captkeating

Dear Scouters, I just wanted to introduce myself and say what a great resource this website is and how excited I am to be a part of it! I am overwhelmed (in a good way) by the amazing resources available about and for Scouting. I was a Scout as a youth decades ago. I achieved the rank of Life Scout, and I was also Senior Patrol Leader. Last year, I volunteered to be my son's den leader, which was my first experience as an adult leader. I have many fond memories as a Scout, and Scouting is one of the main reasons I love the outdoors as an adult. We go camping as a family every year with friends, and we've had a lot of fun! Professionally, I work in sales for a bank, but my background is teaching high school English, and I'll always be a teacher in my heart, regardless of whether I teach formally again. Personally, I love to read, so of course I love bookstores and libraries, and I love to drink coffee. I am also a huge science fiction and fantasy fan, especially Star Wars and Star Trek. I'm also a huge amusement park and rollercoaster person. I look forward to getting to know others through this Forum and becoming a better Scout leader by taking advantages of all of the wisdom, knowledge and resources available on this and other sites. I am committed to living the values of Scouting and being a great role model for my son. I can't wait to see what he accomplishes and learns as a Scout. Have a great day, all!

I certainly hear and appreciate your frustration, and I can tell that your frustration is from a commitment to have a thriving, growing, valuable program that works and helps the Scouts get the leadership and life skills that will truly make a difference for them. I think that part of what inherently frustrating (potentially) about a program like this is that we are a volunteer army, and everyone, Scouts and adult leaders alike, are at varying levels of experience and leadership. I know that when I said yes to being my son's den leader last year when he joined as a Lion, it had been decades since I was involved in the Scouts, and that was my first time as an adult leader. I believe that Scouts and leaders at all levels are interested in and working on making Scouting the best program it can possibly be. Personally, I'm excited about upcoming changes to the Cub Scout program to make it simpler, more focused, and more effective. The acronyms you and others share in your posts make it clear to me that you are well-versed in the program and an expert on what a well-run program should look like. So, far be it from me to offer you advice about how the program should be run. It sounds like you're very clear about that already! My suggestion is to try to change your mindset to look for the good in the program, to try to be patient with the areas that aren't working or are still in progress, and to try to be a resource to the other leaders and Scouts, understanding that it does take time, and nothing really changes overnight, but over time, with sustained effort, it absolutely can. I'm clear I didn't run the Lion den last year or the Tiger den this year perfectly, but we've already had some great moments, and I'm lucky to be in a Cub Scout pack that is incredibly well-run and managed, and everyone has something to offer. I had the privilege earlier this year to organize an off-site pack night where we toured our local police department, which was fantastic, and in last week's den meeting, where we took a "hike" (basically a walk around our local park), when we walked across a boardwalk over a local creek, we saw a snapping turtle, and it was really cool! I believe that over time, you have the potential to be a serious force for good in your son's troop. That being said, based on what you shared, certainly no one could blame you for finding another local troop that is better run. For the sake of the program, I certainly hope you and your son don't give up on Scouting entirely! Please let us know how it works out, and thank you for sharing!