Want to do Wood Badge / SM says wait till next year

[dg98adams]

Lots of good stuff there SR540Beaver for rhol...we are on the same page.

 

rhol, I also say take Wood Badge when it works for you.

 

As a Wood Badge staffer, I even see revising your revision a bit more to make it less limiting... but you'll get the same idea during the course.

 

FROM: "write a ticket that says I will teach the XYZ merit badge to enable scouts to earn the MB."

 

TO: "Develop/implement/create a plan/opportunity/toolkit so that the XYZ merit badge/HA activity/etc can be presented/made available to Scouts".......

 

 

 

 

 

[Basementdweller]

If I want resources, google is great.

 

I would start listing ticket ideas, Just rough ideas. You will not get 5 high adventure ticket items if your TG does his job, you may get one or two if your lucky.

 

A large number of my fellow course participants had their tickets already done when they showed up.

 

A lot about the course I took was not a typical course from what I gather. There were a lot of personal relationships between TG's, Staff and some of the participants. A number of the participants were "schooled" in the games and what to do and when. One group even knew there patrol before lunch the first day.......Opps, I am not adding to the conversation in a positive manner.

[CalicoPenn]

Just curious - I see a lot of "I want" in there - but what about the PLC? If the Scouts aren't ready or willing to come along on your adventure, yet, then you could put yourself at a disadvantage in trying to fulfill your ticket. Perhaps part of waiting a year is to give the SM the time to prime the pump with the PLC so that the timing meshes.

 

Just a thought.

[BDPT00]

You don't need Wood Badge to proceed with your high adventure plans. Go ahead. Holding off on your plans so that you can walk into the course with a ticket ready to go is a mistake. Do your high adventure research and promotion now. There's no reason to wait for this fall or next.

That being said, if I were you, I'd do Wood Badge this fall. Just don't go in with preconceived (and pre-announced) notions about a ticket. Go in with an open mind and an empty slate.

You don't need anyone's permission to take Wood Badge. A very common comment after a course is participants who say, "I wish I would have done this sooner." You don't need to wait a year so that then you can say it too. Go now. Before you go, start your plans and ideas regarding high adventure. There's no solid reason for waiting. Talk to your Scouts and see what they want to do. Find out what they know and don't know. Help them achieve success. No need to wait to help kids.

BDPT00

[BrentAllen]

Basement,

Is there a day that goes by that someone doesn't pee in your cheerios? Honestly, I don't see how you can still be in the program, given all the bad experiences you've had. I'd have been gone a long time ago.

[moosetracker]

Basement said "One group even knew there patrol before lunch the first day......."

maybe this is a change to the WB course over the last few years? I took WB21C in it's 3rd or 4th year.. I am told at the first lunch we had a Blue & Gold (but if so it blew by me..) But, I am sure.. positive.. I was told I was a Bob White within an hour of when I arrived.. And the dely was probably due to the fact that I came unannounced and angry as hell at the *#@@ course director.. So I am sure they isolated me to a) figure out if my foul mood was going to seep out onto the other participants (Which it wasn't I was only mad at one person).. And b) to figure out which patrol to put me in, and I was happy to see I did foul up their patrol organization..

 

To this day I will call the course director a turd.. But all the other staffers and participants were wonderful, and I enjoyed myself when not trying to shoot daggers at the CD with my eyes.. All other course directors have been wonderful, I just got stuck with the one lemon of the bunch..

 

Anyway.. Do all you guys not get assigned your patrol until after the first day lunch..(This message has been edited by moosetracker)

[SR540Beaver]

neil_b: "When I went to WB I did not feel I had enough time to think about my ticket items or enough time to discuss with my troop guide. We went from one presentation or activity to another with very little free time in the schedule."

 

The schedule is designed to keep you moving and has little if any free time built in. Each of those presentations and activities build off of one another and all work together in part, to get you ready for developing your ticket. The time to actually put pen to paper is the two weeks or so inbetween weekend one and weekend two when you can go back home and discuss it with your unit leadership. From my experience, TG's will usually ask you to stay in touch with them during this period to counsel you as needed.

[SR540Beaver]

moosetracker,

 

You showed up to a WB course unannounced? Had I been a CD, I probably would have sent you home. There is a ton of planning that takes place prior to a course and much of it is dependent on knowing who has signed up. WB budgets are tight. When I served as QM, I had to plan meals for X number of people. Do we build some leeway in? Of course we do. But if we had 10 folks show up unannounced, we have a problem. A course can only have a max of 48. If we have 45 signed up and 10 show up, we have a problem. When I served as ASM of Program, I had to handle all the printing of materials.....for X number of people. If one shows up unannounced, we have a problem. Printing isn't cheap and resources to pump out an additional copy at camp were practically non-existant. The CD puts alot of planning into who goes into which patrols as they try to get a good mix of experience to inexperience and diversity. This is based off of information registered participants send in prior to the course. If someone shows up anannounced, we have a problem.

