Why do you have to have a WB Ceremony?

[Indy_Owl]

Recently I completed my WB requirements and just waiting for my Troop Guide to do his thing (thats another issue). For personal reasons, I have asked for no WB beading ceremony. I don't feel the need to share this very important moment with others. This is a goal I had set for myself and accomplished. My husband understands, but I am getting a lot of pressure from others to have the ceremony. My question is why? I will wear my beads proudly regardless of how they were presented. And know that I did my best!

[EagleInKY]

I don't know of any "policy" that requires it. If you are not comfortable with it, then do it discretely. Have the TG present it to you over lunch or at your house, with your husband and anyone else you desire (or no one else).

[SR540Beaver]

There is no requirement to have a ceremony. Most people like to do it because they enjoy the recognition and enjoy the sense of brotherhood that developed thru WB. Another resaon is because your fellow WB'ers want to congratulate you. That being said, our coucil will do whatever you want, but they prefer that the beading be done at a roundtable, or a course like IOLS in order to adverise the value of WB to prospective participants. But, you can have it where, when and how you want.....even if that means mail them to me.

[Climber]

In my humble opinion many things in life are not done for yourself but for others. Perhaps all of us get some joy from being scout leaders but a whole lot of it is selfless giving without appreciation. Woodbadge is about improving yourself so that you can offer your services to the greater benefit of the world brotherhood of scouting. I personally hate ever being the center of attention but often offer these acts up for loved ones. I say grin and bear it and give your loved ones an opportunity to celebrate your achievement!

[Cutter]

I had mine presented at the Wood Badge breakfast along with one other member of my patrol and a lot of people from the prior years course. I thought this was a good idea because I did not have to take up time at another meeting and it was already scheduled so it added about 15 seconds to the meeting. I think this is a personal choice much like an Eagle ceremony. Some are elaborate and others less so. It is really up to you.

[Indy_Owl]

I would like to thank those who have responded! Last night I had my talk with my TG. The TG was surprised that my overall WB experience wasn't good (would rate it a 5). It was decided that if they could get the paperwork done by the time our Crew went to summer camp they would do the presentation at camp with just the Crew members present (my husband and son will also be there).

 

I would "highly" recommend Wood Badge and I'm actually on staff for the upcoming course. I signed up two friends, etc but I would never want to participate again as a participant. The course is very good, I have made great friends, etc but the whole "Ticket" process was a nightmare. Example: I recently learned that there is only one ticket and not five.

 

For those who maybe staff on a current course or one in the future - make sure that the "Ticket" doesn't become a nightmare to the participant! In our area there is a large percentage that never complete their requirements and I understand why! The "ticket". So much pressure is put on an individual to create the ticket that sometimes I think we forget why we are actually doing the "ticket". To help us use and apply the skills, etc learned during Wood Badge and eventually take the skills back to to our units.

[SR540Beaver]

indy,

 

Sometimes I'm dense, so forgive me please. What do you mean by one ticket and not five. A "ticket" is made up of five items. You have 18 months to complete them and if I recall correctly, you can't complete them all in the first six months. Working your ticket should be an extension of the position you hold in scouting and benefit scouting and your own personal growth. I do know that there are some very strict TG's out there who won't allow any kind of adjustment and take the ticket to an extreme. There are others like mine who realize we are people voluteering our valuable time and are very flexible. I almost didn't attend WB because of the "unknown" of tickets. I knew they were supposed to relate to your current position. My problem was that I was a Pack Committee Chair and my course was in September. I would be crossing to a troop with my son in February without knowing what position I would fill. I was in a quandry as to how I was going to write a ticket while in a transition phase. I was assured it would be no problem and it wasn't. I wrote my ticket for my position in the Pack. I got part of them done before moving to the Troop. MY TG then let me rewrite my ticket to reflect my position of ASM in the Troop. I was never required to prove my completion of my ticket items, my word was good enough. Besides, the group I run in is close enough that people would have known if I said I did them and didn't. Ticket items don't have to be major events. One of mine was to get our new Troop up and running on TroopMaster software. It was something that needed to be done and someone would have to get it done. It wasn't any more of a burden than any other task I do in the Troop. Why was your experience with the ticket so bad?

[Indy_Owl]

Where do I start...

 

Your right you do have 18 month to complete. I was able to complete all of mine in 9 month. In part because as a Unit Commissioner, parts of the ticket (I know now there is only one)were center around the recharter time frame (Sept - May).

