Invited to serve on next WB course.

[Bob White]

There is nothing in the Wood Badge program requireing any more cmpouts than the two weekends of Wood Badge. Your wife chose to do those. There is nothing in the Wood Badge course requiring she get too busy for her family or do lots of additional activities. That was your wifes choice.

 

The Wood Badge ticket is what the individual makes it to be. Your wife it seems made some bad choices. There is no black magic in the beads that makes people do things they do not want to do, or things they don't need to do. Your wife chose her activities and her goals.

 

I would never tell anyone that scouting takes an hour a week. Scouting takes as long as you give it. The more you develop as a leader the more you can accomplish in the least amount of time.

 

It still makes no sense if you are out of scouting and your kids ridicule it why you would spend time wanting to discuss it on this forum, You are of course welcome to be here, but it makes no sense. As much as you question the time your wife puts into a program she likes, I question why you put time into something you don't?

 

Bob White

[Eamonn]

Padre.

Many thanks for returning and explaining this.

In my role as a District Chair. I see a lot of people come into Scouting.

In fact,I go out of my way to recruit some of them. I do try and be very honest about how much time the job or task that I want them to do will take. I have some people on the District Committee, that only do one job that is a one time a year deal, which entails only a very limited amount of time - They get the job done and let me know if they want their name put forward to the nominating for next year.

There are some who came along to do this one time deal, attended a few meetings and undertook to do more.

Some got the bug and became involved in units.But even there, we have people like my wife who has served a pack as the book keeper, for many years. Not counting the time she puts in at home, she only attends one meeting a month.

I don't know what role your wife has, so I can't say how much time it takes.

Wood Badge is a total of six days. Those who attend a 2X3 course, will be invited to attend one patrol meeting.

The Ticket is the person who writes it, commitment to reach goals that they set in the position that they hold.

If that person is a unit leader they really ought not be doing things for the District or the Council as far as the Ticket.

We have a Wood Badge coming up soon that has a number of Council Executive Board members taking the course, their ticket will I hope be things that they can do in the position that they hold, no one would expect them to start going camping and doing activities with the youth.

Some have said that I do a good job of getting people to "Sign Up" But so far I yet to twist any arms or get the thumb screws out.

[firstpusk]

Padre, I am sorry to hear that you have such a negative view of WB. The staff on the course I attended promoted an unofficial "ticket item" - committing yourself to spending regularly scheduled time with your spouse. Dating if you will. They wanted you to talk about what you are doing for scouts and what you might plan to do. I have tried to follow that advice. Once a commitment is made, the dates need to go on the calendar. The commitment is a shared decision. I won't say yes to anything significant without consulting her.

 

This allowed me to act as course director/SM for one of my council's JLTC's this year. I am grateful for the support that she offers me. I know that I have made a difference and my wife shares an equal measure of the credit. She is so good to me that she refused the half a plaque I offered her. ;^)

 

 

P.S. to matuawarrior, Congrats on getting asked to be on WB staff. This is a tremendous opportunity to deliver the promise.(This message has been edited by firstpusk)

[johnsned]

First I want to congratulate matuawarrior for being invited, to me being on WB Staff has been one of the great experiences of my life.

 

Padre, I sincerely feel for you and understand your frustration. As others have stated I think that your animosity is misdirected at Wood Badge. Sure Scouting will take as much of your time as you are willing to give and there is still more you can do.

 

I am in my early 30s I have 3 boys; 6, 4 and 2 years old, my oldest will just start attending Tigers, yet I have been a volunteer Scout leader for 8 years, I have been on staff for 5 Wood Badge courses and will be Course Director next year.

 

Something I learned about a year in to my "Scouting Career" I need to coordinate my activities with my family. Every week I sit down with my wife and we go through the calendar. Once we put down, family, work, church and school commitments I write down in pencil every scout activity I "have" to do, "want" to do and have been asked to do. Once I see it all down on the calendar I go through erase all those that are going to keep me away from my family too much.

