TAHAWK

1. Things seldom go wrong according to plan 2. When there is any chance of rain, a modern poncho, weighing less than .75 lb. is good insurance. With some light cord and the scorned walking stick, it is also shade. and blocks hail. 3. A knife opens many tough packages, gets peanut butter out of the bottom of the jar, sharpens a hot dog stick, and many other tasks in the city. Of course, if in New York City, common pocket knives make one a felon, but you're in Texas. 4. Extra clothes may - on may not - include long sleeves to prevent radiation exposure. Sun Screen stops only some wave lengths. Extra socks can prevent blisters.before they are even "hot spots." 5. The purposes of a walking stick include taking load off the legs, discouraging aggressive dogs, and bearing the patrol flag. 6. in 2019, radio equipment is commonly blocked by buildings, just like "natural" canyons. Maps, of whatever form, are not. Compasses are not.

I became a Neighborhood Commissioner and was assigned a group of Troops with veteran SMs. One troop has known as the "Battalion" due to the leadership style of the retired Marine Major who was its Scoutmaster. i learned it was true; his voice was the only voice you heard during troop meetings. (Fortunately, its patrols met independently every week.) The DC counselled me to be helpful before any thought of being a teacher/counselor. So updates, offers to help, information on resources - my job for months until I had some "cred' with the unit Scouters, and then questions before statements. "Softly, softly." I hope i would have figured this out on my own., but I only had to follow his advice. It was an interesting two years. My relative youth was a problem to overcome. I am not sure if being the SM of a strong troop helped or hindered. (At least T43 was known not to "poach" from other troops.). You already are sensitive too the "fine line." 👍

At one Scoutmaster Basic training course that I was privileged to lead years ago, one dad argued, following your reasoning, that anyone (expressly, his son) who wanted to be in OA should be made a member. As the discussion went on, he expressed the same opinion as regards being a Patrol Leader (The job should rotate every few weeks.") or Eagle Scout ("Why should only 1% get it?!). Then, and now, I respectfully reject that argument. Life does not operate that way, and we do not prepare lads for life with the "all the children are above average" approach.. By all means, praise all achievement, however modest, and arrange opportunities for all to achieve. However, some achieve more, and recognition of that achievement, we were taught back then, is not so much to reward the achiever as to encourage the others. (and not like Admiral Byng) When OA was more exclusive - The National Society of Scout Honor Campers - it was more desired - resulting in more "hands" for service and, in our lodge, greater participation in camping in our patrols.

I always assumed, with the attendant risks, that "Explain" included references to sources (and explaining why the skill might be useful to know). (Was the "Application Phase" more PC?) "Streamline" does seem to be about awards, but learning is another goal entirely. Summer Camp has streamlined "awards" marvelously: attend class largely conducted by minimally-qualified children x 5; no or little testing; obtain award; obtain rank. Timeless Values. Trustworthy. I liked "earning rank" and "recognition" better.

1984. Ministry of Truth.

The aluminum skillet on the Trail Chef Cook kit was as good as any relatively thin aluminum skillet. Taught to cook on coals, it worked fine. BSA had them made thinner and thinner towards the end, so they were less good. The individual "mess kit" was too thin for all but the most careful user, but no worse for cooking than the GI steel mess kit. i replaced my BSA mess kit with a GI mess kit after the first Scout campout. The mess kit pot once had a detente that locked the bail, preventing spilling. As competence declined at BSA, the detente went away, and it was Spill City.

The coating of burned-on grease used to be called "seasoning." Somewhat non-stick. 😁

"an error in judgment" That's buying a Fiat. ⬇️

He may not, but he can, likely has, and likely will. Rules do not apply to "special" people.

Good advice above. Give the Scouts in the patrol possibilities for campouts and hikes. If the choices are vetted, they can't go wrong, and having them decide affirms youth leadership. The PL, as the representative of his patrol to the troop, should take the possibilities to his patrol for their choice. This affirms that he represents and serves in this "miniature representative democracy." Eventually, they can research possibilities, but adults can always be resources ("Have you considered ....." "What makes a place a good campsite?)). Coach the PL to give every member of the patrol team to a "position" on the "playing field." Fun and adventure!

