LeCastor

I have been an instructor for IOLS several times and I know that our council tends to emphasize splitting the "learners" into as many patrols as they can. Each patrol sticks together all weekend, cooking and camping. When I was the learner I know it was a lot of fun and I left feeling fired up about Scouting. Earlier this year was I was asked to be the "Course Director" for Scoutmaster-Specific Training and it is SO dry. PowerPoint slides and lots of sitting around on your duffs. While I did stick to the format suggested by the council, I tried to inject as much PM as possible. I always recommend extra reading materials (GBB, duh). Not trying to toot my own horn here but I feel like the learners appreciate the extra effort I make in these training sessions---IOLS, SM, or Wood Badge.

I often remind the 10,000 adults who come to our Troop meetings that it looks like utter chaos to them but that the Scouts are doing their own thing. Last week when I looked around there were boys all over the place doing whatever it was they had planned to do. When I asked the PL if he thought things were going well he said, "yes", and when I asked him if he and the other were having fun he said, "uh huh". Alex, read Stosh's book suggestion, Along the Mohawk Trail: http://books.google.com/books?id=DvUWAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=along+the+mohawrk+trail&hl=en&sa=X&ei=3ZBTVLiJLIWRyASW0oHYDA&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=along%20the%20mohawrk%20trail&f=false

When I first learned that there might be some changes coming along for Wood Badge, it was mentioned that so many of the same concepts are taught in NYLT. So those youth who participated in NYLT, whether as a "learner" or as staff, aren't interested in taking Wood Badge. Sentinel's correct. Not that many Scouter's participate in Wood Badge when you look at the bigger picture.

Hey, CNY! Yeah, I totally get that and I've always made a point to ask the PLs the following questions: "Ok, so what do you want to accomplish this weekend? What are you going to do on this trip?: Green Bar Bill used to say that a hike wasn't a hike if there wasn't a purpose to it. Same goes for camping. As for "Magic: the Gathering" I've found my Scouts are really into a game called "Munchkin" which I think might be similar.

KDD, you've been listening to too much Joy Division and Cure... I guess I don't totally understand the OP, skeptic. Are you saying that the AHG Troop lost its charter and is now rechartering itself as a GS Troop? Why not seek another chartering org for that would welcome an AHG Troop?

All too often we get caught up in the habit of checking boxes on a list when it comes to Scouting. Advancing to the next rank is part of Scouting, yes, but it's not the whole package. Scouting is a way of life; it's the way we conduct ourselves each day, keeping fit, helping others, staying true to the Scout Law. Next time when you ask yourself if you "need" to do something for a requirement, take a step back and ask yourself if you can help someone else advance. You might be surprised what happens next...

When I was a "green" Scoutmaster I tried something similar to the approach you are suggesting, Alex. When I noticed the Troop I was coming into didn't have a grasp of the patrol and all skill instruction was led by one or two ASMs, I asked the SPL if I could show him how to plan a monthly theme and integrate that theme into four weeks of Troop meetings. He said it was okay and off I went. For the month of November, I told the Troop we would be concentrating on the cooking theme. Over the course of the month, I put out a Dutch oven and the ingredients for a peach cobbler. I gave the directions to the SPL and left the scene. Forty minutes later I asked if I could have some cobbler and the Scouts served me up a bowl. The following week an ASM showed the Scouts how to make a hands-on meal in the church's kitchen. They loved it. Next, another ASM showed the Scouts how to make buddy burners and they loved it. Finally, in the week I told them they had the idea and, rather than do cooking again, I gave them a list of all the themes in the Troop Program Features Vols I-III and had each Scout highlight the ones that spoke to them the most. Once they were finished I collected the sheets and gave them to the SPL, who promptly left them on the table and went home...He also absconded with my Troop Program Features binder and never brought it back. The idea of a monthly theme didn't really resonate with the Scouts as had hoped it would. So what? However, they did see how a skill instruction could work. Score! Did it help them in the long run? Absolutely. Did it work out as smoothly as I had shown them from then on out? No. Sometimes a Troop meeting looks like total chaos and sometimes it looks like a well-oiled machine...but it's really up to the Scouts to make it all happen in a way that makes them happy. As a Troop Committee, I would suggest empowering your Scoutmaster to guide the SPL and PLs to their end goal, as Eagledad hinted at with his "vision". Ideally, the Scoutmaster would sit down with the SPL and plan a time to implement the Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops (ILST). Personally, though, I find that course too indoors-and-classroom-centric,so I am in the process of coming up with a hybrid of ILST and Green Bar Bill's Patrol Leader training that I quoted earlier. Start with the Scouts as leaders and off they'll go.

Hey, CNY! Well, I have witnessed this scenario too many times myself. My typical reaction is to use it as a 'teachable moment" and spark a discussion on planning menus with portion control in mind. The two younger Scouts I took to the camporee a few weeks back bought WAY TOO MUCH food and ended up wasting a goodly portion of it. When we got back to the church on Sunday afternoon, they all bailed and that stuff ended up...in my car...and then in my refrigerator. The next day at the Troop meeting I sat down with the PL and we discussed this very idea of planning to bring only what you need. "Did you really need four pounds of ground beef for one meal with only two Scouts eating?" Rather than just let it go I'd suggest asking some open-ended questions and having the Scouts realize they must take responsibility for their actions...Waste no food!

