendously easier. KS

Left Handed, except for baseball -- always batted right handed, and I have no idea why. Anecdote: Once I started driving, I wondered what it would be like to drive a car set up for a left-handed person (basically, a domestic market Japanese or English car). When I finally drove one in Europe, it was horrible! KS

Patience; this is a marathon, not a sprint... KS

Matua; Thanks! Loving every minute of it (except the centipedes -- these things are huge, and they bite!). KS

Every one of the themes in Troop Program Resources relates directly to more than one MB. Planned and presented properly, the monthly program to include meetings and outings will present advancement opportunities, including rank advancement and MB requirements. An important distinction, though, is that by themselves, the monthly program plans do not satisfy all the requirements for any MB. The onus is still on the individual Scout to do the work, meet the counselor, and complete the requirements. So, in a sense, almost everything we do at a Troop meeting can be instruction for some MB, particularly those tied to the monthly theme. It's up to the Scouts who want to earn that particular MB to realize that and take advantage of that opportunity. BSA is very clever. The montly themes are designed so that they are relevant to any Scout, from a newly-bridged 10 1/2 year old, to the 17 year old Eagle. If you're teaching MB classes at your troop meetings, that relevance will go away for many Scouts. The 17 year old Eagle already has the badge, so why go to the meeting? The 10 1/2 year old Scout can't relate to Chemistry, is too young to care about auto mechanics, or just doesn't want the badge, but is having it force fed to him, so why go to the meeting? The meetings should have something for everybody. Again, it's a lot easier to pick a "badge of the month", read the pamphlet at Troop meetings, stuff blue cards down their throats, and call it Scouting, than it is to go through the pain of actual program planning with the PLC, with all its messiness, and conduct real 7-part Troop meetings. KS

I'm always amused when parents try to get "cute" to get around the GTSS. I had a situation once when a mom who worked in a unit that ran our community paintball course, asked me before one of our COHs was about to begin if she could make an announcement after the formal program was over, that they would give a group discount if at least 10 boys from the Troop would join her son this Saturday, etc., etc. I told her I wouldn't permit it, since the activity would be associated with the Troop, and it was an unauthorized activity. Even though there would have been no tour permit, no uniforms, etc., I didn't think that a mishap would have survived the harsh light of public scrutiny, or my conscience. KS

I think it depends on the badge, how many Scouts are interested, and the counselor's preferences. I'll use Aviation as an example. In a former Troop, we were located on an Air Force Base with an Aero Club whose manager was an Eagle Scout, and military pilots as counselors. Naturally, we had lots of interest in the badge all the time, so there was a critical mass of interested Scouts. The counselors found the best way to complete the requirements, including the flight, was to do group sessions at the Aero Club ground school, with the models and instrument mockups, and the Aero Club manager would donate the plane in a single block of time, based on the number of Scouts working on the badge. Much preferable to sending them over there two at a time throughout the year. I know there are divergent opinions on MB roundups, colleges, or whatever you call group MB sessions. If they're done properly, they can provide good opportunities for Scouts to earn badges they want or need. They shouldn't be pushed or forced to participate, no shortcuts, counselors should be registered/trained, etc. KS

I think BW and I are in violent agreement here. There is no substitute for all persons associated with Scouting to know how this is supposed to work, and to stay abreast of changes and developments. That's the ideal; most of us live with the real. Most parents only skim the permission slips -- they're not going to read all the references we Forum members keep on our nightstands and have converted into .pdf files for our Palm Pilots. Many volunteers nod off during the YP video -- they're not going to go the extra mile to attend extra training and Roundtables. Poorly written bylaws (or whatever you want to call them) are not the disease, they are a symptom. The disease is the adults who wrote them, who are in serious need of a paradigm shift. The complicator is that even without the bylaws, the adults are still there. If the committee is prone to to giving you help you don't want or need, they'll do it with or without bylaws. Unless you start your own troop, you have to deal with the reality in front of you. If a committee wants to hand me a set of bylaws, that's fine, thanks very much. I operate within the covers of the SM Handbook, and will continue to do so, and if there's a conflict between the bylaws and book, I follow the book. They can find another SM if it's something they feel strongly about. What I don't do is get worked up over whether or not there are bylaws, why they have them, or whether they address every possible contingency, because they can't. Like beauty, micromanagement is in the eye of the beholder. I'm reminded of a time when I was on duty in a command post in Europe, authenticating an emergency action message directing my unit to unlock nuclear weapons. As we carefully verified each section of the message with our commanding officer bent over our shoulders watching, one of the other officers watching this operation made a "micromanagement" reference. Without averting his eyes from what we were doing, he replied "...what you call micromanagement, I call attention to detail." KS

