Wood Badge Myths

[Eamonn]

While I do admit that part of me was sad to say good-bye to the old courses (Boy Scout and Cub Scout) I was happy to think that this was the end of the good old boys Wood Badge Club.

I hoped that a lot of what can only be called the silliness had also gone.

I had seen all sorts of silliness, from really dumb ideas about Scoutmasters Chairs to changing into the same clothes as the SM was wearing.

The course is a leadership course open to all adult leaders who have taken NLE and the specific training required for the position that they hold.

The course does request that participants wear the correct uniform for the position that they hold. One Course Director I know and love went so far as to send out the Uniform Inspection Sheet. Still some people arrived wearing what they thought was an acceptable uniform.

Did we send these people home? Of course not, the fact that they were willing to give up the time and part with some hard earned cash along with wanting to be better leaders, outweighed the uniforming.

I see posted in another thread:

Same reason electronics are prohibited at wood badge, I'd suppose. They interfere and distract from the program and the purpose for which the scouts are there.

Where did that come from?

There is not a word about not allowing electronics at Wood Badge in the Syllabus or Guide book. Many participants bring laptops,and hand held computers. Most bring cell phones. The only thing asked is that they turn off the ringer and if they need to take a call that they step out or away from what ever is going on.

The new course is Wood Badge for the 21st Century, we may not like or approve of 21st Century technology, but it is here. I see more and more leaders tracking advancement at camp on a computer. I rarely leave the house without my cell phone. I'm to lazy to learn how to use a palm pilot, but OJ uses his for a lot of different things.

The more we try and turn our backs on these things the more we are going to seem like old stick in the muds.

Sure there is a time and a place for everything, but we need to allow people, adults and youth members the opportunity to work out what works for them. While I don't think anyone would want to tote a laptop with them on a hike, I know a lot of young people who would be willing to carry a small mp3 player and these same young people are willing to use it or not use it at the appropriate times.

I am saddened that once again Wood Badge myths are on the rise, they do not add anything to the course and only do harm.

Eamonn.

[Bob White]

Nature detests a void, and because of that will do almost anything to fill it. Scouters are no different when it comes to Scouting knowledge. What people do not know they will fill in. This can take many forms. The easist path 9taken by many) is to make something up based and past experience or personal druthers.

 

Some will ask others based on trust without regard to the individuals knowledge.

 

And some will seek truth and facts.

 

While the last is the prefered method, it is the most time consuming, and so it is often the one most seldom employed.

[Lynda J]

At any training I have ever taken of helped teach I would prefer to have a leader there without a uniform and get trained than to have a leader not come because they simply can not afford to spend over $100 on a uniform.

I can no longer wear my old BSA pants. They fall off. I do not intend to buy a new pair until I have reached the weight I want. Then I will buy new pants.

As far as electronics. I hate having them at trainings. But understand. The last outdoor skills training I took was about a month ago. There was one guy had PDI. He entered loads of information in it. So in some ways for adults it isn't a bad thing. But we do not allow electronics on any camping trip with the troop, except for the leaders cell phones.

 

[schleining]

I am heading out the door this afternoon to start Wood badge!

 

In our welcome packet it was suggested that we not USE anyelectronics during the course work.

As I have been to Camp Clark a hand full of times, I know that cell phone coverage is limited at best, so I'll leave it in the car.

So far as CD players etc. I am sure I will want to be getting to know my Patrol mates rather than be alone listening to tunes...

 

Anyway-

I use a Palm pilot and it is as usefull as the user wants it to be.

It has value.

I also use a laptop. We use Troopmaster so all of our record keeping is on the computer.

Electronics are here to stay and many of us leaders for the 21st Century are knee deep in using them already.

 

That will never replace a leader though and so Wood badge will never loose its place in Scouting.

 

So far as myths... the only Myth that I hope is true about Wood badge is that I will have the time of my life.

 

Jerry

[resqman]

Electronics and Computers are the same in they are made of similar materials but different in their function. Many people spend the better part of their life in front of a computer. They come to rely on it to track and organize their life. Laptops are a way to allow you to take that oranization with you.

 

I see video and audio devices as entertainment. A way to distract your mind. The reason I enjoy scouting is being out in the woods discovering distractions.

 

Taking a laptop is like taking a paper notepad and pencil. It is a tool to allow me to be better prepared. MP3, DVD, Ipod, etc are not tools but toys. A cell phone has evolved from a phone into a camera and gaming machine. I say leave the cell phone in the car to be used if you have an emergency when traveling home. Your family should be able to exist without you for 48 hours. If not, that is why there is an emergency number at the camp.

 

Yes, let me bring my laptop so I can document what I have learned. Restrict me from bring toys to distract me.