Is the SPL actually trained for his job? Has he delegated responsibility to your son? Does the SPL have a mentor?

I take you point. Most COs are fairly passive. However, what is the actual experience with the paid Scouters jumping in to take responsibility for interpersonal relationship, much less their abilities in that regard? Our DE-level employees (not having actual districts any more) last about six months on average and, while nice enough people, are so young and still trying to figure it all out - and then are gone.

Was your son in fact selected by the SPL to be the ASPL? It is often not the case.

BSA has made a brief, but useful effort to address just that issue: Bullying What Is Bullying? Bullying is a widespread and serious societal problem that has a negative impact on the “target.” (We do not use the term “victim.” [except when they do.] Additionally, never label a person who engages in bullying behavior as a “bully.” [except when they do]) It is not a “phase” that youth have to go through. It is not “just messing around,” and is not something that a youth—the one doing the bullying or the target—will “grow out of.” All forms of bullying are prohibited in Scouting. All forms of bullying violate the Scout Oath and Scout Law. Continued bullying of the target will lead to poor self-image and poor self-esteem. The target may also quit Scouting or become a bully to other, younger youth, thus perpetuating the bullying cycle. Forms of Bullying  Verbal—name calling, teasing, threats  Social—spreading rumors, leaving the target out of activities, breaking up or manipulating friendships  Physical—hitting, pushing, shoving, physical coercion  Group—intimidations, ostracizing  Criminal—injury, assault, sexual aggression  Cyberbullying—using digital technology such as social media, gaming, texting, etc., for any of the above Effects of Bullying Bullying has serious and lasting effects. While these effects may also be caused by other factors, research has found that bullying has significant effects on those who are bullied, those who bully others, and those who witness bullying. People who are bullied:  Have higher rates of depression and anxiety, including the following symptoms, which may persist into adulthood:  - Increased feelings of sadness and loneliness  - Changes in sleep and eating patterns  - Loss of interest in activities  Have increased thoughts about suicide that may persist into adulthood. In one study, adults who recalled being bullied in youth were three times more likely to have suicidal thoughts orinclinations.  Are more likely to have health complaints. In one study, being bullied was associated with physical health status three years later.  Have decreased academic achievement (GPA and standardized test scores) and schoolparticipation.  Are more likely to miss, skip, or drop out ofschool.  Are more likely to retaliate through extremely violent measures. Studies indicate that in more than 70 percent of school shooting cases, the shooter had a history of being bullied. Signs That a Youth Is Being Bullied  Acts reluctant to join in activities  Complains of feeling sick, makes frequent visits to the camp infirmary, has psychosomatic complaints  Loss of money and other items such as clothing, patches, etc., that a bully may have taken from them  Goes to activities late and/or returns early (avoidance)  Nightmares, bedwetting, insomnia (fear)  Refuses to leave their tent (fear)  Waits to go to the restroom away from group (avoidance/fear)  Seems afraid or acts nervous around certain youth  Shows increased anger for no obvious reason  Exhibits a drop in willingness to participate  Comments about loneliness  Has difficulty making friends  Suddenly has fewerfriends  Reluctance to defend oneself verbally or physically when teased or pushed  Has physical marks—bruises, cuts, defensive wounds on forearms or upper arms  Appears sad, moody, angry, anxious, depressed  Mentions or talks about suicide  Seeks, carries, or hides weapons (as a perceived means of protection)  Blames oneself for problems FACT SHEET  Avoids certain locations or areas

It is not a district, council or Area issue. It is a CO issue. BSA has a number of online publications. Some are contradictory. Most are helpful. https://www.scouting.org/training/youth-protection/bullying/

Barry, Please let me know where BSA makes discipline the CC's remit? Thank you.

