perdidochas

Of course the SPL election is a popularity contest. However, in my observation, the most popular Scout is the one that the Scouts know will get the job done, and who actually interacts with other Scouts, not just his buddies. Scouts aren't stupid. They don't want the slacker being the SPL.

What's wrong with taking 4 years for Eagle? I know very few who took less time than 4 years to get Eagle. As NJCubScouter says, 75 would be reasonable as well. I certainly don't think that 20 camping nights is enough for Eagle.

You said that you were already a Life Scout. You don't need to backfill your previous ranks. There are only minor changes in the SMC. As a Scout, you've been promising to do your Duty to God. This is just an extension of it. If you don't go to church often, and you have valid reasons, share those with the SM.

What's your problem? You are already a Life Scout. You don't need to re-earn your earlier ranks. There are no changes in the Eagle Rank requirements.

If he doesn't like camping, you made a good choice. Camping is where scouts learn most. If the time commitment is too much, then I guess sports or music for your son is out of the question. The thing with the meetings being boring is that 1) knots are required--that's something for the younger scouts, it's not a focus for the older ones; 2) a troop is boy led, and that has it's problems, but it's the way it has to be done. The Scouts are supposed to be leading. If an ASM takes over watching the patrol like a hawk, it will take away from the little authority that the Patrol leader has. If there are discipline problems, your son should talk to the Scoutmaster about it. If there is inadequate response, than you talk to the Scoutmaster, after your son has.

It's just common sense. As an ASM, I don't sign off knots the same meeting that they are taught.

Every older Scout I've met has said that about younger Scouts in their Troop.

Does your troop ever do things that require half-hitches? Without a reason to know them, most people forget knots. (or in the terms of the EDGE method, does your Troop Enable them to use the knot). Also, your head has almost infinite room for facts. The simple thing is the Scouts have no reason to remember the knots. Do you every have knot competitions? We once had a meeting that the Scouts could only enter the Scout Hut when they showed us a particular knot (based on Rank advancement, if it was a knot they should know based on rank, we only let them in if they could do a knot for their rank. We did allow retests, and allowed the boys to show each other outside the Scout Hut.).

Remember with Tiger cubs, you also have a parent (and sometimes two) with each Tiger.

Except for the disabled, I do think that Eagles should be able to swim to the level we currently require (which, IMHO, is minimal.). I also think they should required to camp, cook, do first aid, etc. at a certain minimum level. If I were running the rank requirements, I would personally add 100 nights of camping to the Eagle Requirements (I would allow, however, multiple long term camps to count for half of it). The true Eagles in my Troop had met that requirement.

Of course the boys don't need those skills, for the most part. They don't need Boy Scouts at all. I think a good subset would want those skills. One time another ASM and I were talking about how we could make dishwashing in the patrols easier and more efficient. Conversation went on for a while, and the most important thing came into my head. We weren't there to make it more efficient or easier. We were there so the boys could figure out how to make it more efficient or easier (or not, they could do it the hardest most inefficient way). Our job was to allow the boys to camp, so they could figure things out.

That would be a shame. The new rank advancement requirements, though, seem to be against the idea of iscouts. More camping is required for the T21 than before. The newish Cooking MB requirements were also in the right direction. Personally, I found the Troop my boys Eagled in is a much better Troop with better program and leadership than the one I was in in the late 1970s. I'm glad my boys got a better program.

1. True. 2. True 3. yes 4. That is so true. As an ASM, besides shaming the parents (which I did), I could never get some of them to not pack their Scouts' bags for weekend camp. As to me, I never once helped my own two sons (both Eagles) pack for camp, other than telling them things like "cold front coming through, better be dressed for it" or "50% chance of rain, remember your rain gear." My wife did help them pack for Summer camp, their first time, but didn't do it after that. 5. I agree that BSA isn't particularly advocating killing animals, but at least in the Fishing MB, killing a fish (either directly or by proxy, for the fish cleaning requirement) is required. Same with requirements for Fish and Wildlife management. 6. Yup. 7. I agree totally. I think that's the strongest lesson that BSA teaches, if the program is followed correctly.

Well, it is possible for a scout with disabilities to become an Eagle without knowing how to swim. But that's a rare thing. I know one of my Tiger Cubs who became an Eagle, worked hard to pass the swim test. He had a fear of water, and I can remember his troubles as a Tenderfoot and Second Class Scout. He took some swim instruction, and his dad worked with him, and he eventually go to the point that he could pass the swim test in a pool. Not sure if he could do one in a lake, bayou or pond. That was part of his fear.

It may be a summer camp rule--they may not want cooking at campsites or breakfast, but I doubt that it's a National rule. That said, I do agree that we are too risk averse, and I think that common interpretations of Leave No Trace (as the Scoutmaster in the article mentions) often limits what we can do. I think we need to look at the overall safety stance, and reduce the number of rules to a manageable amount.

If you're a scout, you were perfectly in line, and in fact, if I were your ASM, I'd praise you for helping your SPL out.

That hasn't been decided yet. They haven't announced how they were going to integrate females into the 10 1/2-13 age group.

I don't believe it. I think we always look back and think that kids in the past were better than the kids today.

There are cases when it's the best choice. My sons inherited/were taught my love of nature. I worked with them on Environmental Science and Fish/Wildlife management, and Nature. I was without a doubt the best and most thorough counselor they could have gotten for those badges. That said, other MBs that I was a counselor for, that had alternative counselors, they worked with other counselors.

I see the main job of an ASM as driving and drinking coffee, and being an example for the boys.

While it is rarely done (well, my troop did it recently), boys can be rejected from joining a troop. We had problems with the family in the past. They changed troops, their boys made a mess in the new troop and wanted to come back to us. We didn't accept them back (we didn't need their drama and negativity).

The average age in BSA to get Eagle is around 17 years old. My oldest was 15 when he Eagled. He was active in the troop for a while after that. My youngest was also 15 when he Eagled. He drifted away quickly (but part of that was because nothing he or the older scouts did worked to turn the new scouts into experienced scouts. They were acting like Webelos beginning their second year of Boy Scouts, and normally our Troop managed to assimilate the younger scouts within about 6 months of Boy Scouts. My youngest didn't enjoy the meetings anymore, and I don't blame him.)

As an ASM, I was never managed. I did what needed to be done, and that was it. It was more of a team effort than a hierarchical one.

My sons had to take YPT when they were counselors at summer camp. Basically speaking, they were told that since they were on salary, they had to go by adult rules in terms of Scouts, but were still Scouts to the adults on staff. I think it's a good idea. The older boys should know the general YPT rules.

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