moosetracker

So I googled.. Says what I said. Homeschoolers get their socialization by getting out and being active in ther communities.. I am not against home schooling when they do things with there kids to find ways to get them out into their communities.. I know many children who have been home schooled very well, had one that was part of an after school program called "Odyssey of the mind" in order to get them out socialing with others in school.. I have friends and neighbors who have their children going to Art programs, Karate, softball, they were excited when I suggested cub scouts in our town for their kids.. They are looking for activities to get their children out socializing.. Being a Lone Scout, does not do that, being involved in a BS troop does do that. You need to find things to get them socializing with other adults of all ages, and other kids in order to give home schoolers great opportunities to socialize.. Even your googled artical points that out.. It does not say, home schoolers do just find only working with their parents on everything until their 18th birthday.

I would check boys registration, but if boys leave your troop and do not do the paperwork to join a new troop, then they stay registered to their old troop until the next re-charter date, when they are pulled off the roster.. No one can unregister a scout mid-charter period, unless he does something so bad the council throws him out of scouts.. Your scout has paid a full year registration fee, they don't give refunds, so can not unregister them.. Lone Scouts have to meet criteria.. You need to either be home schooled (that's the one most of us disagree with as these kids should be finding ways outside of school to socialize with kids their own age.), or traveling so much you would be pulling in & out of troops 3 or more times a year, or living in a very rural area with no local troop, where you would have to travel a long distance be part of a troop.

SP !!!! Shame on you.. Promoting paper scouts and conning the system !.. How very non-Scoutlike.. Some Councils do the same, but that is their shame.. I have never seen any of us advising that other scouters follow that path.. We are suppose to be the good guys, and be excellent role models for the youth that we serve.. Just make sure that the boys are registered Boy Scouts, even if your troop is not a valid troop. They do need to be registered scouts to go to summer camp, and earn any advancements.. If the were registered with the old troop, before they left it, and you haven't gone through a rechartering since then, they should still be registered with them until recharter time.

I can respect that. My son went to about 4 surrounding council camps through provisional camping. One week with his troop, which was in a rut of going to the council camp, one week going to different camps, meeting different people, and enjoying different programs.. We never met a camp without a provisional group.. My son met some boys who parents were sending their boys away to camp for a month through provisional camps.. Not something I would recommend.. Sort of hit me of parents "ditching" the kids, and boys should do some of their merit badges the normal way and not all through camp programs or merit badge workshops.. There is alot missing in them even if done well.. Or at least there is some different forms of skills learned by doing Merit badges the old fashioned way, that are just not skills you can learn when done in a group program of the merit badge.

Agreed.. That's why I said "Now-a-days", rather then "In the future".. That is also why schools can no longer host boy scout programs, until someday the rule is changed to it allowing the CO to make their own decisions as to who their scouts & scout leaders can be.. They can not descriminate, and still teach equal rights and equal treatment.

Is the count of 5 in order to get the SM & ASM to camp with no charge, or are the adults paying to go to camp also.. If the 5 pay into the adults food at least, I can see a consern of the camps.. A few suggestions.. 1) see if you can offer to pay food cost for the adults, or help for the week on camp staff to pay their way.. 2) look into a camp outside the council. they may have different rules, and it is great for a small troop to not get bound to one camp every year.. 3) Most camps have provisional camping. The scouts go as individuals, they camp with other individual scouts from other troops, who make up a patrol for the week.. Again if your camp doesn't offer provisional outside neighboring councils probably will.. Also offer for the SM & ASM to help with provisional camp for the week.. Means they need to oversee ALL the boys in the provisional camp, not just there two.. But sometimes camps welcome this. Seems odd so many adult leaders in your troop and only 2 scouts.. You have more leaders then parents for the 2 boys! The 2 scouts may be an issue when recharter comes around, those also require a certain number of boys.. Besides, you really can not get even a single patrol out of 2 scouts, and your program will suffer for it. Especially with all those well intentioned adults smothering them... Hope you have some great recruitment ideas. I hope you really did have issues, and it was not just that you were new parents who did not take time to understand the program.. You aren't in cub scouts any more, and things are way different in boy scouts.. It's like throw everything you learned in cub scouts out the window.(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

And I just can't see 5-10 middle-aged Scouters singing a tune about furry little critters helps. Do you get this at the beading?? Really!!!.. I have only seen 3 or 4 that are not done at the WB dinner where 3/4 of those taking WB get beaded so there are like 25 to 30 all getting beading at one time. While I agree that when it is a single person beading, it can get long winded.. Never has anyone sung the song!.. Even at the Dinner, with lots of people being beaded, the song is not part of the ceremony.. At the dinner it will be sung to mark the end of the entire dinner.. I know that when on staff and the staff is the only one singing it (after a staff meeting) some critters get skipped over, or many sing solo.. At a COH, you would get even more "holes" in the song due to missing critters.. How sad that would sound.. (a solo "I use to be a beaver".. Anyone out there a bobwhite?.. No bobwhite, lets skip it.. On to Eagle no Eagle, lets skip it.. Anyone out there a Fox?.. Ah one Fox come on up here...)... Well anyway, the song could be very pitiful done at a single person beading depending on the venue he has selected to be beaded in.