Well, maybe I'll suggest they do that! Take it home, ya'll. Use the training we're giving you to make the experience better for your Troop's patrols. What a novel idea!

Thanks, T. Since I will be the SPL at the next Wood Badge course in our council, I want to make sure that the Troop Guides and I make absolutely clear that we are all "youth". There's really no reason the Patrol System/Method can't be reinforced with a few gentle nudges here and there with the present curriculum.

Recently we've been debating themes and comparing the BSA to GSUSA in an attempt to decide if Scouting is still relevant. Personally, I definitely think it is; however, it seems that certain aspects of what I knew as Scouting just shy of 30 years ago is perhaps not as relevant today. Several weeks ago a friend sent me this article from the Oxford American: http://www.oxfordamerican.org/articles/2014/jun/11/issue-85-scouts-honor/ It's a very interesting read and, while it's lengthy, I recommend that you power though to the end. The language isn't always exactly, ahem, clean and reverent. However, it makes you think and perhaps re-evaluate your thoughts on Scouting today. It's definitely BSA-centric--only briefly mentioning GSUSA and Trail Life USA. We've bantered back-and-forth about STEM and whether or not to integrate it into our program. We've debated membership policies and how that affects our program. We've lamented the fact that some newer Scouts don't like to camp like we did back in the good ol' days. Fact is, this isn't really a new discussion. Things are always changing around us but it seems lately that things are changing at a much more rapid pace...

Has anyone read Jim Boeger's books, The Scoutmaster and The Scoutmaster II? http://www.camplowdenalumni.org/spotlight/boeger/books.jpg They both seem to be out of print but have a cult following.

Hey, Eagle! Sounds like a good recruiting tactic to me. Perhaps they'll be inclined to join one of the Crews. Why don't you think they'd join?

Wow, as Scoutmaster, I have been invited to sit silently during the BoR to lend moral support to the Eagle candidate. As far as I remember there wasn't any formal introduction. Is that a regional thing? Is it customary?

I love you guys! You've made this Beaver smile.

I, too, have enjoyed reading this thread. As a Southern boy who has now adopted the Upper Midwest as his home, I have had to learn a lot--quickly--about how to make it in the bitter cold winters. About two years ago I suggested that our Patrols consider a winter camping trip and they thought about it at first. I made the reservations for our local Council camp but when it came time to go they insisted we stay in a cabin. Since then I've made a point to sleep in my tent outside even when it gets down to the 20s. And you know what? It worked. Since then some of the adults have chosen to sleep in cabins but more and more of the Scouts ventured out in tents and enjoyed it. It's all about preparation and knowing what has worked for others. Threads like this one are really good and helpful! My early memories of cold-weather camping are of North Georgia where it can get pretty cold in the winter. But it's all relative to your location and what you're used to. Those Scouts and Scouters in Florida don't know the same cold I do up here, but it's still cold to them and a lot of these tips can be useful. Just an aside, I was super upset earlier this year when Northern folks were making fun of drivers in Atlanta and other Southern states for not knowing how to drive in the snow and ice. When you ain't used to it you don't know how to do it! So thanks to everyone here for the great advice and being Scout-like in response to Newscouter's OP.

duplicate post, sorry!

Ah! Ok, thanks DC. Sorry, Seattle, I guess my knowledge of "archaic literary" adverbs is sub-par. Now that that's settled I can comment on the thread. When I was tapped out in 1993, I was totally swept up by the entire allure of the Order of the Arrow and all that it stood for. Since coming back to Scouting four years ago, I try to go to all of my current Lodge's ordeals, fellowships, etc. It's clear to me that those who were chosen by their peers 20-30 years ago are of a different mindset than those young whipper snappers who I see go through the ordeal today. That's probably just ME projecting my own version of "back in my day" yadda, yadda, yadda. Whether this is because of Native American mythology or not is beyond me. My view of the OA is more about service and brotherhood than about NA traditions and ceremonies teams. That "stuff" is great and I don't see any legitimate reason to cut it out of the OA today. However, that being said, I do see where some Arrowmen could get wrapped up in the dancing, ceremonies, and regalia while neglecting their #1 priority--their home units. In that regard, Seattle does have a good point. BUT I think Seattle could do no harm by reminding Arrowmen of the founding principles of the Order of Arrow in a subtle way. No need to knock the NA traditions or those of this particular Lodge. Just a gentle nudge towards more "WWW" and less numbers-for-numbers-sake, sashes, and "button blankets."

Couple things: 1. I still don't understand what "Whither Order of the Arrow?" means. 2. Perhaps we should move this thread to the Order of the Arrow section.

I think Koolaidman is "2 Legit, 2 Legit to Quit" Hey, hey! Throw back Tuesday, ya'll!

Tough nuts, indeed! We have a 30-year veteran Ski Patroller in our Troop and he is excellent with the disaster simulations. I think we could run with this idea! Ain't da forum great?!

Good point, KDD! I bought volumes 1, 2, and 3 of the Troop Program Features and put them into a giant binder. It give you several months worth of meetings pre-planned but, to a certain extent, these are still not boy-planned meetings. It's a great way to give the PLs guidance, though! (BTW, I lent that giant binder to a PL two years ago and he never gave it back; now he's off to college four hours away.)