DuctTape

A mantra of mine which may be apropos, "It's not what you are saying, but how you say it."

I am very glad to hear you have survived your ordeal. My hopes for a full recovery. All I can offer to you as help through this transition is to remind you of all your efforts, given in love to those in your ward and the knowledge that these efforts will continue to bear fruit long after you step away. Much like that of the planter of an orchard. You have grown the seeds, tended to the young saplings and pruned away that which inhibits. You have done great work and now can be proud to witness the results. Feel not sadness for your changing role, but gladness that because of your efforts your role has changed. Be well, and enjoy the path which lays before you.

At this point I would suggest going to the District/Council and getting the paperwork signed there "under disputed circumstances" and continuing on. Any further questions from the SM should then be answered thusly, "Thank you for your input. My project is progressing with the support of my family, the beneficiary and the BSA. I look forward to its completion and learning a lot from the experience. Thanks again."

I would have this come from the COR. I would also include that he is not an approved leader and since he does not have a child in the program he is not welcome to attend pack/den events. If he shows up, then he will be escorted out and (if necessary) the authorities will be called. Yes, the COR and you need to be this firm. He is trying to take advantage of your willingness to "work things out". Nothing less than a complete prohibition from attendance.

I believe Wiscinsin has some national forest land. Regs vary (slightly) between areas, but most have free dispersed camping opportunities. Of course this requires backpacking (or paddling) in to make camp and group size regulations (like a patrol size... which is perfect!)

What is interesting is the Scout Handbook and Patrol Leaders HB, I think give a cursory of the "why", but little concrete "how" or "what". Unlike the older books which were more complete.

I feel badly for your son, and also for the other boys. None of them "earned" the mB, and worse none gained much of anything from the "adult association" nor from the class. I AM a trained, certified educator and as a mB counselor I refuse to "teach a class" and I abhor the use of the workbooks. Scouts is not supposed to be school; nothing of the sort. I am saddened that many requirements tend to gravitate towards school-like work and districts/councils have mB "colleges". This makes advancement no longer a method, but the purpose; IMO that is wrong.

I started in cub scouts and have almost zero recollection of any ceremonies. All I remember is sitting and waiting for whatever was going on so we could go play. This was for the pack events. The weekly den activities on the other hand were always fun. We did stuff, built stuff, visited places. Others I am sure have different recollections.

I agree with TLS. Learning the intrinsic value of accomplishments through effort and diligence is made more difficult when we (adults) put more focus on the unecessary extrinsic items. By all means celebrate, and if you do a face-painting be sure it does not "mask" what one is celebrating. I think it might be difficult as there is so much theatrics. This might not be for you, but perhaps at the spring B&G, the cubs could get face-paint for their rank. Keep the face-paint tradition, but move it to a different pack event?

Point taken, but I believe this is an unlikely scenario for most scouts.

The real benefit of "mess kit" cooking, whatever the kit is, it allows the scout to learn and practice on their own before cooking for a larger group. My kit is a single pot and a cup. Or on rare occassions a single pot, a small skillet and a cup. The traditional scout mess kit had this plus a bread pan (lid) this combination allows for all sorts of experimentation. Using the skillet plus bread pan lid is a dutch oven. But one that isn't as forgiving. By mastering the art of "mess kit" cooking, it is scalable to a larger pot and skillet (and dutch oven). After one learns to cook a meal by themselves, then move to cooking with your buddy. Two pots, or a pot plus skillet. Then scale that buddy system to cook with a larger vessel for the entire patrol. The walmart mess kits are terrible aluminum. The older aluminum is better, the steel skillet plus aluminum is even better. The best is that which is procured and mastered by the scout. The old fieldbooks showed how to customize pots and skillets.

While I enjoy a good dutch oven meal, if that is all one has then not far from the car will one travel (except no portage canoeing).

Yea. This topic gets discussed this time of year somewhat regularly on the backpacking forums. Old school is Logan Bread.

start here: http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/ then: http://www.inquiry.net/patrol/green_bar/index.htm

came across this on youtube, brought back a lot of memories especially with the clothing! Shows scouts using their mess kits to cook, open fire cooking, sharing the fire to cook individually, and more.

and a happy Festivus to the restuvus. I think we can dispatch with the airing of grievances, as the forum seems to do that weekly. Shall we move on to the "feats of strength"

I can the the CC, SM and CO Rep now settling in on the phrase, "Perhaps our troop is not the right fit for you and your boys, here is the number for council xxx to help you find another troop more to your liking. We will not be rechartering your family as members."

I think it would be awesome if a bunch of us gathered around a real campfire someday.

I understand what you are saying, but I don't agree. Many organizations and companies whose names switched to (or always were) acronyms have been able to stick with the acronym even though the historical terms may be obsolete. For example: YMCA, KFC, AMF, 3M to name a quick few.

I belong to a number of outdoor focused organizations. Some of which have been asked for volunteers to help local GSUSA troops do more outdoor based activities.

Yes, but he was also clear that it was by being a scout, following the scout law and helping others is the entirety of one's service. By Baden-Powell Very closely allied with education comes the important matter of religion. Though we hold no brief for anyone form of belief over another, we see a way to helping all by carrying the same principle into practice as is now being employed in other branches of education, namely, to put the boys in touch with their objective, which in this case is to do their duty to God through doing their duty to their neighbor. In helping others in doing daily good turns, and in rescuing those in danger, pluck, self-discipline, unselfishness, chivalry, become acquired, and quickly form part of their character. These attributes of character, coupled with the right study of Nature, must of necessity help to bring the young soul in closer touch spiritually with God. (1912)

I am sorry you felt I was splitting hairs. It wasn't my intention.

Even for eagle requirements, there is subjectivity by the MB counselor for completing those requirements. When the scout is "tested" for the requirement regardless of whether a T-Fc rank, or for a mB, the subjectivity of whether it was completed to the signatories satisfaction is subjective. Of course some will have more agreement than others amongst scouters as far as what it looks like to satisfy the reqs, but my point stands that it is still subjective to a degree just as it is to show scout spirit. As fas as a BOR member, that is not the place to test the scout. However asking about the meal they assisted on, and how it went and what they learned from it. But those questions are a REVIEW of what the scout completed and not the test. If the scout cannot recall; that is ok. Perhaps a few other leading questions to get to the heart of their scouting experience and what they did, learned, and enjoyed since the last BOR.

I disagree that show scout spirit is the only subjective requirement. Almost all of them have a subjectivity to whether they were completed. For example in tender foot "...assist in preparing one of the meals..." A scout stands next to the camp cook and only takes the twist tie off the bag of bread. Does this fulfill the requirement of assist? Or do we expect more? I would bet many of us would disagree on what "assist" looks like in general, and also take into consideration the scout, the meal, the circumstances, etc... Thus fulfilling this requirement is also subjective. I would argue that almost all of the demonstrate and explain require a subjective analysis of whether they have been met.

If the scout spirit requirement is not signed off, then the scout did not complete all the requirements. All too often this is a "requirement" which is not required; it is checked off automatically. IMO this is wrong. Achievement of our mission is demonstrated by this requirement. Failure to require scouts to fulfill this requirement is a failure of our mission; and the scouts' fulfillment of rank requirements.