[Fuzzy Bear]

Just a few short years ago, I was teaching and had the summers off. So, I signed up for camp staff. This camp was based on the ranch concept so I had the job of Blacksmith. I reopened the forge, cleaned up the area and arranged the tools and materials for work. During the first couple of weeks of staff development, I also built several bulky wooden benches for the swimming area. We gathered periodically for planning, singing and training. The first two weeks of camp followed and I was there continually. I left camp after being without TV, telephone, radio, or any kind of recorded music for four weeks. I was amazed and overwhelmed as I returned to civilization beginning with the highway, listening to music in the car, seeing other vehicles and returning to the city. It was difficult to accept to say the least.

 

I had been getting up early where it was quiet, the birds sang. I paid attention to the weather and looked at the trees. I turned inwardly as I worked. I was alone much of the time doing my work in the heat of the day or the coolness of the early morning. There was a richness of life without the constant hum and movement, the noise, the news. I walked across the damp grass early or back to my area late at night in the dark. I would not consider this being old fashioned, out of touch or a stick in the mud. Getting away gave me rest for my mind and body even though I was busy doing lots of other things.

 

I do not like dictating to another individual that they need to give their mind and spirit a rest so I won't. It is a secret that the BSA has known about for a long time. If a person wishes to ignore it, then I would not want to stand in their way. I am very happy to accept such a wonderful gift for myself though. I treasure the memory.

 

 

FB

[schleining]

I USED TO BE A BEAVER... AND A GOOD 'OL BEAVER TOO...

 

Finished the first weekend!!!

 

Man I am PUMPED UP!!!

 

For anyone that has not taken Wood Badge... Don't worry about anything but signing up!

 

DO IT NOW... GO!

 

Jerry

BEAVER

WE1-492-1-05

[Eamonn]

Jerry

I am really pleased and happy that you are having a great time on the course.

The course is being looked at and some changes are being made. I know several people who were part of the team that were responsible for putting together the 21st Century course. The people I know are a very diverse bunch, I'm not sure how many if any of them will be involved in these changes.

Each and every course director has had to file a close out report, with suggestions and comments about the course.

I like to think that I stuck to the syllabus and did my best to be faithful to it. My thinking being if we all did our own thing, how would we ever know what worked and what didn't?

The transition from the old courses to the new course was difficult. Some Councils had a hard core Wood Badge team, that had done little else for eons but staff courses. As the old Cub Scout Leader Trainer course was only offered by Regions, there were not that many Cub Scout staffers around. It seemed that in the eyes of the masses the old Cub Scout course never existed.

Over time many of these hard core staffers had drifted so far from the original syllabus, added so much unnecessary junk that no two courses were alike.

I get a little upset when I hear that the junk is starting to creep back in. Worse still is when people quote these "Wood Badge Rules" which are not there as being the way to run a unit.

I really don't think that Wood Badge is a place to collect misinformation, we need to do everything we can to not allow this to happen.

In these forums I have seen reports of what some participants are doing and I know that this is not part of the course and has no business being added. Of course the participants don't know this and when it comes time for them to be staff members or course directors, they are going to include this junk and maybe add a little more?

We all see units that at times make us wonder if they belong to the same organization that we belong too? Most of us have met the members of the "We don't do it that way club".

Very few of us do everything by the letter and I admit that I added extra time to the development weekends which wasn't in keeping with the staff guide. I am glad that I did as it seemed that even after we had met and agreed on dates, things seemed to spring up and people were unable to keep the dates.

I think that each and every course director brings a slightly different perspective to each course, each Troop Guide works with each Patrol in different ways and the course is in many ways shaped by the participants on the course. The Staff is there to meet their needs and these will be different on every course.

I had the great misfortune to be a staff member on a course, where we spent almost two hours debating if the staff wore long socks or short socks!! What a waste of time. My thinking is that as long as everyone was in official BSA uniform that was fine and we could concern ourselves with presenting the course material.

Eamonn.

[orennoah]

Eamonn:

 

As a 21st Century Wood Badger (WE3-41-03, got my beads last week!) and prospective staffer (QM for WE3-41-05), I'm very curious as to what sorts of things ("junk," as you called it) are being surreptitiously added to the Course.

 

I'd like to know if my course had any of that and I'd like to know how to spot it when discussing Wood Badge with others.

 

Thanks.

 

- Oren

"I used to be a Bear, . . . ."

[stlscouter]

having worked on both new and old courses the only myth I've discovered that is no myth at all is that the person with the most critter items amassed wins! Poor ravens!

[Eamonn]

Hi Oren,

Forgive the long delay.

Some Myths or Junk that seems to be creeping back are:

You have to do stuff for the Council/District in order to work your ticket.

Some courses are treating the second part of the course (Days 4,5 & 6) as some kind of endurance test.

There seems to a complete disregard to the pre-course assignment, which is really the ground work for the ticket.

Staffs are spending all their time prepping for presentations and not seeing all the good material that is in the Troop meetings.

Information about what you need to do in order to take the course is at times so wrong that it just isn't funny.

Some courses still seem to think that it is still a Boy Scout Troop Leader course.

One Council I know of has decided that they don't like parts of the course and have brought back some of the material from the old Boy Scout course. Yes it was good stuff and still is, but it isn't part of the course.

Eamonn.