KoreaScouter

First, I'd organize those boys into three New Scout Patrols, with Guides and an ASM for each if you have a deep enough bench. If they're in a single group of 18, you will have guaranteed mayhem. Each NSP should elect a PL and appoint an assistant, and rotate them monthly. No matter how "messy" it is, it'll give them an idea of what it's like to try to herd those cats, and they may be more inclined to get with the program when it's someone else's turn. KS

Excuse me for a moment while I pick my jaw up off the floor! That's amazing -- I hope someone video-taped it for posterity. I was a Cubmaster, too, and the funny thing is, I always thought Den Leader was a much more difficult job... KS

I don't know why, but the phrase "...force dryer lint into the vaseline..." strikes me as unusually funny when I imagine seeing someone doing this and not knowing why. I can only imagine what our neighbors think when they see us "in action"... KS

What's your most unusual volunteer story? Here's one from my experience that could be a prize winner... I was the Cub Pack Committee Chairman, and I had a hard time working with our Pack treasurer. I knew that he was a youth soccer coach, active in the church, and an overall high-character type, so I couldn't really understand why he wasn't coming to meetings, depositing checks, writing checks, being available, or doing any of the treasurer stuff one would expect from someone in the position. BTW, this is a single guy, no kids at all, let alone kids in the Pack. After about a month, I finally contacted him (very busy guy), and arranged to meet him at his place of work. Very pleasant fella, but he did tell me that he was incredibly busy and feared he didn't have the time to devote to the Pack Treasurer job. When I asked him why he volunteered to do it if he knew he wouldn't have the time, he gave me a strange look and said he never did volunteer. Now it's my turn to give him a strange look. He went on to explain that his predecessor at work was the Pack Treasurer, did have a boy in the Pack, and that the Pack Treasurer job was part of the "handoff" between the two of them. In other words, he was handed the checkbook, told to sign an application, and then told to have a nice day. He thought it was an additional duty that went along with his paid job. Needless to say, I apologized for how that whole thing unfolded, took the checkbook from him, and we replaced him the old fashioned way. I've seen heavy-handed methods, but the only thing that could be more extreme than this would be to physically beat someone into volunteering... KS

More firestarters: Take cotton balls, and smear them around in a jar of vaseline. Stuff the smeared (?) balls into a 35mm film can. Put the lid on the film can. When you need a firestarter, pull one out of the film can and tear it inside out, so the dry cotton in the middle is exposed. Light it, and in a few seconds, the vaseline will be the fuel, and the cotton will be the wick. It works well. KS

Love those double negatives. So, if you are Cav, then you ARE...? KS

We have a Venture patrol in our Troop, actually formed as one, with their own PL/APL, and an ASM who works exclusively with them. They're not part of a separately chartered Venture crew, just a Venture patrol in our Boy Scout Troop. What Venture resources should we get for our Venture ASM, and for the Venture patrol Scouts, to help them plan and carry out Venture activities? I've looked at the various Venture publications available at our Scout shop, and they seem to be applicable mainly to stand-alone Venture crews. Anybody out there with a Venture patrol who can give some advice? thanks in advance, KS

I agree it takes some extra work to have the appropriate levels of skill instruction, and in general, to "manage" the dynamics of a Venture patrol within a troop. However, I'm convinced there are a number of great reasons for doing it. Here's just one: many other forum members have mentioned how awkward it can be to have a 12-year old First Class patrol leader, with a 15-year old Life Scout as a patrol member. You can tell them until you're blue in the face that the authority is derived from the green bars, not the rank on the pocket. However, you can't ignore the human factors. Having the Venture-age Scouts in their own patrol mitigates that. From what I've seen, they're not going to withdraw from the troop. By definition, those Scouts are all older, higher in rank, and working toward Eagle. They will take on positions of responsibility within the Troop to meet advancement requirements. KS

With the Venture patrol. KS

I clicked on "very supportive", but I suppose that depends on your definition of "supportive". I think they are because they (a VFW post) invite us to participate with them in patriotic events and Post activities, and pay our annual recharter fee (including BL subscriptions for all our Scouts). They also turn leadership applications very quickly, in my opinion. KS

Why aren't the high schoolers in a Venture patrol? KS

Absolutely right! I didn't mean to imply by my use of male pronouns that only fellas are involved... KS

