BoR = exam

[Nike]

GKlose,

 

You know, you don't have to play the same game. If you don't like the questions the others ask, ask your own. If you are the one Committee Member who gives evidence about caring about the boy as a boy and about how he applies his scout skills and knowledge, then you may find yourself very popular amoung the boys. If you google "Scout Board of Review Questions," you'll find all sorts of "standard" questions used by many, many BoRs as jumping off points. They may help you direct the experience away from an oral exam and toward an engaging conversation.

[GKlose]

Thanks, Ed -- you pegged it about the adult-led versus scout-led. The SM acknowledged that they were trying to move in the direction of scout-led (and I'm not exactly sure when it strayed).

 

Also, thanks Lisabob -- this district's training is only for CS leaders. I'm heading out of district for my training in a few weeks. I asked the reason for no in-district training, but it's a long story. Put simply, they're rebuilding the district.

 

Re: six dads and six scouts camping. I've already started to ask, when I noticed the issue. For example, at the last planning meeting I made the comment, and said that I'd like to find out more about why some don't go camping much. I got a half-answer about the older kids being less-interested, and the need for the high adventure trip the next summer.

 

The troop is presently not so much bi-polar as it is bi-modal. One new scout (my son), a bunch in the 2nd class working on 1st class range (all in the middle school range), and a handful of older ones. One recent Eagle, who seems "done" to put it politely, and another "done" that is almost Eagle. That leaves two or three in the Star-Life range, I think, maybe more. I haven't seen everyone all at one time yet, and I haven't seen a current roster. 20 total is just an estimate, and 6/6 on campouts is an average. Good attendance at summer camp this year, except for most older scouts who went to "Eagle Camp."

 

BTW, I've made a recommendation already, kind of off to the side. I recommended to the SM that he send the SPL to either NYLT or Brownsea, maybe both, and have the troop cover the cost. I don't think he went, perhaps because of the family's summer vacation and the camp schedule. Next summer, it will likely be a different SPL with a different set of issues.

[GKlose]

Thanks, Nike -- that's kind of what I've already done.

 

When an "examiner" immediately jumped in on "tell me the warning signs of a heart attack" I went another direction. I would say something like "you're supposed to have been on X number of outings, can you tell me which ones you enjoyed and which ones you didn't?" and then go down the path of asking what he'd liked the most, what he liked the least, what he might change, did he learn anything at a patrol-oriented camporee, etc.

 

The Star candidate who was nervous -- I recall asking him which merit badges he'd already earned, what he liked about them, which ones he planned on working on, his interests, that sort of thing.

 

I'm learning too, as I go along...I know very little about these scouts at this point.

 

At the same time, I've been working on preparing my son. Even though I don't like that part of the troop culture, I warned him that the BoRs were tests, and that he had better know everything backwards and forwards.

[GKlose]

One more thing -- (sorry for all the traffic)

 

The SM is sort of catching on...at the last planning session, there was a brief discussion where he mentioned that nobody was supposed to fail a BoR, and that in training it had been recommended to him that SM Conferences should not be sitting down, face to face, rather it should be an informal conversation while doing something else, say a walk or something like that.

 

I haven't witnessed a conference, so I don't know how the conversation has been working out. I have heard, though, that since the SM was a last minute Eagle, he strongly encourages those that are close to get cracking, that it sneaks up on you very quickly.

[shortridge]

in training it had been recommended to him that SM Conferences should not be sitting down, face to face, rather it should be an informal conversation while doing something else, say a walk or something like that.

 

... also recommend (a) out of hearing range but (b) well within sight of the rest of the troop or patrol.