 

I am very active in my Troop, District and Council. I just learned to say no, and prioritize time for my family. When the list of meetings to attend, campouts to go on, and so on was in my head it didn't seem like I was doing that much, when I put in all on the calendar I could see how much I was away from my family. I learned as DSteele said it will go on and thrive with out me, but my family won't.

 

"No other success can compensate for failure in the home"

 

Good luck to you Padre!

 

[dsteele]

Oh, sure, blame me Johnsned I mean it.

 

Scouting is bigger than any one of us. That's part of what makes it great.

 

Family first, Scouting second. It's hard to go seriously wrong that way. Learning to say no can be a good thing. I'll take a no up front than a yes turned into inaction any day of the week.

 

I was sick Wednesday and asked my DE/camp director if he planned to be at the camping committee meeting that I'm the advisor for. If he had said yes, I would have asked him to cover the meeting and gone to bed.

 

He said, "Actually, Dave, I was hoping not to be there, but I'll cover it if you need me to."

 

I said, "No problem. Go on with your evening." No questions asked and no problem with his answer.

 

I was delighted -- I mean thrilled -- when he said, "I got engaged last night and want to spend some time with my Fiancee." I hope to get invited to the wedding and hope for a good seat. It isn't easy for a DE to meet someone, fall in love, and manage to make it to the nuptials.

 

Isn't it great when something good happens in the life of someone close to us?

 

DS

[Eamonn]

While I don't mean to hijack the thread.

Yes Dave it is nice when good things happen to good people.

Our DE,just became a Grand Mother, for the first time.

Needless to say it was a future Scout.

Eamonn

[NeilLup]

Hello Padre,

 

As a person who has directed a 21st Century WB Course, I'm rather troubled by your post. Not suggesting that it is inaccurate bur that things are happening that shouldn't be.

 

I have seen people take Scouting too seriously and certainly have seen people take WB too seriously. My wife accuses me of that. She's probably correct.

 

When 21st Century WB came out, there was confusion over the ticket relative to previous tickets. I think that much of that has been resolved now but not all.

 

The ticket should lay out items which will enable the person to do a better job in their Scouting job(s). It's not supposed to be a major increment in work done.

 

One of the guidelines for staff on 21st Century WB is that the staff is not allowed to be asked to write a staff ticket and that only 3 staff developments are allowed. The reason is that staff preparation and service was taking too much time in previous courses. If that kind of consideration applies to staff, it certainly should apply to participants.

 

So, from what you have written, someone in your wife's course is taking WB and the ticket MUCH too seriously. Perhaps the staff. And, not intending to be offensive, perhaps her.

 

I know that if I learned of such a problem with a person I was ticket counseling, I would want to counsel pretty seriously with the participant and perhaps with the participant plus spouse. Scouting is supposed to be a family program that strengthens families, not one that hurts them.

[Shell in WA- USA]

What a wonderful honor to be asked on the woodbadge course. They obviously think highly of your skills and experience.

 

I just went through wood badge this year, and it had to be one of the best things I've ever done! I've already been using my "woodbadge skills" to help "save" out troop from some poor adult leadership, to get our troop healthy again for the boys. (Another story!)

 

I've been through school and college and have done many different training through scouting. But I have NEVER had a better experience than my 6 days at woodbadge! The staff was wonderful! And my patrol! My patrol was the best group I have EVER worked with. The 6 of us Foxes worked like a greased wheel! IT was funny, we all had our own pinions and views bout we all were accepting of each other and used the best of all of us. There was even a time were we were to choose one of six colors of something. And it was so funny we all shouted out the color we wanted and NONE of us conflicted! One of my members even said "Man, we can't even disagree about a color!"

 

I don't know what this reference is about Woodbadge destroying marriages? Seem like there are more deep rooted problems going on than a 6 day course! It's too bad that the other spouse can't understand scouting and be part of it with their spouse. Or at least support their interest in it. But that's another issue all together.

 

Shell in WA, USA