"If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got." It's probably not a coincidence that the same units that consistently fail to follow the "Program Planning" chapter of the Scoutmaster Handbook also consistently complain about having untrained, ineffective youth leaders. They're intertwined. I know that in many cases, this is not one person's fault; a well-meaning, trained leader is facing years of inertia that's incredibly difficult to overcome. It's certainly less work in the short run for the adults when we do the real leadership jobs ourselves, and merely issue position patches to the Scouts and let them go through the motions. Investing time, effort, and resources in training and developing them is difficult, but that's where the BSA mission is accomplished and the aims are achieved. Believe me, there are times when it'd be much easier to throw the plan out the window and do it myself. But, I know that the very act of planning 7-part Troop meetings, assigning responsibilities to the Patrols and their members, following through on them, and seeing the results of their efforts does more for them in the long run, even if it isn't always efficient or "slick". KS

The last time you were in your parent's car, maybe coming to this troop meeting, did they drive you here looking only through the rear view mirror? Of course not; you're almost guaranteed to crash if you do. That's why they mostly look forward, through the windshield, rather than backward, through the mirror. But, many people live their lives looking through the rear-view mirror, worrying about what happened yesterday, last week, or last year, and not looking through the windshield, at what's coming tomorrow, next week, or next year. You can't change the past; that's in your rear-view mirror. You can change the future; that's in your windshield. To be successful in anything, whether it's Scouting, school, or sports, you have to look forward, through the windshield, as you move, setting goals and working to reach them. That's why the windshield is bigger than the mirror -- you're supposed to use it more.

This came up recently at one of our committee meetings, too. It required a careful explanantion of the intent of the MB program, how they're supposed to be earned, an explanation of the 7-part Troop meeting, showing Troop Program Features, and a practical example of why MB classes at Troop meetings ultimately don't work, in order for all those present at the committee meeting to understand it. As I spend more time in Scouting, with more units, I'm sometimes reminded of that fable from India about the 7 blind men who are touching different parts of an elephant, and every one of them thinks they're dealing with a completely different object (it's a rope, it's a tree, it's a boulder, it's a fire hose, etc.). Same with us; people bring their biases to their volunteer work and somebody has to be able to see the whole creature and say "folks, this is not a tree, this is actually an elephant...". KS

Everything BW said is 100% correct regarding how decisions can and should be made within a Troop; tasks are assigned to committee members, how to determine the apportionment of fund-raising proceeds, or what is determined by the PLC on a situational or recurring basis. The point is, rather than explain these things ad nauseum to parents/community leaders, or tell them to read the Troop Committee Guidebook or the SPL Handbook, many units choose to serve their interests by collecting this information in a single place. Call it by-laws, call it a Parent's Guide, call it disco if you want to, it doesn't matter. Is it extra work for someone? Yes, but when you compare the time it takes to do that with the cost of misunderstandings, confusion, ignorance, and repeated questions for units that choose to have them, and they probably believe it's time well spent, or they wouldn't do it. Also, remember that some units are required to have by-laws in order to reserve meeting places, operate in certain places, fund raise, qualify for free or discounted bank services, etc. KS