 

Maybe I'm reading what you said wrong, but why in the world would you think it is OK to decide at the last minute to take the course and just show up? This isn't a Fast Start class at Roundtable.

 

Edited to add: You start the first morning as a numbered den. When you have the Blue and Gold at lunch, you cross over into your patrol. It is at that point that you learn which patrol you are in.(This message has been edited by sr540beaver)

[Basementdweller]

Brent.....All, well most of my bad experiences are interactions with adults. Take most of the adults out of scouting it would be outstanding.

 

Horrible training experiences were woodbadge and powderhorn. Outstanding training was IOLS and OWL.

 

Great parent experiences, one mom in tears after crossover because I was not going to be her sons den leader any more. Bad parent experiences, Dad hitting den leader and excuses as to why they cannot bring their son to scouts.

 

Great youth experiences, I received several thank you letters from boys for all the effort with fund raising and arranging our webelos advancement weekend. Bad youth experiences, boys that cry at a drop of the hat and bullying. I forgot...the creative language

 

Great leader experiences the group of boys rushing in to tell me a story or chat with me to the point I cannot even hear my self think. Bad leader experiences CM running off with webelos den leader whom he was not married to.....nearly killing the pack.

 

 

 

The boys and good memories keep me going......A weekend with the troop will recharge my battery's for a month. When I am beat down and just about to throw in the towel something happens......After the fist throwing at the pinewood, the young man who won turned that entire day around for me.....made it all worth it. A the justice.....That car had to have 300 carpet miles on it. Still makes me smile.

[acco40]

Scoutmaster approval is not required to attend. Assume you don't ask your unit to finance your attendance. i say go for it.

[ScoutBox]

If you have the time, then go for it. I had the time, and did it. I learned so much, and what I learned has helped my troop. But, and i mean a big BUT. It helps when writing you ticket that your unit will support you in working your ticket. I suggest, you sit down with your SM, tell him why you think you need to take it now, and tell him you want to take it know. Then ask him to help you prepare ideas for your ticket. I did this, and although the SM who replaced the old SM came on board, and decided not to support my ticket work. It was a fight. But when he realized he was leaving just short of a year as a SM, he let me finish up my ticket, which I did, and was beaded this year. I was able to get my last 4 points worked in a month because of this.. Anyway, try to get his support, if he still doesn't give it, either think before going, or better yet, come up with a ticket that you can do without his support. Example, becoming a Trainer, going to Powderhorn, serving on camp staff. 360. getting other training like Wilderness First Aid, etc...

 

SB

[SeattlePioneer]

>

 

 

 

Oh --- BEADED. I thought beheading was a little severe when I read that the first time.

[rhol]

I made the decision to do WB. I have communicated with the WB course director and distric executive and told them about my concern and they have NO problem with me doing WB. They actually encoraged it.

 

Some ticket ideas I have are:

Take Powderhorn

Take BSA Lifeguard (also to invite other adults and then senior scouts to take it with me)

Take Climb Instructor Training

Take Wilderness First Aid

Possible create a special HA special requirments and release form

 

I also have many other possible ticket ideas like:

Bus trip to see an Army Football Game with allowed guests for recruting new scouts?

Start a new Venturing Crew?

Plan a trip to Floodwood HA camp?

Be on the council planning commitee for the 2013 Jamboree?

Become a trained council trainer?

Get the BSA Alumni Award Square Knot?

Get the Scout Leader's Training Award Sware Knot?

 

I may also do WB as a Venture Crew Assistant Leader if my older son gets involved?

 

The final ticket will be figured out when required, but I do have ideas in and out of HA.

 

I thank everyone for their answers and opinions!(This message has been edited by rhol)

[moosetracker]

Sounds like overall vision for your ticket would be to become trained to lead high adventure activities. Or "Get Trained to become a well rounded leader".. So some of the possibilities for your 5th item would not fit the overall vision of the Ticket. The army football, coucil jamboree, (Don't know enough about the knots to know if they would fit or not, maybe), also the start a venturing Crew (and that is a large under taking so that I would say would be THE ticket vision, not a step to achieve the vision of a ticket)..

 

About the WB staff saying come on board.. That's like asking the sales clerk if you should buy a certain computer.. They need to fill their course by a certain number of the course gets canceled..

 

But good luck to you.. You will enjoy it, although some will whiz by faster then you can catch.

[ScoutBox]

moosetracker is right about asking the Staff. We are required to recruit.. as for your tickets, Don't make them too difficult. Some people end up writing themselves into a hole they can't get out of.. As in I will bring my troop to a Army Football game. How about I'll bring them to a sporting event. There are other examples out there.. but right them, and the Staff will help you with this. to have a sort of back door. Like you will try to encourage the troop to start HA activities. Not will do HA. This way, you present the idea, and work to make it happen, but if it doesn't due to many factors, you can say at least you worked to make it happen. I got into a hole with OA .. in the end I made it happen, but with out much help getting there. And don't forget that you will have to do one part on Diversity..