moosetracker

We had a drill sargent type for a SM and the kids and adults loved him.. But, that was because he could be hard to enforce when needed, but everyone knew he was a big marshmallow.. It would be strange to change personalities overnight, but a little drill sarge now and then, isn't a bad thing. I too wonder about the boys, is the old SM still SM or are you? If the boys have not accepted you as their new SM, I guess I myself would sit down with the old SM and ask if he had second thoughts about stepping down. If that is the case, I probably would ask if he wanted the position back (seeing he already had it) and you could become a capable ASM.. If though he did have his reason for stepping down, then explain to him how his actions are not allowing you to be the SM, as everyone is still following his lead.. Try to work out with him some events that he could refrain from going to. Ask him if he could direct some of the people who go to him, to you instead with a friendly "You should ask the SM about it.".. Our old SM's would do things that made sure the new one would get to pick up the reins. Sometimes they would step away from the meetings and events for a few months then come back.

Since no one else had heard of any other council doing this, I also would not be surprised if it ends up to be Horizon's council that is laying down the law, yet they tried to word it to pull some of the heat off of them and make it sound like it was coming from higher up.. After all in the statement "BSA set December 31, 2012 as the last day for Parents of charter partners" the word they used was BSA.. not National.. Well the council is BSA also. So if it is only a council rule, they wouldn't have lied, simply mis-directed.

Momof2Cubs - Anyone can be the CO, not just non-profit.. So if Vinno Pizza Parlor wants to be a CO, that is fine, someone on here said their CO was a timeshare condo buisness . I would "hope" BSA would say something about questionable CO's (like the topless bar in your neighborhood may be a questionable CO)..

Even if it is implemented by National, doesn't mean that they are not running a test pilot of this in Horizons council and maybe a few others.. So has any one felt that their DE's or Councils have been working for 2 years to get FOS groups to find different chartering Orgs???.. That to me is a curious statement, as I have seen nothing in our district committee meetings that had anything to do with following some sort of push for the last 2 years. It would have made more sense to me, had the letter just stated that FOS has never considered the "best" solution for finding a CO. Unless National has found these FOS, is hurting their attempts to protect themselves from being sued in multi-million dollar lawsuits, by claiming that they only 'sold' the program, but it they are owned by Co's.. Sort of like the lack of training especially with Youth Protection. Forced them to immediately implement manditory YPT, and have them attempting to mandate other training.. I don't really see why they would not be truely trying to make a gradual change for a few years.. Did they? and since the DE's were too concerned with growing or keeping their membership numbers up, they just paid no attention to directives to find alternatives to the Friends of Scouting charters? I still would have thought we would have heard about it at a District Committee meeting, although it may have been more lip service then actually forming a well laid out plan and implementing it.(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

Possibly the Boston area, would interest you.. What we have for interest is history, sceanery and Ocean fronts. You have the large city of Boston, which has historic interest (Ironside, Faniel Hall, Salem Ma (witch hunts), Freedom Trail) as well as big city interest.. But you are a few hours away from getting to more quiet sceanic country area. You can go south for the Cape (seaside area, Nantucket Island or Martha Vineyard.) Or go North for New Hampshire (also some nice seashores, some more historic sites, then just quiet country areas.)

Yeah, usually someone else from this forum sees the new stuff and brings it to our attention on the forum. This place keeps me up to date, without having to run around checking in 20 different spots. I just keep track of the Training Times which is a news letter from national about changes to training, which is my interest, the rest I rely on these guys in this forum to update me on.. Normally I am the most informed in my district.

I missed his first PLC and I did not get much out of him when I asked. Well, welcome to the world of the parents that don't go to the PLC.. Same with school, Don't know if it is in-one-ear-out-the-other syndrome, or they are building up the walls of what they wish to communicate or not. With the "Good" SM's of our troop, they definately didn't stop being SM, so attending PLC's and Troop Meetings, Events was still a go.. But they backed off with the guidence usually.. Either they would have the ASM do the guidence, or they would bounce the thought process off of an ASM to make sure it was a true SM reaction rather then a Daddy reaction (a sounding board), before approaching their son themselves.. Even when son was not the spl, this usually was their reaction with their sons while SM.. They wanted no doubt in any of the other boys minds that there was favortism.. There is also the other side, where you are too hard on your own son, much more so then the others, and you then run the risk of alientation your own son from wanting to be in scouts.. When the SM doesn't proceed this way, and the boys pick up an any sort of favortism, you can bet it is noticed by all, and not appreciated, and can under-mine the cohesiveness of the group. Some people on the forum state they can be impartial when it comes to their sons, and they treat all equally.. I have never seen that in real life. But, it is respected the the SM shows he is trying to be as fair and impartial as possible, by utilizing the ASM's when dealing with his own son.(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

Well qwase, if you took geocaching in you IOLS course, someone at your course chose to change the syllabus, and teach what they wanted to teach. There is only good old fashioned orienteering taught in both IOLS & OWLS..

