Adult Awards

[ManyHats]

As I stated in another post this is my husband's first year as Cubmaster. He feels a little under decorated/under qualified. Several of the den leaders have a lodge patch and several square knots. My husband wasn't a cub scout or boy scout, so he basically has a plain uniform. Is there any awards he could earn?

[Bob White]

First we need to establish that decorated and qualified are unrelated.

 

Yes there are many recoognitions that a cubmaster can receive or have bestowed on them, just few that take less than a year to earn or be considered for. While rare it is possible to earn the Wood Badge training recognition in less than a year. Should he make a sizable financial contribution to the council he could receive a reconition in the form of a knot, (your local counilc office can give yu more information on that. If he saves someone life he could be nominated for a Life Saving award that is a knot, if he organizes a new Scout unit he would be eligible for a knot, after two years as a Cubmaster there is an award he could earn that is represented by a knot, If he is active in his church there is an adult religious award he could earn and others that he could be selected for, etc. etc..

 

Tell your husband that to do a good job has it's own rewards and he does not require awards on his uniform to know that he is serving the scouts or the chartering organization.(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[msnowman]

The Cubmaster's Knot and the Cubscouters Knot both have a two year tenure attached, as well as other training items. If he has taken CM training then he is qualified to wear the trained patch on his left sleeve, below the position patch.

 

IMHO (Having been a CM, WDL and back to CM again) the trained patch is almost more important than a chest full of knots. The trained patch, to me, says "I care about this Pack and these boys and want to "DO MY BEST" as Cubmaster to make sure they have a quality program".

 

Yes, I do have my CM Knot and will be getting my CScouter Knot this year. But, without that trained patch neither would be possible. When a parent asks about the light blue knot on my uniform I am happy to tell them that I could only get that because we run a quality program.

 

Encourage your husband to get trained (if he isn't already) and to wear his Trained patch proudly. Focus on building (or maintaining) a quality program for the youth he is lucky enough to serve. The knots will come in time.

 

Yours in Scouting

Michelle

 

PS - There will always be a few that say "the awards should be for the boys". Don't let them discourage you (or your husband) from earning things available to you. The Unit will only benefit from his efforts to improve himself and his unit.

[ManyHats]

That was my opinion too. But I think he is still unsure about the job he is doing, due hearing so and so did this. We've got nothing but compliments as far as compared to last year because the cubmaster quit. I think he feels the parents think more decorated = more qualified.

[ManyHats]

We both are trained for our positions and do have them on our uniforms.

[beaverlbc]

I agree with msnowman. The most important patch is the one that says a person is trained for his position and he wants to be the best he can be as a CM.

 

The "knots" will come with time. The Lodge Patch shows the indeividual is in OA. There are requirements to join OA. These include a certain number of nights camping as a Scout/er; it also includes at least 1 week of summer camp with a troop. Like I said, knots and awards will be earned as he is doing his job as a CM and provideing a quality program for his Scouts.

[John-in-KC]

The best award I've received as an adult in Scouting is "Thank You, Mr John" from a young person! Tell your husband he's doing a great thing, relax and enjoy serving the youth. The second best award I've received is exactly the same thing... from other adults.

 

I would commend Wood Badge to both of you, it's leadership psych with a lot of great people! You'll make lifetime friends, I promise.

[msnowman]

Good for both of you for being willing to step up and help out. Please don't fall in to the trap that Bobwhite cautioned against- thinking that decorated = qualified. While many highly decorated Scouters may be perfectly qualified, that isn't always the case. And in many cases, the more decorated a Scouter is, the more out of touch with the realities of day to day runnings of a Unit that Scouter is.

 

One of my biggest pet peeves is the "we've always done it that way" (or its relative "that's not how so-so did it"). Well great and wonderful for So-so, but I'm not that person and I am bringing my own talents and abilities to this job.

 

I do sympathize with your husband. As a first year CM going to roundtable I thought I must be the biggest idiot going because I didn't even know what the knots were for, let alone how one went about getting them. I figured I had no business trying to run a good Pack program, but did it for my little Bear. He is now a Star (almost Life) Scout and the Pack has grown leaps and bounds...I guess I figured it out, even without a lot of decoration to show for it. Your husband will too.

 

YiS

Michelle

 

ETA - I have to second the greatest reward sentiment shared above. A boy or a parent saying "Thank you" is the best thing in the world. At the end of the day that's the thing that makes it all worthwhile for me.(This message has been edited by msnowman)

[Stosh]

The knots mean only what one thinks they mean. Ask the boys what those knots mean and most of them won't have the foggiest idea. The best judge of the quality of your contribution to scouting comes from the boys, not from other adults handing out knots.

