jkmscottie Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I am a new scoutmaster and am having a problem with the committee chair. He is at the meetings and campout (which I am ok with) but he is instructing the boys and getting after them when they do wrong. My question is I was under the impression that any discipline or anything that has to do with the boys should be the scout masters role and not the committee chair or the committee at all. Am I correct? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Let me answer your question with two questions: When camping, how far away do you insist that adults camp from the boys, and how far away do does each patrol camp from the others? During meetings how many rooms down the hall are the adults from the boys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSScout Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Along with Q's questions, some more: Has each of you had the BSA training for your (assumed) positions? Which of you is the better at the skills involved? When was the last time you bought the CCh a cuppacoffee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fred johnson Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Yeah, start with a cup of coffee and a friendly smile. Scoutmaster and committee chair is like a marriage. Ya both better be on the same page or there will be conflict. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O'Scouter Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I have never heard of a troop where the leadership didn't pitch in together to keep the boys from setting their shoes in fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwazse Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I have never heard of a troop where the leadership didn't pitch in together to keep the boys from setting their shoes in fire. I can't remember if I was SPL or PL at the time, but I was fully responsible for my non-compliant scout one winter campout. When he went hopping away from the fire with lit boot, it was entirely on me to tackle him, grab that smoking lump of rubber off his foot, sink it in the snow, and figure out if his foot got hurt. (It didn't.) Then it was on me to figure out how to make that holey boot and a sock full or tar babies serviceable until we got home. Only after that, would I then walk the 100 yards over to the SM and report the situation. Frankly, I never knew there could be a panoply of adults meddling in campfire affairs until my son started scouting. But then, our kids are dressed in much more expensive foot gear. Gotta protect that investment, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAHAWK Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Beyond safety: >the CC's job is to run the Committee. >your job is to train the leaders (Scouts) and to be their resource, coach, and mentor. The classic advice is to praise publicly and criticize privately. Who addresses "doing wrong" depends on what sort of "wrong" it is. Scout's tent is a mess? Leader's (PL) job. PL screaming at Scouts? Occasion for private counseling of PL on effective leadership. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattR Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 jkmscottie, welcome to the forums. The short answer to your question is yes, it's your responsibility. The longer version, and what everyone else is talking about, is whether even you should deal with those issues. Sure, sometimes you should. If for example, you have a scout bring weed to summer camp then that's your issue (been there done that). But if it's a scout that doen't want to do dishes then it's the PL's issue. He may ask for help from the SPL, and if that doesn't help they might come to you for help to figure out how to deal with it. Again, you aren't dealing with it directly. You'll notice that in no situation the CC should be dealing with these issues. If the CC is trained as an ASM then I'd have no problems with him acting in that manner, but he should be deferring to you in any case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeCastor Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Unfortunately, jkm, this is an issue we see quite frequently on this forum. I think it comes down to exactly what everyone has said. 1. Have everyone trained in their respective positions. 2. Let the Patrol Leaders take care of their Scouts. 3. Leave discipline to the PLs and SPL. (Unless it's weed, which happens I guess .) 4. Keep the dang adults away from the Scouts as much as possible. 5. Don't be afraid of the CC. Reach out to him/her and keep that relationship positive. 6. Have fun with this! Welcome to the forum, jkm! Let us know how things progress in your Troop. Being a new Scoutmaster can be exciting and very rewarding. It can also be frustrating. But we who are SMs were all new at some point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torchwood Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Our committee chair attends camping trips, and is a great resource for the other adult leaders. However, he always stays out of direct contact roles. He leaves that to the PLC, as do the direct contact leaders (SM and ASMs). First line is always the PL, then the SPL or ASPL. We only get involved if it escalates beyond that, or if there is a serious safety issue at hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
O'Scouter Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Frankly, I never knew there could be a panoply of adults meddling in campfire affairs until my son started scouting. But then, our kids are dressed in much more expensive foot gear. Gotta protect that investment, I suppose. The point I was trying to make, in retrospect poorly, was that barring something significant such as scout on fire it should be left to SPL with the support of SM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagledad Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I am a new scoutmaster and am having a problem with the committee chair. He is at the meetings and campout (which I am ok with) but he is instructing the boys and getting after them when they do wrong. My question is I was under the impression that any discipline or anything that has to do with the boys should be the scout masters role and not the committee chair or the committee at all. Am I correct? It seems like what you are really asking is: “What are the CC and SM’s responsibilities?â€Â. That the question is being asked does suggest a lack of some training on the adults part. The simple quick answer is sit down together with that cup of coffee, as was suggested, and figure out what the responsibilities are for the CC and the SM. You can even cheat and use the handbooks. But in the bigger picture you are going to have to figure out a way of working the CC to get this stuff sorted out because differences in expectations happen a lot. And it’s not just with the CC, there will always be that one adult who isn’t following the SM’s expectations. So working with the CC now is good practice for future discussions with ASMs, Committee members and parents. It’s not a fun part of the SM job, but it is important. Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSScout Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Hey, JKM, you still out there? Howz the CCh and you getting along? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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