Close Boards of Review

[Chippewa29]

I've got an interesting, but good situation in my troop right now. I have three Scouts that are looking at getting their Tenderfoot in the next week and could be finished with their second class requirements in the next couple of weeks. We have a COH on March 4, so the kids are scrambling to get their stuff done.

 

If they finish both sets of requirements before getting a BOR for the one, do they have to have separate BOR for each rank, or if they do, how long does it need to be between the different BOR?

[Bob White]

I like your questions Chippewa29.

In the past there was a tenure period between the eaarly ranks. That requirement has been changed. Scouts can now complete requirements for tenderfooft, Second Class and First Class simultaneously. Since the boards goal is to determine the growth of the scout and evaluate the program of the troop, and not test the skill level,there is no need or requirement to do separate Board.

 

You do want to keep a closer eye on tracking advancement though to avoid repition of this situation. The reason being the boy will never have the opportunity to display the lesser of the two ranks on his uniform, an unfortunate situation for the scout.

[Bob White]

Either my typing needs to improve, or the editing feature on this site needs to start working.

[Chippewa29]

I agree with your sentiment, Bob. The requirements were very separate when I was a Scout back in the 80's. I still have mixed feelings on the change they made a decade ago. With the new system, I've seen some Scouts not advance for a long time, but then all of sudden get Tenderfoot, 2nd Class, and First Class within a couple of months. When I was a Scout, very rarely did anyone take longer than 3-4 months to get their Tenderfoot. It seems to be taking longer now even though there are less requirements.

 

A big reason we have a stall at the Tenderfoot requirement is the Physical Fitness requirement. We test the Scouts fairly soon after they cross over. Then, we set up another date 4-5 weeks later to test them again. It is up to them to work out (practice) consistenly for 30 days on their own. They tend to do it for 2-3 days, then not do it for a week or two, then repeat the pattern. We have a Scout that has been in the troop about 20 months now, but hasn't gotten his Tenderfoot. That requirement has been holding him back (he is also a Scout that only makes about half the meetings during the year due to sports commitments). As soon as he is done with his Tenderfoot, he only has one or two "easy" requirements left for 2nd class, and he has finished about 2/3 of the requirements for first class.

 

The one Scout I specifically mentioned in the beginning joined the troop in August as a 12 year old and is really starting to catch fire. He finished the physical fitness requirement last week and is gunning to get his second class. His buddies are currently finishing up their first class and he wants to catch up with them.

[Chippewa29]

Also, with the new Scouts coming in (we'll be getting somewhere between 3-16), these Scouts now hitting Second and First Class will be doing a lot of the teaching of the basic skills (although the adults will still have to do some so the experienced Scouts can be working on their own things at times). I've been telling these guys this for the past year. My two older Scouts have done some of the teaching with the younger ones, but it was never done for them on a consistent basis (they both had two older brothers as Eagles in the troop and just kind of picked things up along the way) and was never really expected of them before last year.

 

I think once we get a couple of years where the experienced Scouts are teaching the new Scouts, it will take root and start building momentum toward the troop becoming stronger and more self-sufficient.

[Chippewa29]

And the thing I meant to say by that is we should have a better system of helping the Scouts get their basic skills learned (and thus, finishing requirements) on a consistent basis so that any Scout who is active and puts in the work should be able to get his First Class by the end of his first year.

[Bob White]

I give you alot of credit for your continued effort to implement the patrol method. You're right to give yourself a timeline. a unit that doesn't have these methods fully functioning can't expect to change overnight. The important thing is that recognize the benefit of use the BSA program and you are taking the steps to make it happen for the boys.

 

I'm sure you'll do great!

Bob

[FScouter]

I think a boy would be missing something if he earned two ranks at the same time. He needs to have some period of time to wear the badge and be proud of his accomplishment in one rank before moving on. I would encourage any boy heading in that direction to spend more time on the lower rank requirements before working on the higher ranks. In any case, I would schedule separate courts of honor for him.

