Fat Old Guy Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 " I think you must live down about Dante's Level 5 from the way you describe your troop and its parentage." It may well be that. We have too many parents who have "Eagles in their eyes" and are driving their son's Scouting experience to that end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evmori Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 "We do a better job when we focus on delivering a program that scouts will want to attend rather than counting heads of who is there and who is not." Good statement. So if the Scouts want a program that does little camping & focuses on sports, that's ok? "Sure the scout needs to feel an obligation to participate, but we as leaders are responsible for creating and nurturing that feeling. A good leader has better tools to do that with than threats and attendance rules." Having Troop standards like attendance is not a threat. It is what it is - a Troop standard. It is only on of the methods many Troops use not the only method. Belonging to Scouts is voluntary. Just like joining a sports team at school or the band at school. If you don't show up for sports or band practice you won't reap the benefit of the organization. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 the following was taken from this website listing the requirments for Life Scout http://usscouts.org/advance/boyscout/bsrank6.html Be active in your troop and patrol for at least 6 months as a Star Scout. While a Star Scout, serve actively 6 months in one or more of the positions of responsibility listed in requirement 5 for Star Scout (or carry out a Scoutmaster-assigned leadership project to help the troop). There are other requirements, but these are the ones I will focus on. Note it says be active for 6 months in troop and patrol, and the requirement for a POR is also 6 months. If the scout sucessfully completes his 6 months of POR, he has to have been active in his troop and patrol. If he then doesnt show up to another troop event in three months but does earn the required merit badges for life on his won, seeking outside the troop counselors, on what basis would you hold up his advancement when he asked for a Scoutmaster Conference during month 4, he did the requirements, what would you say? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Old Guy Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 " If the scout sucessfully completes his 6 months of POR, he has to have been active in his troop and patrol." Not really. What if his POR is historian and he's been busy pasting things into scrapbooks but has not attended a single troop meeting, campout, or gone to a patrol meeting? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Proud Eagle Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 OGE, I think is arguing against something that none of the rest of us are arguing for. I think he is saying that if someone attends for 6 months, does the job required by the POR for the lenght of time, he can no longer be required to attend in order to advance. I think we would all agree that once someone completes those 4 or 6 month requirements, they can't become incomplete simply because he missed the last 3 meetings after completing the requirement. On the other hand I would think we could say that someone hasn't shown up in 2 months, hasn't returned phone calls, and didn't reply to the letter we sent, so we are dropping him from the troop roster. Though even if a hypothetical Star Scout completed the 6 month requirements, then dropped out, he could still return and use the previously completed requirements to advance. If my assumptions about this are incorrect please set me straight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob White Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Why would you drop him from your roster before his membership expires? He has done nothing in violation of the BSA? What is he costing you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 evmori I have no doubt that you would do everything in your power to get a scout a uniform. (thats a good thing!) I am talking about a unit that is not as well off as we are, since we are all posting on the internet I am assuming that we all have computers, there are units out there where the families cannot afford clothes yet alone a computer and an internet connection. If the BSA made the uniform required, there maybe boys out there that may never get to be a Boy Scout that wanted to be, because the uniform is required and the family has better things to spend the money on. This is why I feel that the BSA does not make the uniform a requirement. You really seem to be hung up on the fact that the uniform is not a requirement, do you see how this could do more harm than good if it was a requirement? As leader we have the tools from the BSA to guide the scouts to wear a full uniform without making it a rule. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 By Jove, I think he has it, Now, once again, the primary precipitation in Portugal pelts principally upon the plateau... I have no problem with troops defining what succesfully defines completion of a POR and provides aid, support and critisim along the way. Lets say a scout bridges on his 11 birthday. On his 12th birthday he acheives First Class, (sorry FOG, he wasnt rushed through he attended every meeting and outing and acutally knows his stuff) at 12 years, six months, (ok he slowed down a little, but work with me) he makes Star. And on his 13th birthday, he makes Life. He goes to all the meeting, is a real sparkplug and a joy to be around. And on his 14th birthday he makes Eagle. Such proud parents, such a great kid, and after the next meeting following his Eagle Court of Honor, he is never seen again. Well, he is seen, just not at Scout meeitngs and activties. Now, another scout bridges with him on the same night, takes him longer to get to first class, actually he does it on his 13th birthday, but band and wrestling get in the way at times. He serves as a qurtermaster for 4 months as a First Class scout quite well, then band starts and he does merit badges here and there but really isnt seen much until his 14th birthday when he acheives Star. He becomes a patrol leader and does a great job for 6 months and almost (!) drops out of sight, surfacing on his 16th birthday with all requirements done for Life. and as you may expect, he finally completes the Eagle requiements when he is 17 years, 364 days and 15 hours old. (Includes a bang up Eagle project and 6 months as the finest instructor the troop ever had) Tell me, which of the two scouts is the better Eagle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 OGE you wrote I have no problem with troops defining what succesfully defines completion of a POR Is this not already spelled out within the POR job descriptions from the BSA? Are you saying that these are not good enough? Are you saying that you want ot add to these requirments or subtract from the? Sorry do not see a place for more troop rules or guidelines for POR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evmori Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 dan, No I'm not hung up on the BSA not requiring uniforms. The point I am trying to make is people seems to be dead set against attendance standards for Troops but want all their Scouts in a uniform that isn't required! Seems like the same thing to me. Ed Mori 1 Peter 4:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 evmori I do not see how uniforms and attendance are anything alike? Sorry, but I do not get the point you are making. Uniforms are a method. Attendance is?!? I would love to see all scouts at every event, but I know this is not going to happen, but I will do everything in my power to get them to come to every event. By trying to help the PLC and SM create a fun program that the scouts want to come to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGreyEagle Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Dan, could you post such a Job Description and I'll explain what I mean by using it as an example of what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 Historian Gather pictures and facts about past troop activites. Take care of troop trophies, ribbons, ... Keep information about former members. Sets a good example. Enthusiastically wears the Scout Uniform. Lives by the Scout Oath and Law. This was done by memory so it may not be correct, but it should work for the example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fat Old Guy Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 " If the BSA made the uniform required, there maybe boys out there that may never get to be a Boy Scout that wanted to be, because the uniform is required and the family has better things to spend the money on." I dunno. Sports teams require uniforms and many poor families find the money for sports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan Posted December 2, 2003 Share Posted December 2, 2003 my expectations where meet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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