Just to be clear: BALOO - REQUIRED for Pack Camping.. by at least one person who is accompaning on a Pack Campout. OWLS(Outdoor Webelos Leader Skills) - RECOMMENDED (by National, our council says it is required) for Leaders to take a Webelos den camping. (So if not required by your council, then why not just take IOLS??) IOLS (Intro to Outdoor Leaders Skills) - REQUIRED by SMs & ASMs to be fully trained.. (also Venturing if running an outdoors program, (I believe) also by Varsity Leaders..) IOLS & OWLS is 90% the same.. Regardless of what National says.. Most our districts run the two together then split off for two parts (wood tools vs pocket knife & Webs to BS transition and Plants/animals vs Outdoor activity pins).. A few of us me included.. Teach both, with those wanting OWLS staying a few hours longer in order to get the Outdoor activity pins & Webs to BS transition. (and they get firmly told which wood tools the Webs can and cannot use)..

Outdoors -I would think with something like that, even after 18 the scout could go to the council for an appeal.. All that he needed to do to get his Eagle was done before his 18th birthday, and he would have other witnesses to back him up that it was the Adults who purposely sabatoged it.. I would also fire the BOR.. This was a District level EBOR? Because their is no Troop level EBOR unless that was an added thing to the new Eagle advancement. Before it was just SM & CC signature, plus benefactor.. Then off to the district level EBOR.

They never combined them. Still no changes, but last I heard, the plan was not to combine them but to put them into parts that once taken the same parts do not need to be repeated.. So you take cooking & campfire for OWLS no need to retake those parts for IOLS, just the parts that are different.. But.. That is still a future possibility also. Currently they are both separate..

Congradulations.. Feels good to look back on a successful mission. Now, to keep the fires burning and find a new challenge. NE1-2??? (something or other) Bobwhite

That is interesting.. Few sites do agree on the oil to be used.. While she raises some good points about not using some.. I am not all convienced Flaxseed is the best choice either.. I am still unsure what is, and pull out anything I have between olive oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil.. Anyone have any opinion on using oven remover to unseason the pots.. If dishsoap is not to be used for fear of it seeping into the pot and flavoring, what is the thought on oven remover?? After seasoning this chemical will not seep out? I've used a equal mix of salt & water, of course you may add salt to the pot, but I would rather a little salt flavor the foods, then oven remover.. But my method uses elbow grease, and isn't 100%..(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

Given my druthers, I prefer the bolo over the necker.. Right now I am on WB staff so I have to wear the WB plaid. But I can't figure out how people get those nice little ends that are perfect ringlets, so neat & perfect. Mine is the messed up ends choked to death with the slide.. If I have no-one to check my back, I am unsure how straight the point is in back etc.. So much easier the bolo..

I don't see the SM being in hot water.. Good for him.. Our SM did something similar, there comes a time when just passing kids through regardless of them being worthy or not, causes you not to be able to respect yourself.. You have to make a stand. I would hope the Adults in the troop will support him. Not sure what will happen if it gets to council, our council supported the SM.. But, only after several phone calls from several people making sure he would not reconsider.. The stand did something for the scout, his attitude changed, probably at first in a way that was over the top. But, when the adults started showing him respect for his new attitude, it slowly changed from "just for show" to something real. At the end of the 6 months, we had scout sunday, and this scout spoke at how this situation changed his life..

Last year I was Scribe, with the presentation "Leading Change" That is this fellow job. This time around I am a Troop Guide.. So I have no position like ASM of TG, orASM of program or whatever to push things in any direction.. I don't / can't / wouldn't even think of anyone being fired, the course was put together with a starting point of only 6 months to organize, The course will start one month from today.. And the guy really wants to do good, I think his problem is he is over-thinking rather then going with the flow.. Some of his off kilter may be my doing.. For us the syllabus is maybe not quite the syllabus?? Or I had to learn that though followed, you add your own personality or flare.. Last year I myself bombed on my practice run.. I bombed because I learned and regurgitated back the syllabus with no alterations.. First off too short, word for word that presentation is not 60 minutes long.. Second off CD said no, no, you must be pivitol (I guess I was not.. Though all was memorized, no note cards needed..) He made suggestions on where to add things (like with JFK, talk about some things from past presentations and video clips, and pull them in.. That which was in gray box is verbatim.. That which is not, is the subject lines and ideas needed to be discussed.. I also added two short things.. Rather then say the words from Alice in Wonderland, I had an audio clip of the disney movie stating the line, with the Disney movie picture of the Cheshire Cat & Alice on the power point.. I moved from there into Walt Disney and how he invoked his vision in other then empowered them to create their own small groups of creative talented people to carry out his vision in their own way.. That went into the JFK, MLK, Thatcher, Boy Scout series still showing the string of empowering people to create their own small groups to carry out a ultimate vision in their own unique ways.. Then into the Cathy Freeman (with the same flow of logic..) With permission from the course director, here I did add a very small clip (less then a minute) of Cathy carrying the flags around the course, and an annoucer stating one nation, two flags.. with a cheering audience.. So no longer regurgitating out word for word the syllabus.. And mine did have added video / audio.. But both were word for word what was to be said by me anyway.. Well with the added flare, and my own inturpretation of linking the logical flow betweenValue/Mission/Vison to JFK,MLK etc, through to Cathy Freeman.. I was praised as having nailed the presentation.. My apprentice is looking at adding a clip of Elvis Presely and similar clips.. Yes, someone who lead change... Ummmmmmmmm..... Well yes, I went off with Walt Disney also, but he sort of fell in line with the Alice & Wonderland Line in the presentation.. (This message has been edited by moosetracker)