 

Though my ticket was related to my role as a Unit Commissioner - each one could stand alone. The only thing in common was Unit Comissioner. When I went through WB somehow I interpret the Ticket as 5 tickets with five steps to complete each ticket. I now know now there is only one ticket with five steps to complete the ticket. I am not the only one that misunderstood. Several of my tickets were very time consuming - monthly newsletter, webelos to boys scout crossover booklet (this involved interviewing troops in our district to help Webelos decide which Troop they would join), teaching at Pow Wow (which I still do not understand how that related to Unit Commissioner, but was suggested by the TG to complete the requirements), etc. I know now that I could have choosen the Newsletter as the ticket and how the newsletter was produce, etc as the five steps. Hours were spent fulfilling my requirments. The joke between the "owls" during the course was we made a dangle for our troop flag out of the "yellow" post-its with comments in red pen and rejected tickets! After WB my role as Unit Commissioner changed slightly and when I asked if I could change one of my tickets - I was told no. This didn't settle well with me since I knew this could be done. There are several other things - but basically, I walked away from WB very frustrated and when I found out that I didn't have to do all that I did - angry.

 

I have been asked to serve on the current WB staff. The CD knows the problems I had (and others) and has made it his mission to make sure the past doesn't repeat its self. Not sure where the communication breakdown happen; but the role of Troop Guide is very important. You are the point person for the Patrol during and after the course as you work your ticket. And if you misunderstand the requirements, its kinda like the snowball - it just keeps growing larger.

 

I will wear my beads proudly. I will promote Wood Badge to all I see (and have done so!). No one in the current course will know what I went through. And I will be the first to step forward to help with future courses. I just hope that the patrol I am assigned, I am able to make this "Ticket" process something you will want to do and not something you dread.

 

 

 

 

 

[theysawyoucomin']

a good ol' owl too!

 

The proudest part of my Wood Badge ceremony was thanking the people who got me there. Flowers for my wife and my mother. My old cubmaster from 30 years ago is now our COR. My mom was my assistant wolf den leader. I invited a husband/ wife team --- Scoutmaster/ bear den leader. They are reportedly one of the only silver beaver /silver fawn couples in existance.They are older and don't drive at night so they missed. I also wanted to thank those on the committee that helped me accomplish my goals or let me run with my goals as unit activities. I did Wood Badge as a den leader so I may have a very limited view but it seems to me that the ticket goals are a little more dear to the frontline folks than they seem to folks higher up the unit ladder(flame on! just my opinion and limited observation , there I said it twice)

Sounds like the troop guide gave you some kind of a run around.

 

[SR540Beaver]

Indy,

 

I'm not too sure you could just do the newsletter with 5 steps and call it good. If I were a TG, I'd consider producing a newsletter as one item on your ticket. Keep in mind that one ticket item needs to deal with diversity in some way. I'm not sure how you could address diversity in the production of a newsletter. Don't get me wrong, I think the newsletter is a worthy ticket item, I just don't think you can split it into 5 elements and satisfy doing 5 items on a ticket. That being said, each and every ticket item doesn't have to be equivelent to climbing Mt. Everest. Our TG's warned us about trying to "mission impossible". They counseled against tickets items such as saying you will recruit 10 boys to your unit at the next crossover period. What if you only manage to recruit 5? It had to be reasonable and attainable. I have been shocked at how easy some of the tickets have been though. I ran into one guy who had a ticket item of attending 6 roundtables in a year. What the heck? I go to every roundtable anyway! For me, I would have paased on that one too if I were the TG.

 

Still, I don't understand why you don't want to have a ceremony based on your ticket experience while at the same time enthusiastically recruiting WB, will wear your beads with pride and working on a WB staff. Is it that you harbor bad feelings towards your TG's approach to the ticket and you don't want the TG to present the beads to you?

[Indy_Owl]

SR540Beaver,

 

My not wanting a ceremony due to WB is only part of the reason - though a major part. It is very hard to put into words. I to have been shocked at how easy some of the tickets have been in other groups. One Scoutmaster I know did a self evaluation - on himself - as Scoutmaster for his troop. Another did a survey of the moms and explained Boy Scouts to them - this was his diversity project. I'm not saying a newsletter could have been the ticket - but that I (and others in the Owl patrol) didn't have to make all the items major projects. We were told to make them attainable and not dependent on something or someone else. Such as your example of recruiting 10 boys but only had 5.

 

Bottomline - I believe that the TG didn't understand his role completely and made the whole process more difficult than it needed to be. My husband was also part of this course (and was even in the same Owl patrol); though he hasn't completed his requirements, he to is finding it difficult to communicate with the TG. Believe it or not, other than knowing his ticket is related to his role as Asst Scoutmaster - he hasn't told me what his ticket is due to the fact he felt (from his conversations with the same TG) this was between he and the TG and the overall ticket and process was not to be discussed with others. Anyways, his position in Scouting also changed within the troop but after what I went through trying to change my one of my ticket items - he decided it wasn't worth the effort.