Troops aren't chartered to committees, but to Chartered Organizations. The CO approves all adult leaders (except MB counselors). The CC as contact between the Troop and CO is a natural by-product of how adult leader applications flow for review/approval, from committee chair to COR. I've never seen local unit policies, however articulated, that limit the CC as the only registered leader in the unit who can deal with the CO. In fact, why wouldn't you want your COR to be acquainted with all the leaders in your unit? We've had other threads/posts in here with by-laws as a topic, either intended or unintended. Bob White's "anti-Bylaw". While nothing from BSA national requires them, nothing forbids them, either. Some units are required to have by-laws by COs, military bases on which they operate, etc., in order to qualify as private organizations, or to reserve the meeting place, or some other reason. I'm ambivalent about them, personally. In the units I've been associated with, the bylaws were an effort to take the items the committee thought was important for parents to know from the Boy Scout Handbook, the Scoutmaster Handbook, and the Troop Committee Guidebook, and boil it down into a single reference. Most parents will never read the books, even if you hand them to them, but are more likely to review the bylaws because it's expedient. That said, committees can and have usurped the program by writing things into bylaws that are contrary to the way the program is supposed to be delivered. Proofread carefully, with the Handbooks and Guidebooks at your side... KS

Let's put aside for a moment the debate over whether or not every departure from the normal meeting place requires a tour permit. What's really complicating this, in my mind, is the notion that the adult leaders deliver the Scouting program subject to the preferences of the committee, with the COR as a necessary evil and and autograph at recharter time. In fact, if I understand the relationship between the SM, the Committee, and the CO, it's the CO that actually "owns and operates" the troop (that's a quote from my SM Handbook). The COR is supposed to be "an active link between the Troop and the organization." To your chagrin, that's what she appears to be doing. I have no idea what other variables exist here, but it seems to me that if your COR has a problem with your program, you have a problem. Assuming she's still well-connected with your District leadership, I'd tread lightly, but try to discuss with your DE. KS

Laura; A JASM basically performs ASM duties, although he cannot serve as the second adult leader on an outing because of his age. I've checked all the references I have, including my SM Handbook, the SPL Handbook, the old Junior Leader Handbook, and the Scoutmaster's Junior Leader Training Kit. Frankly, there isn't much more in there than what you already found. If it's any consolation, the SM Handbook doesn't go into much detail on ASM duties, either -- just a paragraph that basically says to hang an ASM on the New Scout Patrol, and one on the Venture Patrol, if you have one. And, that ASMs should have specific program duties. Beyond that, it's up to the Scoutmaster. My guess is that in troops that have JASMs appointed, you'll have difficulty finding two that use them identically. My current Troop had one, but he moved to a Venture Crew... KS

I agree 100% with OGE. "Serve actively" is a subjective standard. There should be a clear understanding between the Scouts and the Scoutmaster, before Troop elections, what constitutes "serve actively". The worst thing is to say nothing, let an underperforming green bar plod along assuming he's doing okay, then lay a bombshell on him at the end of his tenure. Even in Troops that take part of the summer off, there should still be summer recruiting, annual program planning conference activities, and patrol documentation and advancement that can be done outside of troop meetings. Importantly, I'd recommend against holding this lad to a different standard than the other green bars because he may be lazy or disliked. If he did nothing, and the others didn't either, they should all be treated the same. If the troop goes dormant during the summer, you could consider "stopping the clock" during that period, and picking up again in September or whenever you start up for the year. KS

So, who out there has had actual experience requesting and getting alternative advancement requirements approved for disabled Scouts? How about alternative MB requirements? I could sure use some advice; this part of the program is a brand-new experience for me... KS