Yeah, I don't think anyone is against what RichardB is saying, so much as saying "It doesn't work that way here.".. Different camps do things differently, perhaps just because THEY do it differently, perhaps because state laws do it differently.. Everyone's doctors do things differently.. RichardB. has a very nice Dr. and a camp that follows the BSA rules, perhaps because BSA rules were written in the same state RichardB. lives in so the BSA rules work hand in hand with the state laws.. Perhaps because the camp is so close to National, they have many National employees taking their kids to the camp, and they can correct (with authority) the camp directors and the camp nurse who wish to do things "their way".. But, then with his Dr. seems like RichardB. just lucked out in that department.. So.. we don't begrudge RB his luck.. Wish we had it.. But people are just stating it don't work that way all over the country..(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

I thought the spammer would be the last note on this thread. acco40 - You also forgot that Scouting teaches you to appreciate diversity. To treat everyone with respect. Now BSA may be thinking handicapped, nerds, those not in your economic class, religion etc.. But, kids will include other things.. Now-a-days more then in the past as our schools are now teaching use to respect diversity and they will add to it, homosexuals. Any way, it is another liberal teaching of BSA, that will this policy comes around to nip them in the butt.

ECOH's are whatever you make them, some think they are worth pomp and circumstance.. Others think it is a rank.. Some make it like a wedding receptions, others get it handed to them with a clap on the back and a handshake.. If they are deathbed Eagles, probably more important will be their HS graduation. This something where the Thread we had on "You are nobody special" can fit in.. Why do we need to spoil our kids with making them think the earth revolves around them.. Especially if the son is thrilled to share his day with his fathers acheivements.. If he is, I would say let's be happy this boy has learned how important it is to care about those around him, rather then himself.. Good for him. Now, the father caring about the son, and wanting to celebrate in his accomplishments should agree that the WB tickets although they can be as complex as an Eagle project, it is the lesser of the accomplishments as it does not have the years working through the other ranks (skill, PORs, merit badges) to finally get to that final rank where you do the Eagle project as well as some more PORs & merit badges..

dg98adams - is one respected theroy. The other is to train the patrol leader, since the patrols if strong and self standing, need very little help from an SPL or ASPL.. In some troops they don't even see the need for an SPL unless you have 4 or more patrols.. I have to admit our was more with placing emphisis on the SPL.. But, after reading on these boards, I think the strong patrol might have been the better way to go.(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

Huh??.. Is driving down a road a right or a priviledge?.. If a priviledge then why tax us for the upkeep of the roads?? Is being able to smoke a right or a priviledge?.. Well why tax smokers? Is going to war a right or a priviledge??... Ummm.. Is it either???.. Well why the hell tax us for it??? How much are you being taxed for the right of free speech? How much are you being taxed for the right to vote? How much are you being taxed for equal rights in various things? How much are you being taxed for the

Oh absolutely M2C!.. Volunteers are not perfect.. And sometimes they divvie up the jobs in ways you wouldn't think of, don't know who the person in charge of the Lodge is for you, but it may have been the wrong person for you to hand it to.. Or, if it was the right person, you could of handed it to him when he was wearing a different hat then Med Form collector, and so not having his med form packet, he threw it into his "what-ever-he-was-working-on" packet, with thoughts to move it later and never does.. I think I myself made 3 or 4 copies.. Sometimes you also have non-scouting events that will take any type of med form as long as it has a Dr signature, this has been helpful on those occasions also..

A convicted sex offender would show up on the criminal background check.. If something shows up on a criminal background check, then BSA has a right to say no to anyone with a criminal background.. For example, I have a friend who after 20 years just got a felony taken off his record, his offense was as a teenager he was wild on a motorcycle.. Even before the record was erased, he probably would have been ok as a SM, but I would understand the council rejecting him for his felony. Doing a full investigation on someone with a felony take a lot of time, money and manpower.. And if it was small enough and they stayed clean for x amount of years.. The felony in time can be erased.. Being a homosexual, nor being an atheist will not show up on a criminal background check.. Nor will having had a sex scandal (town knows you had an affair with the preachers wife type of thing).. Nor will being a stripper, unless you get into a few side businesses I dont think we are disagreeing.. I think, you mistook sex scandal for convicted sex offender. The two things are totally different.

