Mike_Fossler

"As I stated in the other thread , Are you in this for the youth or in it for personal gain, prestige, or a deep desire to somehow be personally recognized for doing the job we all signed up to do? Motivation or our personal motives makes us the leaders we are. It is not about fruit salad on our uniforms its about the boys." I guess my question is -Why does it have to be either/or? Isn't it possible that there are leaders who are committed to the boys and are proud that they earned a leader knot? Jeez, guys loosen up! No one has mentioned another reason for the knots - a souvenir of your (all too brief) days as a leader. One day your little Tiger cub is suddenly in Boy Scouts, and your role as a Den leader has ended. I want the knots as a reminder of the fun I had with each of my boys, leading their dens.

I don't really have too much to add,butI would give some serious thought to your unit and how you can improve it. I think one of the reasons I had a relatively easy time writing my ticket (only 3 versions, the 3rd was accepted) was that I thought long and hard about what I wanted to accomplish in the Pack. This will really help you. Go with a cheerful attiude, don't get sucked into any grumbling by sore-heads (there's always a few) and work hard. It is a very worthwhile program; I can honestly say it was hard work, but now that it's finished, it was really worth it. I'm really looking forward to receiving my beads. "I used to a bobwhite..." Mike

I'd be interested in hearing from all of you about whether it's appropriate to have a beading ceremony at a Pack Meeting. On one hand, I think it might take away from the kids, on the other, it may inspire other leaders and show the scouts that the leaders work hard to provide a good program for them. I'm faced with this now, since my ticket was approved and I need to pick a time to have my ceremony. Thanks for your responses. "I used to be a Bobwhite..." Mike

I'd be interested in hearing from all of you about whether it's appropriate to have a beading ceremony at a Pack Meeting. On one hand, I think it might take away from the kids, on the other, it may inspire other leaders and show the scouts that the leaders work hard to provide a good program for them. I'm faced with this now, since my ticket was approved and I need to pick a time to have my ceremony. Thanks for your responses. "I used to be a Bobwhite..." Mike

There is a clear correlation between training and the strength of the leader. In our pack, we just lost a leader to crossover - he was "too busy" to go to training and was the worst leader by far. Our other leaders with less experience retain boys, they advance and have fun - they are not too busy to be trained. One of the things I did this year for the Pack was to actually bring the training to the Pack; I dod some training for the District, so it was easy enough for me to bring it to everyone. As a result, we only have one leader (out of 7) that is not fully trained (and he's active-duty military, so I give him a pass). Reasons why people don't get trained? 1-laziness 2) "I give enough to Scouting" 3) ignorance - don't know when /where/what training is M

I just got notification today that my ticket was accepted - beading will be sometime in May. Woo-Hoo!! I think for me, the best part of the course was the ticket. I know it's the part everyone dreads, but it's actually a chance to put into practice all the stuff you've learned. Someone said that the leadership stuff was "old hat" - maybe, I've had similar training before too; the problem is with the other training at work after the course is done you take your binder and sit iton the shelf. With WB, you USE IT. The camping, etc was fun of course, and so was meeting so many great people along the way. I'm glad I did it; it was hard work, but I learned a whole lot. Mike "I used to be a Bob White, a good old Bob white, too..." NE-156 2004

Hi everyone; I took WB last May/June after 2 years as a Den Leader. While there were things I would do differently (e.g., the patrol method is useful, but it can be carried too far), I've found that the course has been useful. Through my ticket, I think I'm really contributing to the improvement of our Pack, and these skills can certainly be carried over when/if I become a Boy Scout leader. I think of WB the way I think of a Ph.D. I actually do have a doctorate, and for those that don't know, there are two basic parts to a Ph.D: there are the courses, where you sit and take notes and memorize facts, and the dissertation, in which you apply those facts and demonstrate in a concrete way, that you are capable of contributing to science. WB is the same way, the REAL learning is in the completion of the ticket, and I think it is the real strength of the program. If you've got the time and inclination, you should take it.

