TAHAWK

"Troop bylaws"

It is not awful to care. You care. Stosh. I was on an EBOR where the official record showed 19 MBs. Both the candidate and the ASM out in the hall had 23. Problem solved with no great stress. Our Council record showed I complete SM training in 1910 (which would make me at least 118 years old. I want my 91 Year Service Pin, now!) When I pointed out there was no council in 1910, it was changed to 1912. Such experiences make me loath to depend 100% on the "official" (That is, often screwed-up) records.

It should be covered by the units Advancement reports. The three different copies of the Blue Card (Scout/Unit/MBC) are backup.

My old troop 1987-2011) did it three times as an "unofficial" course using the old syllabus. I took BSA's failure to keep its promise to produce a replacement syllabus as a measure of its institutional commitment to the Patrol Method. As a later national training director said, it was not so much a change in policy as ignorance. The Patrol method was "misplaced." Some are fighting to bring it back. That the Handbook again says that a troop is composed of patrols is significant, but only a start.

You forgot the emoticon: "‘[T]he Patrol System is not one method in which Scouting for boys can be carried out, but it is the only method. . . . ’" B.S.A., The Patrol Method (1930) "The patrol method isn’t one way to run a troop. It’s the only way." B.S.A., Scouting.org (2014) “nless the patrol method is in operation, you don’t really have a Boy Scout troop.†B.S.A., Scouting.org (citing Baden-Powell) (September, 2015) “Scouting happens in the context of a patrol.†B.S.A., Scoutmaster Position Specific Training (current syllabus, 11/2017)

If, as BSA continues to say, a patrol is a small group of friends who are largely self-selected, the PLC members may need training. Until 2001, districts offered Junior Leader Orientation Workshop, a one day course of the Patrol method and leadership skills. That went away and has never been replaced, despite many promises that a new syllabus would be forthcoming (A Scout is . . .). All there is short of NYLT is Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops - a not too subtle shift away from emphasis on BSA's "most important method" taught, on average, by an adult with an nine months as an SM. Note the words. They have power. "Among the activities encountered by a troop’s leaders are • Organizing the troop • Planning and organizing activities and meetings • Assigning duties to others • Planning menus and figuring out food costs • Encouraging advancement • Guiding a troop’s involvement in problem-solving • Teaching outdoor, sports, or craft skills • Ensuring the troop’s safety during meetings and outings • Handling the troop’s finances • Helping other Boy Scouts make the most of their own leadership opportunities • Encouraging participation The badge of office presented to a Boy Scout who is accepting a position of troop leadership does not automatically make him a good leader. What happened to patrols ? !!!!

"Corporal," have the squad line up."

“In a Troop in which the boys are shuffled together at frequent intervals and dealt out into new Patrols according to the whim of the Scoutmaster, there obviously can be little opportunity for the development of Patrol morale and Patrol traditions.†Hillcourt, William, The Patrol Method, B.S.A. (1930) at p. 10.

We had success with "tickets" written by the Scout. He had to have three measurable goals. The "ticket" could only be one page. The SM periodically discussed the SPL's progress with him. The SPL periodically discussed the other position-holder's progress. "Tickets" were subject to amendment pretty freely. The hard part was helping them pick goals that they could control, rather than goals that depended heavily on others' performance. The goals were to provide draw, not to be barriers. Thought and planning was expected as training in life skills. Effort was the major issue.

"If a volunteer doesn't agree with the BSA program (Vision, Mission, Aims, Methods, Values and so on), there are other organizations that may welcome that volunteer's time."

I write as one who admittedly feels that rank advancements, on balance, has been made significantly easier. How else to explain Eagles at 700% of the rate of the Golden Age? ("Only on in a hundred achieves the rank of Eagle Scout.") All quoted above is fine so long as the Scout who passes the Boy Scout requirements for Second Class gets the Second Class badge. Otherwise, we have Joe's Scouts, Tom's Scouts, or Bob's Scouts. That might be a fine thing in itself, just not Boy Scouts (or whatever we're going to get called in the future. "Scouts of America"?). There are tools other than advancement to get a boy to the level we wish BSA required while still modeling the value of obedience to the rules of the game as they are actually written. I have no doubt that the readers here could suggest dozens of ideas. In a different skill area, the Knot Club did far more in T22 to have Scouts learn and retain rope work skills than all the advancement requirements combined.