OK. I'll see if it changed from January. PAUSE FOR SEARCH. It has not changed. "Patrol method: Use the patrol method to develop youth leaders. The troop has patrols, and each has a patrol leader. There is an SPL, if more than one patrol. The PLC meets at least four times a year. Achieve Bronze, plus PLC meets at least six times. The troop conducts patrol leader training. Achieve Silver, plus PLC meets at least ten times. At least one Scout has attended an advanced training course, such as NYLT or Order of the Arrow Conference" REVISED TO ACTUALLY RECOGNIZE USING THE PATROL METHOD Patrol Method: Use the patrol method as defined by B.S.A. [inside joke. BSA is unable to explain the Patrol Method although that is a "Scout" rank requirement.] The troop has patrols, and each has an elected patrol leader who appoints his Assistant. If there is more than one patrol there is an elected SPL who appoints Scouts to fill other troop leadership positions and who leads the troop's activities. The PLC meets at least four times a year to plan program. Achieve Bronze, plus PLC meets at least six times to plan program. The troop conducts patrol leader training. Patrols have at least six independent activities each. Achieve Silver, plus PLC meets at least ten times to plan program. Patrols have at least six additional independent activities each. At least one Scout has attended an advanced training course, such as NYLT, National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience, Powder Horn, or The Kodiak Challenge. [OA Conference can be a leadership experience, but it is not leadership training.] Having patrols, PLs, an SPL, and PLC meetings does not equal USING the Patrol Method. Actually using the Patrol Method is emphatically not listed as a goal.

Wearing a uniform (i.e., looking the same, clothing-wise) has slipped to an aspiration, as has the Patrol Method and, as part of that method, youth leading. Nothing wrong with aspirations. See "Leave No Trace." But what does BSA do to recognize actually achievingthe Patrol Method or to discourage adults from refusing to use that method? Zip, zero, nada. Actually doing it is not even part of Journey to "Excellence." Even the "lip service" is fading. A Scoutmaster who has taken no training and whose PLs cannot tell you the name of their patrol is named "Scoutmaster of the Year" here due to six sorta' Eagles and leading the Council in popcorn sales and Friends of Scouting donations. Troop had two indoor weekend JYE "weekend campouts" and summer camp at a merit badge mill that he skipped. Further, a real outdoor program is not even a serious aspiration for BSA, so trivial are the current outdoor advancement requirements. Thriftiness, as defined for the first fifty years of Scouting, is not even an aspiration. Scouting now overtly begs for money. So, yes, there are more serious problems in this declining age.

I suppose anyone with authority can define a "uniform" as consisting of this or that. What does BSA - not the many unofficial sites or a council or unit - but BSA itself say? The BSA usually refers to the uniform as "the uniform" - no adjectives. See, e.g., https://filestore.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/33066/33066_Official_Policy_WEB.pdf ; http://www.trcscouting.org/files/d/usr/65/Scout uniform.pdf The final Boy Scout Handbook (13th Ed.) referred to the Scout uniform as "the Scout uniform" - no adjectives and as "BSA's official Boy Scout Uniform (sometimes called the 'field uniform')." it is also often called the "Class A uniform" or the "dress uniform". The last Boy Scout Handbook also says: "When you're headed outdoors to do something more active, you can [sic] pull on a T-shirt with Scout pants or shorts, or wear other clothing that is appropriate for the events of the day. This is sometimes called an 'activity uniform.'" BSA says it has a site that answers all questions about uniforming, but it answers almost no questions on that topic. The current offerings from BSA Clothing include six visually different button-up shirts for male Scouts alone, not mentioning all prior button-up BSA "uniform" shirts. Typical BSA "clarity." BSA at least suggests that it official "methods" have some importance. Reality shows otherwise, in uniforming as in outdoor program, thriftiness, patrol method, and leadership development.