 

Stosh

[Gold Winger]

" The best judge of the quality of your contribution to scouting comes from the boys, not from other adults handing out knots."

 

That's only if you are a unit Scouter and then only if you interact with the boys on a regular basis. A CC could have virtually no contact with the boys but be a regualar dynamo behind the scenes. I really doubt if many boys could tell you who the CC is.

 

Heck, district Scouters labor away organizing popcorn, camporees, bike-o-rees and the rest and few, even the unit Scouters even know that they exist.

 

 

[Pack212Scouter]

As others have said, knots don't equal ability. What the knots ARE good for is recognition of adult leaders. It's part of appreciation that says "Thanks for your service. We thought enough about it to turn you in for an award." Knots (in general) for adults mean that you have served well in various positions...They don't mean that you will be successful in your next

[NeilLup]

I am entitled to wear 11 square knots on my uniform including some that are pretty rare and considered pretty high level. Most often, I wear none. Your post is part of the reason. When I do wear them, it is often to have credibility with the kind of leaders that you mention in your unit. I would then use that to support a leader like your husband.

 

We recently recruited a Cubmaster with absolutely no Scouting background for the Pack for which I am a Unit Commissioner. He has no square knots. He is doing a fantastic job.

 

As far as square knots that your husband could earn the right to wear quickly, it is not a square knot, but your husband can go to Wood Badge and earn his Wood Badge beads. That is a powerful, well-respected recognition in Scouting.

 

Also as far as square knots, there is one that he could get tomorrow, but you may not want to hear it. That is the James E. West fellowship knot. One becomes a James E. West fellow by contributing $1000 or more to the endowment fund of your local council. It's that simple

 

I can't say don't worry about square knots but don't be too concerned. Leaders who know what they are doing know who is doing a great job.

[Eamonn]

Not trying to hijack the thread.

But for some reason I'm not able to start a new thread or spin off!!

Kinda like NeilLup, I have along the way picked up a lot of these knots.

In fact it's got to the stage that there are just way too many and wearing all of them would somehow make me look even more silly than I am!!

Up until now I have been of the opinion that it really should be up to the individual if he or she opts to wear these or not and how many the want to wear.

I'm now starting to think that maybe a set number of no more than whatever a set number that National can come up with seems like a better idea (Like is supposed to be worn on the adult Sea Scouter Uniform.)

While I'm proud of the service I have provided and the training's I have taken, I'd be happy to select the Knots that are the most meaningful to me and limit the number to just that number (Which is what I have opted to do on the new shirt I've just ordered)

I was overjoyed when I was selected to receive the District Award of Merit, but do I really need to wear that and a Silver Beaver knot?

I haven't been involved with Cub Scouting for a long time, things have changed so me wearing the knots from Cub Scouting seems a little silly.

I do wear a four-bead Wood Badge and I'm very proud of it, but I'd be happy if we all just wore the two beads. In some ways I think I was just in the right place at the right time and knew the right people and this had a lot to do with my selection as a WB Staff member and CD.

I know I have never refused any award that I have earned or been selected for. Back when I was our Council Training Chair. I made a big thing of making sure that all of the adults who were eligible for awards did receive them and at times used the knots as a carrot to spur people on to take the training's.

 

I just recently found out that a very dear friend of mine is going to receive a Silver Buffalo this year.

I don't think I'm supposed to know!!

But I don't think I could be more happy unless it was me getting the award!!

This fellow is a great Scouter, who does know what I might call "Hands on Scouting", He has done a wonderful job serving our Council,Region and sits on a National Committee.

But I think he never in a million years thought he'd end up with this award!!

So while part of me would be OK if we got rid of all these awards, when I see someone like this getting one? I do see the good in them.

Eamonn.

 

[ManyHats]

Thanks for all the comments. I think the underlining problem is insecurity. My husband is unsure of himself and feels that one of the leaders wants his position next year. This person has all the awards from when he was a kid but only the trained patch from his rescent time in scouts. Our son is in his den, so we have a good idea of how much time he puts into it. Not that he does a bad job, but questionable on keeping track of all 10 boys. We don't think he could handle everything we do as a team, since he is divorced with kids. My husband feels he's looked at differently, but that may be politics more than awards.

I thought there was a limit to the number of knots you could put on your uniform. I don't remember where I might have read that though.

[ManyHats]

"the uniform insignia committee in the past had recommended that not more than 15 knots be worn"

I thought it was less than that. I guess that was because the diagrams of placement usually go up to 9. I'm sure they figure you get the picture after 9.