I agree about POR performance being a uniformed Scouter area of responsibility. BSA does not agree that merely holding a POR is automatically enough for advancement. You might review BSA, Guide to Advancment, pp. 26-27 (2017). In summary: "When a Scout assumes a position of responsibility, something related to the desired results must happen."

It is not an outdoors skills-building program. It's a character, citizenship, fitness-building program that uses limited skills education as an occasion to develop confidence in the ability to learn and overcome challenges. But you know that. We all do. It's just easy to get so wrapped up in the skills part that we lose sight of the objectives.

And that's the problem with sayings.

I took live YPT at Summer Camp several years ago. There was a film followed by Q&A, all led by a council representative. It lasted just under two hours. After we filed out, the Scouts filed in for their training.

The topic was passing Second Class. Change the topic and you change the answer.

I see two issues. 1. Some believe their additions to the language of the requirement out to control. They reason that their interpretation controls over the words written by BSA. BUT 2. BSA does not provide a routine method of securing official interpretations. Such a method is needed because BSA often writes unclearly.

The Second Class swimming requirement is: Demonstrate your ability to pass the BSA beginner test: Jump feetfirst into water over your head in depth, level off and swim 25 feet on the surface, stop, turn sharply, resume swimming, then return to your starting place. https://www.scouting.org/filestore/boyscouts/pdf/Second_Class_rank_2016.pdf https://blog.scoutingmagazine.org/2014/03/10/ask-the-expert-what-if-my-scout-cant-compete-the-first-class-swim-test/

I pointed out the pay. hours, and pressure when personally making all the FOS presentations in my district for three years. That being said, it is the case in my council that 93% of the council budget is salaries.

She is in the Cub side of the program and should wear a Cub program uniform of a Cubber. "Female leaders wear the official navy blue Cub Scout or Webelos Scout buckle with navy blue pants, or the official web belt or official leather belt with the buckle of their choice with official pants or official uniform shorts or pants."

Objectives. We examined the long-term effects of the 1995 repeal of federal speed limit controls on road fatalities and injuries in fatal crashes. Methods. We used a Poisson mixed-regression model to assess changes in the number of fatalities and injuries in fatal crashes between 1995 and 2005 on rural interstates, where all US states have raised speed limits since the repeal, as well as on urban interstates and noninterstate roads, where many states have raised speed limits. Results. We found a 3.2% increase in road fatalities attributable to the raised speed limits on all road types in the United States. The highest increases were on rural interstates (9.1%) and urban interstates (4.0%). We estimated that 12 545 deaths (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8739, 16 352) and 36 583 injuries in fatal crashes (95% CI = 29 322, 43 844) were attributable to increases in speed limits across the United States. Am J Public Health. 2009 September; 99(9): 1626–1631 I didn't hear nobody pray, dear brother I didn't hear nobody pray I heard the crash on the highway But, I didn't hear nobody pray. When I heard the crash on the highway I knew what it was from the start I went to the scene of destruction And a picture was stamped on my heart.

Good man.

Because many Scouters do not know what they are doing and BSA does not hold them the account, "them" including paid Scouters. I got sucked into a mass merit badge program last Winter - three weekends, each weeks apart, plus an assurance that the candidates would have to earn the merit badges. Few Scouts did the necessary to personally pass requirements, as mandated by the G2A (I offered to go to them at any location - home, school, library, CO - at virtually any day to work with them - and at very little advance notice. ). I started to receive nasty telephone calls and emails from unit Scouters: why had I not done "my job" so their Scouts received their merit badges? I explained and was cursed. One of them told me he had gotten all the blue cards signed by another MBC - by mail. Had I told them they needed to individually pass as required? Yes - repeatedly. Each of the three "classes" (yech!) I told them what was required by BSA and handed the rules to them in writing. Any questions about requirements? Not a one. You know what you need to do? Silence. What did we do in "class"? We discussed the requirements (some horribly written) and information and ideas that could be used to meet those requirements. I repeatedly pleaded with them to meet with me to pass the requirements. Three did. Thirty-two did not. It's a corrupt - or corrupted - system and those with power have been unwilling to end the corruption. Seneca District, Great Trail Council.