As part of my Wood Badge ticket, I am supposed to become Pack Trainer; the idea being that if new leaders are trained earlier, then our retention rate will improve. Well, our district doesn't offer such training (according to the schedule) and even if it did, it would come too late to make any impact. I am checking around other districts in our council, but in the meantime, has anyone taken this training? I am surprised at the number of blank look I get when I ask about this training. Thanks, Mike

Hi When I started my first Tiger den, I got an adult Tiger hat, so no problem. However, the Wolf and Bear hats do not come in adult sizes, and I have a big head, so I just wear the BSA baseball hat. Most of the Cub Scouters I know do the same. But the hat I LIKE to wear is the Expedition hat (some of you call this the Indiana Jones hat). I LOVE this hat - in fact it is the only hat I've ever owned in my 40+ years that I think I look good in. It is durable and comfortable, and when you don'r want to wear it you can just hang on your back with the cord. Regarding whether it is an official uniform hat, I believe it is not, as it says in the catalog that it is an approved activity hat. However, I wore it all through my Wood badge training and wasn't yelled at. YIS, Mike

Hi everyone; First, thanks for replying. It's good to see that the consensus among everyone regarding Cub Scouts having a pocket knife (after WC training) appears to mirror my feelings, which is some can handle it and some may not. In my own experience, I allow both of my sons (age 8 and 5) to "whittle" at home (in a non-Cub Scout environment)if I am closely supervising them, which is to say that I'm standing/sitting near them and am paying attention to what they're doing. Neither of them have hurt themselves. Given what I've seen them do at home, I have no doubt that my older boy (Bear) will do fine with a knife. Mike

In the Bear den where I am coleader, we are currently working on the Whittling Chip. One of the moms in the den asked me about what age is appropriate for kids to handle pocketknives. I'm not really happy with the answer I gave her, so I'd thought I'd present it to the group. I guess the BSA position is that boys that are 8-9 years old can handle a pocketknife once they have taken the training. What has been your experience? Are boys this age able to handle the responsibility? Thanks, Mike

There's a lot of whining in this thread about the high price of uniforms. They are expensive, but think about this: 1) First, you buy the shirt big - it works fine-my older son is on his third year with the same blue shirt. If it gets too small then , I'll gen him a tan shirt (he'll be in Webelos next year) Two shirts in 4 years? What's the problem? 2) I'm not affiliated with National, but it seems to me that the price of the uniforms is most likely dictated by the fact that they're made in the USA by union workers who make as much per hour as teachers. BSA could have them made in Bangadesh for about 1/4 the price, and you all would have a whole new issue to complain about... 3) Bought a video game for your boy lately? What did it set you back, $30-40? Are you a smoker? If so how much do you spend on cigarettes a month? My point is that we typically buy things that are a lot more expensive and a lot less beneficial for our kids (and ourselves),and don't complain about the price. 4) Finally, I am personally thrilled with the idea that the uniform is integrated with the rest of the Pack. The younger guys like the blue uniform and want to wear it - I've had more than one Tiger express his disappointment that he had to wear the T-shirt. "A Scout is ... cheerful"

Does anyone have any info on the new Tiger uniform? Is there going to be a Tiger neckercheif, etc? There's nothing on the National site, and as I'm starting a Tiger Den this summer, I'd like to know. Thanks, M

Hi Scouters; Is there a "generic" permission form for parents of Cub Scouts to sign for a weekend camping trip? The parents will be attending as well, of course, but I'd like to have a permission form anyway. Many thanks, M

I've never understood why there is this tendency to stop scouts for the summer. Summer is the time to do outdoor activities! I Baseball games, hikes, bike rides, fishing, all can be done during the summer, and the kids will love it. Plus , remember that parent pay for a full year of scouting. If you don't have a summer program, they deserve a refund. Mike