Then on that policy issue we are in violent agreement. I think the same should apply for policy on atheism - CO's call. I agree.. Both should be the CO's call, same as if they want to make a stripper an adult leader, or a person who has a past known sex scandel.. All the CO's call, and if they feel is fine the way they are, or have reformed from something in the past.. Never saw .. Violent.. and .. agreement .. used together, I was seeing "violent disagreement", as that is normally the two words paired together. But, then was thrown by the next sentence which said we were in agreement.. I had to read the first sentence over a few times..

Yeah, as I said, mine will pay for routine.. We did better with the routine though, when we thought our insurance would pay for the fix if needed.. Now, it is more, what we don't know, won't cost us. So routine, is not so good either.

All our immunizations came on the yearly physical.. Dr. looked over what needed updating, shot was given.. See you in 2 years.. (remember my son was before the yearly requirement..) I had good insurance then.. Wish I had a hefty co-pay for non-routine things.. My health insurance is now something where routine is covered, and anything that is not routine, I pay the full price until I have spent at least 2,500 of my own money, then health insurance kicks in to help with stuff after that amount.. Therefore, it needs to be emergency surgery to get us to a Doctor.. Routine, or non-routine.. Don't need Routine check-up to figure out things we need to do that are not going to be routine.

But that doesn't change my position that the org that charters the troop should decide this issue for its own troop. We both agree on that statement. As does everyone I have ever heard from who is for the change.. No one has voiced the opinion that a CO like LDS or a Catholic church should be forced to accept homosexuals.. Just that a CO like a public school should be allowed to accept them.

Most pedophiles are not attracted to adult male or females, if they are both, then many are heterosexual (even if they are attracted to boys rather then girls..) Take the one most in the news now Jerry Sandusky.. half the homosexuals are lesbians, do you feel they are most apt to rape our male youth?.. Is that why Jennifer Tyrrell was ousted, the fear because she is attracted to other females it makes her more likely to rape our young boys, then a heterosexual male would?

Doesn't hurt to have some Venturing stuff.. Even WB does the Venturing stuff (although everyone has to read the oath & law as they are impossible to memorize.).. It is just, as you say, the old names are familure, and everyone naturally gravitates to them.. The new names are in any program, so very easily forgetable. We have software my company buys, then they change ownerships and names, does not matter to me, they forever remain the original software names.. Don't care if they change hand 2, 3 or 4 times.. With people you know, if you know someone when they were young and called him Bobby, you don't change to calling him Robert when he gets older and changes it for new aquantences for a more professional sound.. Old friends call him Bobby, new friends call him Robert. With the troop leader training, I now call it JLT, TLT or whatever they now call it.. Because people know it under different names, and I just never can remember the new acronym..

With a healthy kid (or adult), the routine physical may be the only time they do see a doctor.. Now with health Insurance becoming poorer and poorer, a person who should maybe see a doctor more often, no longer does.. Part C is not needed for anything not lasting longer then 72 hours.. So with most troops they use part C as long as valid, but only need it updated for Summer camp as their other outdoor activities are over a weekend, and it is not needed.. Of course we pretty much pushed for the update of health forms all year long. As stated, I did it when it was only required every 2 years for most.. In the Fall I would look up who would not pass for next summers Camp, and I would start in right in the Fall, to get parents to update them.. This FAQ will be helpful to some.. Q. What is meant by Annual and valid for 12 calendar months? A. If you completed your record on March 9, 2012, it will be valid through March 31, 2013, but you must complete a new Annual Health and Medical Record by April 1, 2013. Please note that the next national Scout jamboree in 2013 will have a specific window when the record must be submitted It would have helped me this year when I was on WB staff. I had my physical for last years WB staff on a date that was in-between the first weekend and the last weekend.. So I had to pay out of pocket for a new exam, had I known the old one was good through to the end of the month, then the old physical would have worked just fine.. I believe our Course Director had the same problem, as he turned in a physical that he said, "I know it will take me only half way through the course, I have an apptment just after the this lapses and will get you a new form for the 2nd half of the course."