Pardon me, didn't know you had to be one of the first ten posters on a thread in order to opine. Whether you continue to engage or not is entirely up to you. Where I was yesterday, or what I was doing, is not relevant to the discussion. Here's a free lesson for you, take it or leave it: if you lay your life (or some part of it) out for public scrutiny, consumption, and comment, you are giving your implied consent for the people you lay it out to, to comment on it -- and as you've found out, they may not agree with you. Grow a thicker skin, and move on...it's not worth getting worked up over. KS

I said this in another, previous string, same subject... Find local families of mobilized/deployed Guard & Reserve members from your communities. Offer to mow their grass, take out their trash, walk their dogs, change their oil, whatever chores they need done that their husband/father/son would do if he were home. These families can be somewhat invisible, since they're not in the active-duty family support net, and will really appreciate what you can do for them. Speaking only for myself, I think that would make a bigger difference than trying to get a box of cookies mailed overseas, especially as difficult as that's become. My opinion... KS

CH: You just gave up the moral high ground...tactical mistake... KS

Ultimately, we're all prisoners of our own experiences. Our outlooks are framed by what we see around us. Chucklehead is obviously satisfied with the program his unit provides, or he'd vote with his feet. But, as they say, "...You don't know what you don't know...". And, a corollary to that, "...You can't appreciate what you haven't experienced...". Case in point: when I was a Scout, our troop cabin camped exclusively, with the entire troop in large, rustic, log cabins at a wonderful Scout reservation nearby....stone hearth fireplaces, bunk beds, full kitchens, wraparound porches, etc., etc. I never tent-camped as a youth, didn't have that experience, and never knew what I missed until my son became a Scout. Our troop tent-camps...entirely different human dynamics and opportunities; better, too, looking back on my experience then compared with his now. But, at the time, I would have done exactly what Chucklehead's doing now -- defended our practice from a "ain't broke, don't fix it" standpoint, it being familiar and comfortable to me. Could any given unit offer a better program, or a more compliant one, than it does today? Sure. Could Chucklehead's? Sure. But, inertia is a very difficult thing to overcome, and there's decades of it in place here. All the reasoned arguments and B-P quotes are not going to overcome that inertia. I've got the aims & methods printed on the back of my SM business card (seriously), and believe in every one of them. But, in the final analysis, what's most important here? Whether or not the patrols in Chucklehead's troop qualify as National Honor Patrols, or if the Scouts who've graduated from the Troop and are now sprinkled throughout the community are adults of high character? If it's the latter, we can stipulate they're not following the book and tell the National Scouting Museum to stop working on the bust of Chucklehead's SM for display in the lobby. If it's the former, then we'd better alert the National Council Unit Commissioner Strike Team to pack their bags, kiss their wives, and deploy in there to effect a regime change on that troop... KS

Hops_Scout: Help! I need a translation into English, please! KS

Boy Scout Troop, without hesitation. He's too old to be a Cub Scout, as far as he's concerned, and as far as the other Cubs are concerned. Moreover, the association with the older Scouts and the other adult leaders in the Troop could enhance his personal growth (one of our methods, after all...). KS

Okay, we did our "new" Troop JLT last Saturday. Basically, I ripped a powerpoint slide format from the NLE CD-ROM, and built the JLT slides on it. The lessons basically followed the chapters in the SPL Handbook and PL Handbook. They don't overlap 100%, but they're close enough that the SPL/ASPL and the PLs/APLs were "relevant" the whole way through. The slides' notes referred the Scouts to the applicable pages in their handbooks so they could follow along. BTW, we invite the assistants, too. And, the troop springs for SPL/PL handbooks, personal copies, for all attendees. For end of lesson activities, I tried to keep it practical. I did use a few of them from the old TJLT book, such as the "trust fall". I also used the progressive ball toss-in (don't know if that's the actual name) exercise they did to us at WB, to drive a reflection afterward. Other activities: I paired them off to inspect each others' uniforms using the BSA uniform inspection checklist; they got together in small groups to fill in the contact information in their SPL/PL handbooks; they split into PL/APL teams to assemble our new dining fly canopies; they prepared sample campout duty rosters. I used video clips, too: Remember the Titans, Lean on Me, Bridge on the River Kwai. Would have used more, but don't have access to many of the movies other posters mentioned. The video clip integration was a little rough; I was going back and forth between the powerpoint and the dvd player on the computer. If I'm going to do a lot of this in the future, I'd like to burn the video clips from the dvds right into the appropriate slides. I guess you need a dvd burner for that, and that's a ways off for me. Pizza for lunch, and three gallons of bug juice. All in all, I think it went well, and in our reflection afterward, the Scouts who have been through both thought this one was more practical and got them into their handbooks, the lunch was better, they didn't miss "my friend the potato", some of the lessons could have been shorter (agreed), with more opportunities to get up and stretch (agreed here, too). I guess we'll see over the next several months how well it sunk in... KS

