BDPT00

I think it would look better if it remained on your dash. BDPT00

Eamonn is right. Don't fret at all until you have a chance to meet with your patrol mates. Your tent could house another patrol member or two. Might be just the right thing to have. You'll have time to share your resources and ideas. It'll all work out. Don't worry. BDPT00

So much for diversity. Two have stated that the US is 99% literate. That leaves a meager 1%. If that 1% is spread evenly among us, then we all know somebody who falls into that category. Are we supposed to shun them? Is that what I'm reading? How about the others in those low percentages? Do we shun them too? ADD? Dyslectic? How about rotten grades in high school? Maybe they never finished. Will learning disabilities make them lousy ASMs? Here I go, John.... sounds a bit judgemental. We don't know this guy, and we're pushing him away, because we think he's incapable of helping our kids. If he's got the right attitude, I'll take him. BDPT00

- Old_OX_Eagle83 "Beading or any other material is not permitted on the sash." - Order of the Arrow Handbook Any questions? BDPT00

Thumbs up from me. BDPT00

Could very easily be current events in Scouting or even within his unit. I certainly wouldn't fret over it. It's worrying about nothing. BDPT00

Twocubdad is correct regarding camporees. Woodardjp, just to claify ... the requirement would be to go on a campout, not a camporee. Two totally different things. BDPT00

Let's not forget our friends in NYLT and NAYLE. Yes, BP wore 6. BDPT00

You will never hear/see me say that. My only point is (and always has been) that it's a simple method to teach totally inexperienced Scouts how to teach (adults too). It's simple, and it works. I've staffed about a dozen EDGE courses. I have yet to hear anyone say that it was a waste of time, or that they didn't learn a little something new or worthwhile. BDPT00

I didn't fail to mention anything, and I don't care what you're actively promoting. Sounds like your Life candidate knows how to teach, and that's great. I find it hard to believe he could describe what he did without using the word, "explain," but that doesn't matter. Nobody is pretending to say that EDGE is the greatest think since sliced bread. It's simply an easy way to teach a youngster how to teach. If you don't think that helping a kid learn how to teach is significant, then don't use it. I don't particularly care what you do. I'm not involved with your troop's advancement. "Close enough" counts in some things, and if you think it applies in this case, then sign him off. If you think that every Scout is a born teacher, then just get out of the way. It's not important. Did I fail again to mention anything? BDPT00

Just to be clear ... doing the refresher at Philmont is not getting it done (regarding Jambo qualification). Having done WB and an MBA, you'll find much of 21CWB reduandant. It's all about attitude. If it's just going through the motions, don't do it. If it's to ignite a spark, go for it. "Might as well" falls a little short in the attitude department. To share the experience with your wife could be fun and rewarding for both of you, unless this should be "her" Wood Badge experience. This is a tough one. Good luck with your decision. BDPT00

Example is 300%, and I'll bet the 6% is far short of the actual mark. I think resqman has a pretty valid position. Interesting perspective. BDPT00

An ammendment to acco40's comments. Veterans may render a hand salute. BDPT00

And there lies the rub. Some feel it's acting a certain way, and others think it's being a certain way. The argument will continue. As for me, I don't see "gay" or "not gay" among the requirements. Neither do I see "male" or "female." BDPT00

I think the course you're referring to was called JLOW (Junior Leader Orientation Workshop), and yes, it was put on by the district. I happened to like it, but the issue was that Scoutmasters dropped their junior leaders off, and allowed someone else to train them. That's HIS job; not the district's. BDPT00

Let's not confuse TLT, JLT, JLTC, and NYLT (or NJLIC and NAYLE). Some are/were meant for troops, and some for councils (and some national). BDPT00

Why fear the uniform police? The answer is yes. Where's the issue? BDPT00

- mooswtracker I don't think you'll get much argument with what moosetracker said. I would recommend keeping your ears and eyes open though. Go to roundtable ... just to make friends and gather information about the big wide wourld of Scouting. Many opportunities come up there that will never gain your attention otherwise, because they're lost in the transfer of information. This includes district and council events, advancement opportunities, and trips that the troop may not be interested in, but you and your son might. It's no different than the teacher giving an assignment at school, and it gets lost in the backpack (if it ever even gets into the backpack at all). Stay alert. Learn what's going on for yourself. BDPT00

Interesting, emotionally charged duscussion. Regarding the troll issue, I don't believe for a second that the writer is a teenager, nor do I understand the purpose of the original posting ... other than to provoke us. That's been accomplished, so congratulations. Let's assume for just a minute that this is true. Is it doing any of us any good (including the poster)? Is there any reason not to close it? BDPT00

Simple. Just practice. Find a skill not everyone knows. Teach it to one, and have him teach it to others. Try a new knot. Even better, if the purpose is simply to practice EDGE, have them teach something everyone knows. It's tougher if the audience isn't receptive to it, but have them teach a bowline to one another. Then evaluate how they did, and try something else. If the purpose is to learn how to teach, then practice. NYLT and WB staffs do it all the time. That's how you learn, and that's how we get better at it. BDPT00

"Gilwell order must be maintained." What if we skipped Beavers and Bobwhites, and sang Eagles thru Antelopes? Would that not maintain Gilwell order? For that matter, we could skip something in the middle and still stay maintain the order. BDPT00

There is no requirement that says "Do not make any mistakes." By adding this as a requirement we're crossing a line that I've so often seen this board bark loudly about. Requirements met? What if he hadn't been caught, but we knew about it? What if we didn't know about it? What's the difference? He did something stupid, and he got caught. Smoking breaks laws. Speeding, too. As long as we're sitting in judgement, where is the line? BDPT00

Why not study yourselves? In the posts I've read, the "condition" of your den was referred to as "disabilities." Consider this: If I were a MB counselor near you, I'd ask permission to come watch your den in action, so we could learn about Aspergers and AD/HD, etc. There's a lot more to disabilities awareness than wheelchair basketball and sign language. BDPT00

Leaning in from the right with a comment... Let's assume the girl is not in a crew, but the 16 year old father-to-be is. Would we be having this same discussion? There are far too many "what if" questions. I enjoy them, but it puts us in the judgement seat . . . not a really good place to be. We don't know anyone's attitued here (does that matter?), and we know nothing about the before, during, and after part of this pregnancy (does that matter?). We're guessing. Try this "what if" on: Suppose a 19 and 20 year old couple gets married. What are the sleeping arrangements before and after one of them turns 21? Can a brother and sister sleep together? Mother and son? If a father and son can share a tent, can a father and daughter do so as well? We can go on forever with stories we hope never happen in our own crew. I do happen to enjoy the thoughts involved, but I'd hesitate to sit in judgement over a young girl who may need her friends to lean on. As conservative as I am, and knowing nothing else, I stand with the girl. BDPT00

As an aside ... How many of you are accustomed to having troops run district events? How's that going? BDPT00