The SM has the authority to either preform certain duties or allocate the duties to others in the troop, be it Adult leaders or youth.. The best SM are those who can delegate rather then those who have to wear all the hats.. So if the SM is fine delegating part of his responsibilities for advancement to the AC, then no problem.. The problem comes up only if he does not delegate the responsibilities to him, and he tries to take charge anyways.

it looks like now Kodiak is open to Boy Scouts. What for? I think that was done just to "make it fair." Doesn't make a lot of sense to me. You could be absolutely right BDPT00. I have another thought on the subject. But, it may be skewed being I am from a area where Venturing is still the unwanted child, with few successful crews, and most SMs finding it unwanted competition, unless they start their own Venturing Crew running in tandem with the troop program.. I see it as an attempt to merge the two programs, and get boy scouts to learn about what Venturing is all about by having the two youth groups interact more with each other. Without their adult leaders hovering nearby to prevent their being attracted to it. Or, if they can not warm up the old geezers to accepting Venturing, at least they can open the minds up of the younger generation for when they grow up to become the old geezers. But, the changing of the names was a mistake, a 13 year old boy scout needs more concrete parallels in their training, then an 16 to 21 yo Venturer.. The older guys can do the more abstract, and relate it to their program.. The WB program and NYLT are basically the same program, and WB has had Venturer Adult leaders welcomed for a long time, without the need of changing the names of SM, SPL etc..

Callooh! Callay! - That is like saying not to have women as adult leaders as they will be sexually attracted to our youth.. Again for the 1000th time, there is a difference between homosexuals and pedophiles.. And, yes, pedophiles should not be adult leaders, but homosexuals are as safe as women around your male youth. Also just like accepting women or accepting or dening anyone as a youth leader based on whatever criteria you so choose all anyone wants is it to be a choice of the Charter Orgs. howarthe - I agree with you, had they not changed the policy to be descriminatory, they would have fared better.. Now to keep descriminating, they will suffer from those who protest it, and pull away from backing and supporting it.. To end the descrimination, they will suffer from the wrath of those who feel some sort of superficial protection over not knowing who is and who isn't homosexual in the group.. Had they just continued to leave it up to the Charter Orgs decision they would have sailed through without having to choose sides in this polarized topic at all.. Still would have had the atheist debate.. But, I don't think that one is as heated a topic (yet).

You asked what do we have scheduled for 2012-2013. Well, nothing yet, I am the only one who is doing all this. I basically go by what we did the previous year and guesstimate on council wide dates (they don't give us a year ahead of time notice, or if they do, it's news to me) Then ask your council. I do not think it is only my council, as it was mentioned at a regional program.. The council should be putting together a council wide calendar with all the council events and trainings and every district event/training for the 2012-2013 year.. It should be available by early spring.. For us on district, once our dates are in that calendar woe be it to anyone who changes the date (but it does happen).. What I am not sure of is ours is passed out at what is called a "Kick-off" which is a day event for..... you guessed it... the start of the 2012-2013 calendar year.. But, if you miss it, you can get the calendar by other means.. (our calendar use to be a real paper calendar. Then a paper calendar & cd.. Now just a cd.. But the cd does have a calendar on it. Without parent help, it is difficult not to just do annual events, as thinking outside the box means extra work.. But, you could try by asking the parents for some fun and differnt ideas.. Then asked them who is willing to help organize them. If no one steps up, then the event is a no go, due to lack of support.. I know someone on this forum has done that with success.. Wrote the ideas on a large flipchart, then asked for help and crossed each off, as no one stepped up. When people saw he was serious, then he did get help.. (I tend to think, this may have been basement, but could be wrong.) Tie a parent meeting with information that they need. A new parent information meeting, too late for this year - but an information about summer camp night.. Training.. Go to roundtable.. may not be held during summer, but aside from a possible summer break, it is monthly and a great place to get ideas from other SM's.. SM & ASM should go to Specific training and IOLS, I recommend it to anyone else in the troop with an interest in how a troop is run.. Definatly check if your Council is running something called Scouting University (some councils call it a different name, but SU is the most common name so if you use that name at your council they should know what they have that is like that, but called this.).. Anyway ours is every two years.. It is like taking college courses, you get over 100 topics to pick from in hour long slots (some run longer).. Fill up your hour long slots for the day with courses that really interest you.. Here is a link to one I found surfing the net, which shows you examples of topics held at an SU.. http://www.stlbsa.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/BSA%20Site%20Resources/Training/Resources/University%20of%20Scouting-Complete%20Catalog.pdf http://www.pinetreebsa.org/forms/training/UoS2012Catalog.pdf (commercial break for a rant.. Last year, looking for programs, I found alot of great ones. This year, I found fewer good programs and more councils calling Merit badge workshops SU, and some normal training days like Youth protection & Troop committee training & Specifics training (no other fun courses) SU.. I don't mind a class or two on normal training, but that is not SU.. It just felt like people were ruining a good thing.) Well, make sure you ask your council about a Scouting University that has "fun" adult training.. (And try to keep your boys away from two many Meritbadge workshops.. that's a different topic.) Books, BSA Field book is good, Troop Program Feature volume I, II, III(I went looking for the c correct name of this and was surprised to find it on-line.) http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33110.pdf http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33111.pdf http://www.scouting.org/FILESTORE/pdf/33112_WEB.pdf