BSA does seem to have arrived again in Orange County in 1920, The Santa Ana Register for November 4, 1920 solicited men as Scoutmasters for "Santa Ana Council" and mentions Scout Executive Elmer E. Heidt, often said to be the first Scout Executive in Orange County. Beyond that, things get vague, This article confirms that, as in many other areas, Scouting did not wait for BSA to arrive: "Noted local historian Phil Brigandi will discuss the history of Scouting in Orange County at the Orange County Historical Society's meeting this Thursday, Jan. 14, 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. He will also be available after the talk to sell and sign his excellent new book, On My Honor, A Century of Scouting in Orange County. Scouts (past and present) and the general public are welcome at no charge..The photo above shows Boy Scouts from Yorba Linda Troop 99 in about 1918. The photo below shows several Scouts from Orange County's first troop, Anaheim Troop 1, on an outing to Hewes Park in El Modena in about 1911. The Scout standing next to his bike in the center is future Anaheim mayor Charlie Pearson." AND "The first attempt to provide some sort of county-wide organization and support for local troops was in 1912, when the Santa Ana Council was formed with help from the YMCA. It lasted less than a year, and Scouting faded until World War I was over." I rely on the Troop 43 Log Book for the early history of that troop. But that was long ago. The present "Orange County Council" has claims founding in 1920 and 1921. It was founded in 1972 by the merger of two councils - Orange Empire and Northern Orange BSA has never had much interest in Scouting's past, especially the competing and pre-BSA past: the American Boy Scouts (later "United States Boy Scouts" and then "American Cadets"), Michigan Forest Scouts, LifeSaving Scouts, Colonel Cody’s Boy Scouts (1909), YMMIA Scouts, YMCA Scouts, Polish National Alliance Scouts, New England Boy Scouts, Knights of King Arthur, Knights of the Holy Grail, National Scouts of America, and Rhode Island Boy Scouts, to name just some. Some troops chartered with the Scouts in the UK, such as Barre, VT, Troop 1 in 1909. BSA would later describe the hundreds of troops founded other than through BSA as not "officially chartered" before their chartering with BSA, even if chartered by Baden-Powell's "Scouts."

The troop no longer exists. When BSA arrived for good in Orange County, California, in 1926, my troop was offered "Troop 1" but declined. It had its cheers, song and dark green silk flag proclaiming it's birth date and number. (made by a mom who embroidered it with "Semper Paratus" and the UK fleur-de-lis) As "The best troop in all the land is Troop 43," a numeral 1 was trivial. It irritated Troop 1 no end that every Scout Saturday, Troop 43 stood at the right of the line in the Santa Ana College bowl as senior troop. The oldest, but not the original Scout troop, in what is now Lake Erie Council is Troop 22, founded in 1908 at the Huff Avenue Presbyterian Church. Troop 22 went out of charter briefly in 1940 when every commissioned Scouter was in the same Guard unit nationalized by the Government - right at recharter time. A few weeks later, new Scouters had volunteered. Per the contemporary newspapers, there were 99 troops waiting when BSA arrived in the Cleveland, Ohio area in 1912, to establish the "Cleveland District" of BSA, five then claiming "Troop 1" status. A select committee of notables had to sort it out. Several different churches sponsored 22, which is now chartered to St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights. Oddly, the Scouts of Old 22 also think their troop is best. ☺️ I am surprised that troops would give up their historic number for a "1."

California Peace Scout Troop 43 first had camping, by patrils, in October, 1908 on private property in orange County, California.

There must be something more important than stamping out "Class B" - like having a uniform instead of merely a brand of heterogeneous clothing.

It's easy to get lost when you forget, or never knew, the destination. Scouting is not about running a well-oiled machine. Mistakenly believing that a well-oiled machine is the boal, as BSA does from time to time, drives adult leadership. The goal is the Scout learning to accept and carry out responsibility, with all the bumps in the road that such a goal entails. The point is not that everyone "got the word" but that they were given the word, to whatever extent, by the leaders - youth not adults. Sadly, training is no longer a BSA priority, and most employees of BSA and councils are weak on what Scouting is supposed to be. So, noting that explaining the Patrol Method is now an advancement requirement (for "Scout"), I asked BSA for the answer. It could not give the answer or refer me to a coherent statement of what it is - just to bits and pieces. But they did want to help me with planning my estate. 😉

if you want to educate in the patrol method, you might review the ILST materials. They are overwhelmingly, as the title suggest, about the "troop method, " unlike the long-gone district-level Junior Leader Orientation Workshop, killed off in 2001 without explanation. JLOW began with 'Welcome to Scouting's Toughest job," and that referred to Patrol Leader, being based on actual Boy Scouting. Some Councils fight the good fight by offering JLOW despite BSA's abandonment of training outside the troop short of NYLT . Some volunteers offer JLOW independently of their councils e.g. http://www.chuh.net/troop22/resources/JLOW-02.pdf being pushed by many at BSA.