I remember "The signed blue card is the end of the inquiry." Not so much any more. Might want to read this big change that appeared in 2015 (IIRC) (I was told it was a direct response to merit badge mills, but not so limited. Decertification/failure to renew certification of camps has also been discussed, but seems as unlikely as it is warranted.): 7.0.4.7 Limited Recourse for Unearned Merit Badges From time to time, it may be discovered that merit badges could not actually have been earned. For example, a Scout who returns from summer camp or a merit badge fair with signed blue cards for an extraordinary number of badges could raise concerns. If, after consulting with those involved in the merit badge program—such as an event coordinator, the camp director, or a merit badge counselor—it becomes plainly evident that a youth could not have actually and personally fulfilled requirements as written, then the limited recourse outlined below is available. It may result in a decision that some or all of the requirements for a badge could not have been fulfilled, and thus, that the badge was not actually earned. After such a consultation, the unit leader, in a positive environment similar to that of a unit leader conference, discusses with the Scout the circumstances under which a merit badge in question was approved. A parent or an assistant unit leader should attend as an observer. The young man shall not be retested on the requirements, but a conversation with him can reveal if he was present at the class and actually and personally fulfilled all the requirements. Such a discussion could cover who taught a class, what sort of activities took place, where and when they occurred, how testing was done, what the Scout might have brought home from the class, and other similar process-oriented details. In most cases, with a fair and friendly approach, a young man who did not complete the requirements will admit it. Short of this, however, if it remains clear under the circumstances that some or all of the requirements could not have been met, then the merit badge is not reported or awarded, and does not count toward advancement. The unit leader then offers the name of at least one other merit badge counselor through whom any incomplete requirements may be finished. Note that in this case a merit badge is not “taken away†because, although signed off, it was never actually earned. Just as we avoid penalizing Scouts for the mistakes of adults, it should be a rare occurrence that a unit leader finds the need to question whether merit badges have been earned. This procedure for recourse is limited and reserved only for clear and evident cases of noncompletion or nonparticipation [sic]. . . . This procedure is not to be viewed as an opportunity for retesting on requirements, for interjecting another set of standards over those of a merit badge counselor, or for debating issues such as whether a Scout was strong enough, mature enough, or old enough to have completed requirements. Unit leaders who find it necessary to make use of this recourse must act quickly—if possible, within 30 days of discovery. It is inappropriate to delay a Scout’s advancement with anything less than a prompt decision. If a Scout or his parent or guardian believes a unit leader has incorrectly determined a Scout has not earned a merit badge, or more than 30 days have passed without a reasonable explanation for the lack of a decision, they should address their concerns with the unit committee. They should first, however, develop a thorough understanding of the merit badge requirements and that each one must be passed exactly as it is set forth. Upon encountering any merit badge program where BSA standards are not upheld, unit leaders are strongly encouraged to [waste their time to] report the incident to the council advancement committee [which has no practical power to overrule the council employees largely responsible], preferably using the form found in the appendix (see “Reporting Merit Badge Counseling Concerns,†11.1.0.0)." B.S.A., Guide to Advancement (2017) I don't think this language allows a SM to, in effect, add a requirement in the OP case, but it is no longer the case that, as it once was, it's entirely up to the MBC to determine if the MB was earned I think the motivation was sound but the language unfortunate. THE SM is left to backstop the MBC in deciding if there was "noncompletion," making him a interpreter of he requirements. It is not clear what the "unit committee" is empowered to do, once consulted by the parents. Is there as appeal to council? To national?