I think we're all tired of seeing the same skits over and over again. When we tell the Scouts to come up with new ones, they can compose new ones themselves, or take a path of less resistance and "lift" them from movies and TV shows, including the scatalogical references, body counts, and other subject matter that remind us that kids lose their innocence at a younger age these days. I think the key to avoiding unpleasant surprises is to preview them, like you're supposed to do when planning a campfire. If it's a pack meeting, the den leaders can bounce them off the assistant CM for "propriety". In my experience, you can't count on a lot of the parents; I have 11-year old Scouts who have seen every R-rated movie out there, with their parents' permission...hello? There are obviously some skits that are squeaky clean, some that are clearly over the line, and some that are in a "grey area". We had one at a District summer camp in which a first year Scout from another troop saved a latex glove from serving dinner, inflated it, held it against his stomach, and solemnly proclaimed he was "Udder-man", the only superhero who was also a cow...he went on for a minute or so, ad-libbing a routine about how he was ready to save the world, and so on, and so on. His delivery, gestures, and timing were incredible -- the lad was a natural and had us all in stitches. When I got done wiping my eyes, I saw that our DE was hopping mad...you guessed it: highly inappropriate. I guess the point is, anything you do can offend someone. You know, with all the fuss over Indian-related sports team names, it's only a matter of time before the American Indian Movement goes after OA for the ceremonies and costumes... With St. Patty's day upon us, I wonder why the Irish haven't complained about Notre Dame's nickname, the Fighting Irish, and that cartoonish little mascot guy who looks like he's always ready to get sideways with you? You hope it's because it's harmless and not worth getting worked up over, right? KS

When I was a kid in Minnesota, I'm convinced the only thing that consistently saved me from hypothermia was the heavy corduroy pants my mom insisted I wear between October and April. KS

I don't specifically, but I can tell you that there were two BSN Scouters in my Wood Badge class in Okinawa last year, and if these guys are any indication, your two Eagles are going to have a wonderful time. Suggest you go to the Far East Council web page, and then link to Japan District (unless they're going to Okinawa, then link to the Okinawa District), and contact the DE... KS

Roger that, although in my case, I think my wife would strongly disagree... KS

I don't even know if Bolivia has an army, let alone an Armadillo Regiment! It was just an arcane, ridiculous fringe example to try to prove a point. Without knowing your DE, I'll still bet he knows the regs, but is unwilling to engage. I think whether or not you should object to a fashion issue in another troop depends on your position in the movement. If you're a district-level commissioner of some sort, I think you have an inherent responsibility to do so, up to a point, anyway. If, like me, you're a unit-level Scouter, I wouldn't opine unless polled or if the subject comes up at a roundtable or some other leadership forum. They probably already know it's a questionable practice at best; you reminding them is not going to change their world-view. It's ironic. If my military experience has taught me anything over 26 years, it's that this whole thing is not a buffet line, it's a blue plate special -- you don't pick what goes on your tray, you get handed a plate...and it has vegetables on it. Wanna be a leader? You gotta be a follower too, unless you're the Commander-in-Chief. Some of us in Scouting seem to want the camping, hiking, ceremonies, what have you, but want to spit up the bureaucracy, the uniform rules, and other things we don't like about it or disagree with. In other words, we wanna be leaders, but some of us don't wanna be followers, too. Case in point, our troop hats. The Scouts designed them, so they're "cool", with very curved bills, low silhouette so they ride your scalp, and no plastic tab adjustment thing in the back. I think it makes me look like a 46-year old guy trying act 30 years younger, but I wear it because it's their troop, and it's their troop hat. Now, if I could find a 7 3/4 campaign hat for less than the cost of a 2nd mortgage, I'd jump all over that, but that's another matter. KS

online catalog ordering. KS