 

I have been in scouting for over 10 yrs (short time frame compared to others) and currently hold positions on a district and council levels. This past year, I ruffled some feathers when I made the decision to take WB and accepted a major council committee position. WB is very important to me and I am having a very difficult time wanting to share this moment with individuals that have made what I do within Scouting very difficult. A close friend of mine, who would be presenting my beads, stated he would come to my home and present them with just my husband and son. He has also offered to come to summer camp and present them there with just our Crew present.

 

I appreciate all the feedback that has been offered. I love scouting and all it stands for and I will be around a long time. I'm just having a very difficult time sharing my personal achievements with those who do not make achieving my WB easy.

 

[SR540Beaver]

Indy,

 

Understood! You got a lemon, but you're making lemonade. Good on you.

 

BTW, there is nothing secret about the ticket. If I were your husband, I'd have a talk with the course director about realigning his ticket and the difficulty you've had with the TG.

[dancinfox]

I have been asked to be the Course Director for my council's Wood Badge Course in 2006. In reviewing the course we had in 2002 in which I was a Troop Guide, I determined that the position of Assistant Scoutmaster for Troop Guides is one of the most important positions in the course. In the 2004 the ASMTG was not as strong as should have been, thus some of the Troop Guides were in the dark. We had created a CD with information for them which included four sample tickets covering Cub Scouting, Boy Scouting, Venturing, and Commissioner Services. These were to be used as a sample to help the TG working with patrols in guiding them with their tickets. Also, we included a breakdown of each day and the duties of the troop guide. It made a big difference in 2004 and I think it will make a greater difference in 2006.

Dancin

[Lynda J]

No there isn't a rule that you have to have your beads presented publicly. But one thing I have learned in my over 40 years of adult scouting is that many times seeing someone get an award like this encourages other adults to take this training.

 

 

[eagle-pete]

Indy

 

First of all, you deserve congratulations for what you have accomplished. Wood Badge is not easy. My experience was fraught with challenges, many of which seemed tailored to my growth and development. I know of no one who has gone through the course and ticket process who felt that it was either too elementary, easy, or a waste of time. Virtually all participants that I have ever known have felt the opposite; that it was difficult, exhausting, and well worth their time. So I would classify your sentiments about Wood Badge as normal.

 

As for ceremonies, I am sure you can appreciate the value of recognition. It is a basic Scouting method and certainly you do not need any lectures or instruction on it after the years of scouting service you have provided. The Wood Badge beading ceremonies which are so widely performed are essentially traditional. There is no requirement to perform them, just as an Eagle Court of Honor is not a requirement, but few would argue the value of a proper, dignified, and well planned ceremony. How, when, where, and even if you hold a beading ceremony is entirely up to you.

 

I would like to say a word about Troup Guides. And this goes for any Wood Badge staff member. I have known a few Troup Guides; good ones, bad ones, well prepared and dedicated ones. They are just people. However, they have (or should have) received some specialized training during the period of time when the Wood Badge staff prepares the course they are about to deliver. Like anything in life, this falls under the you get what you put into it category. It is unfortunate, but that there seem to be, although not often, Wood Badge courses with staff members who have taken this extremely rare opportunity far too much for granted. We expect so much out of our Wood Badge staff, and rightly so. Wood Badge is the most advanced training program the BSA offers. However, the course really is only as good as the staff presenting it. This is precisely why staff membership is by invitation only and that the Course Director is solely responsible for selecting the very best people for his/her staff.

 

Now it would be awesome if all participants were guaranteed (money back, ha ha) a well run, well prepared course with an absolutely top-notch staff, where all Troup Guides know their rolls and responsibilities, take them seriously, and do all they can to make sure every participant has the most positive Wood Badge experience possible. But we know this is not realistic.

 

I would love to go through the course as a participant on your Wood Badge course that you will serve on. I can imagine that you will take all your experiences you had, good and bad, and apply them toward the course you are preparing for. What a great opportunity you have to do it right. You know, by personal experience, all the dos and donts of Wood Badge. You are definitely better prepared than the participant who skimmed through with ease, not having known the frustrations, hard work, and difficulties you experienced. Your course is going to be awesome, and I would bet you will be contributing significantly to the success of that course.

 

Eagle-Pete(This message has been edited by eagle-pete)