I have spent the morning in-between decisions of bringing the question to the forum, trying to write a tactful response, or giving the Course director a heads up.. (decided on forum) I am not a Cub Master or Scout Master, because though I personally have 3 cats, I flunked cat herding.. I feel like now have one (only one) cat to herd on the new course.. I can't even figure out how to herd one cat, I am hopeless.. This is my second time on a Woodbadge course, I took under my wing the person who is doing the same position and the same presentation I did last year in the old position.. What can I say about the guy.. He is full of enthusiasm and big dreams and is as cute as a button.. But sometimes his big dreams kindof run amok.. Well he already did the practice run of the presentation, and it didn't go so well. Mainly because he had not practiced, and some of the concepts he really didn't understand, so if he didn't understand them, we couldn't.. But he was lively and animated, it was just his thought process was like trying to track all the bubbles coming out of a Bubble maker machine.. So I sat one evening with him, and gave him a breifing of logically connected the concepts so that it flowed as one logical idea building on itself.. A few days later I got email from him and he sounded like he had some good ideas,and was on track.. Today I get email and he is thinking of adding all sorts of video, that he may be able to tie in, but I fear he is now going down another slippery slope.. Also mid-way he had an idea to add an inside joke to the exiting video slide show.. I kinda steered it from inside joke to something that could involve the participants.. Course Direct killed the whole idea, although I was on a better track he feared "critter bashing".. So now his thought is a video to promote woodbadge, but sort of on like a "Mr. Bill" type of concept.. OK.. let him do it, and no one uses it?? Nicely keep him from wasting his time? Any ideas on how I can herd this cat?? He is such a nice cat!! Fix it on my own? Alert the Course Director? Do both, with a tactful email from me, while still alerting the Course Director? If I talk to the Course Director, and have him just give him a friendly "How are things going", rather then moosetracker says... Possibly I might alert him to trying to make room for at least some of the staff to relisten to and make suggestions for his new presentation?? (This message has been edited by moosetracker)(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

Double yes! And definately have the adult leadership in an different campsite.. Up until about 6 months ago a patrol could go camping without adult leadership.. Still can for a day trip. Encourage this type of activity in your troop. It will invigorate your troop, and keep the older boys interested in staying in. I kind of worry about this statement though.. They also want to plan and cook all of their own meals with little adult intervention. If this is not the norm in your troop for every outing then it should be.. Each patrol should be responsible for their own meals..

Welcome! We always love a good puzzle, or debate about some issue somewhere.. So take a seat at the campfire, and ask away.. Sorry for the difficult time you had registering.. I know many people have had it recently..

This one was truely belivable, because it definately could be what they are thinking.. So more of an April fools scare.. A condensing of a whole bunch of small council's in one state is forseeable, but they are doing some mega condensing with about 4 states somewhere between Ill. and Kansas. So very believable. I like the whaling one too even though it is easy to quickly discover it being an April fools joke, but it was funny.. We had two scouts over to the house and presented it to them.. They did not catch on it was April Fools, but did catch on it was not true, and were reading and laughing about them.. They are going to present it to the Troop.. (This message has been edited by moosetracker)

Welcome, so is there alot of adult leaders in your troop where you are having difficulty finding your place? Or do they like new parents to step back for a year or so to absorb the troop culture and knock out the Cub Scout mentality?

Well, people will argue about things on here.. Just went over to meritbadge.org.. I saw maybe one post from today.. A few for the last few days back.. Still don't think the forum has taken off much.. It may be a more pleasant crowd though.. Still hope you stick around.. I too had a rough entry.. In part, because I came in strong and started out rubbing him the wrong way.. Spent a week needing to give one of the regulars virtual hugs until he settled down. Until then, he was a very grumpy dude, whenever we met up.(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

Wonder why they didn't add that into the MB requirements then.. How to prepare yours for environmentalist who want to attack you an your boat while out on a hunt.. Thanks SP, that should add more adventure to the MB.

Well I know our local whalers are excited about signing up to be merit badge instructors for this one.. They have been emailing and talking to my husband in person about it.. Seems the earlier the catch the interest and sign up young boys into being apprentice whalers the better they are at the craft.. So they are very interested in sparking the interest of some of our young scouters.. Sounds like your Neighboring scout & scouter had a very successful expedition..

I should look over at MB.org again. Last time I checked them out (a long time ago), the forum was rarely being used.. You could post something that took days for a single response. You should stick around. We do have our characters.. But, it's a great place, and what group in scouting does not have their characters..?? Actually for any of us to be in scouting, each one of us is a charater of some sort..(This message has been edited by moosetracker)