[Bob White]

The problem there Fscouter is that COH are quarterly. You wouldn't want to make a boy wait 3 months to recieve his recignition. Boys this age need immediate recognition or they will lose interest.

[FScouter]

I don't see any problem with properly recognizing each rank advancement with a separate Court of Honor. I do see a problem if we try to cut corners and kill two birds with one stone and combine two advancements in one ceremony. Is there anything wrong with encouraging the boy to finish 2nd Class, then work on the remaining 1st Class requirements?

 

I was not aware that there was a regulation concerning the frequency of Courts of Honor. Our troop policy is that Boards of Review are scheduled six times a year, approximately two months apart, each one followed one week later by a Court of Honor.

 

I don't look at a 2 month separation as denying the boy his rights, but rather granting him the opportunity to bask in the glory of his rank achievement and to proudly wear the badge. I don't think it is right to just blow off a rank advancement by skipping it. I want the kid to have all his rank advancements and all the recognition and Courts of Honor that goes with it.

 

And I totally agree with you about instant recognition. Ours is one of the few troops in the council that use the instant recongnition totem bead kits. In fact the council doesn't stock them any more and I had to order from North Carolina. Seems like there ought to be a regulation about Scout Shops carrying the necessary materials so we can do our jobs according to the regulations.

[Chippewa29]

FScouter-

 

When we do our COH, each rank is recognized individually. The Scouts in my troop have talked about how great it would be to get two ranks at one COH (when most everyone else is getting just one).

 

As I've mentioned at some point, I'm still not entirely agreeing with the "new" way the BSA does the ranks up to first class. Back in the 70's and 80's, we had the skill awards and things were more separated. I would love to see them bring the skill awards back. Except for the experience requirements (5 and 10 outdoor activities), I believe the ranks are way easier to achieve now than they were back in the 80's.

 

Also, in an ideal world, the kids would always be at the meetings and about to finish the requirements at the same time. However, this is my set up among the six younger Scouts in my troop:

2 joined in June 2000 and are at 80% or more of the meetings and all the campouts.

1 joined in June 2000 and is at about 50% of the meetings and most of the campouts.

1 joined in August 2001 at age 12 (never having been a Cub Scout) and is at just about everything.

1 joined in June 2001 from Webelos and is at 75% of the meetings and 2/3 of the outdoor activities.

1 (our challenge Scout) joined in Feb. 2000 and is at about 80% of meetings and activities. However, as I've mentioned in other posts, there have been numerous times where he's wandered off during the skill session to read or play with the toys in the church. I won't sign his book when he does that, so there are things the other Scouts have done that we have sometimes had to go back and work with again with our challenge Scout.

 

The ideal situation is that all the new Scouts join at the same meeting each year and are all at the same level through their first year or so. I think if I ever get anything close to that, I'll be shocked.

[k9gold-scout]

Our troop (60 scouts) only has 4 boards of review and 3 courts of honor every year. The reason we do this is two-fold. The scouts themselves requested it and our backpacking and camping progran needs a lot of prep time at meetings.

[OldGreyEagle]

In our troop (80 scouts) its liable a BOR will break out any time 3 or more committee members get together. We have 3 COH a year. The PLC suggested 4 as the three tend to drag out, but out advacement chair threw a fit because of the amount of time it takes to do three, he didnt want to try four.

 

What we will do is award the boy with the rank patch at the end of the next scout meeting after the BOR is done. This way it can go on the uniform. Then at the COH he will get the rank card. Sometimes a scout will get two ranks at a single COH, especially if he finishes one rank up just a few weeks after the last COH (which always seems to happen) but he will have had the rank patch as soon as it could get to him.

 

As far as two BOR on the same date go, if the scouts finishes the requirements, he should be allowed his BOR, all other things being equal. When this happens in our troop we would have a BOR for the first rank, ask a few probing quesitons about the program and how it could be improved, what the boy would like to see and then have him come back after the other BOR are done. With time to think, he is usually more insightful(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)