You asked how much time we should ask from the parents? The answer to that is simple: as much time as you need to deliver the program. They won't all respond, but enough will to get the job done. Being a volunteer in anything can be very frustrating. It doesn't matter what I've done, whether coaching football, teaching martial arts, music, you name it. If there are parents and children involved, their interest and reasons for participating will run on a wide continuum. Some will always be there and do whatever's needed, often without having to be asked. At the other extreme, you're not sure some of those kids even have parents, 'cuz you've never seen them. I wouldn't agonize over the ones who won't help, since it won't change anything. Just be grateful for the ones who do. It's a widely held belief that 20% of the people do 80% of the work, in any setting -- Scouting's no different. If it's any consolation, coaches, music teachers, and other youth activity volunteers complain about the same things we do -- go figure. KS

My son has a Garmin E-Trex, which is very simple to operate, cheap to operate based on battery life, and has features applicable to the type of activities you're talking about. You can get one for under $120 -- look online. In my last job, we bought Garmin four Rino 110s for site survey and vulnerability assessment work. The great thing about the Rinos is that they incorporate both a GPS and a 2-way radio in the same unit. They also have more features, a higher resolution display, and a really neat feature is that if you have a group, and they're all using Rinos, every time you transmit, your position is automatically sent to everybody else in your group. You can get a Rino 110 for about $175. If you go with just the E-Trex or similar unit, check the manufacturer's web site first. They make many models that look similar, but offer different features, such as more memory, ability to download maps from a CD-Rom, and so on. One caution: GPS units are great, but are not a substitute for being able to read a map & use a compass. They can break, get lost, batteries wear out, and something most people don't know: the U.S. Government can "dumb-down" the accuracy of un-encrypted GPS units during times of national emergency. Your accuracy could go from 3 meters to 1,000 in the blink of an eye. KS

I've just discovered Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce here in Hawaii. This stuff is fabulous, made in the USA, and comes in 28 ounce bottles with a rooster on the front. I use it on everything I used to put Tabasco or picante sauce on. It's nice and thick too, so it'll stick to the food. KS

Punctuality, rather the lack of it. Showing up on time for something is the easiest thing in the world. If you can't do that, I question whether you can do anything. I tell my kids regularly: "Early is on time, and on time is late." KS

There is a BSA pamphlet on working with Scouts with disabilities, but it's only a few pages long, tries to touch on all the major categories of disability, and devotes considerable space to the "how-to" of requesting alternative advancement requirements -- it doesn't, nor does it pretend to, turn a volunteer leader into a behavioral psychologist, RN, MD, therapist, etc. I'm getting a lot more interested in this topic than I ever was. In my last troop, the only issues like this we ever had was two lads with athsma who had to carry inhalers -- piece of cake. Now, I've got some with allergies that require medication, a handful of ADD boys, many more with athsma (but I'm familiar with that), and one autistic Scout. Frankly, it's the latter I'm most concerned about. I'm going to contact the family as the pamphlet recommends, learn as much as I can about him and what the family's goals and expectations are for him, and try to determine what practical form his advancement can take. BTW, I'll take any advice I can get. As I'm known to say at work, "All I turn down is my collar...". KS

If you read my previous post carefully, I didn't respond to 2CD's comments from a gay-bashing standpoint. I merely wanted to counter the assertion that young military members are amoral, and that our collective military value system is as well. Of course there are gays and lesbians in the military, and there are some thieves, too, and some perverts, and some wife beaters, and some child abusers. Whether one agrees with the don't-ask-don't-tell policy or not, their service will be quickly terminated if they publicly "come out", the same as others in categories deemed unfit for service will be. You can argue all day whether or not it should be that way, but that's the way it is. In the commands I've been in, leaders didn't look the other way when there was any situation that could have been prejudicial to good order and discipline, whether it was related to sex, finances, substance abuse, domestic violence, etc. Things are a lot more complicated now than they were 26 years ago when I first joined, and it makes it more difficult to maintain situational awareness on everyone, but I think they try mightily. What they aren't, and neither are BSA senior leadership, is clairvoyant. If a married leader is fooling around with his secretary, driving under the influence, shoplifting, or smoking dope, Irving will never know unless he gets caught or it becomes a public scandal. Then, they deal with it. What more can we ask? KS