An hour a week

[t158sm]

At one point 10 years ago or so I figured up the time I was spending on Scouts. The very conservative estimate I came up with was almost 1000 hours for the year. (Scout meetings, Cub meetings, two weeks of summer camp, monthly campouts, PLC meetings, Wood Badge staff, roundtables, OA . . .) My actual time is considerably less now. (No Wood Badge, No Cub meetings, No roundtables, less OA.) Before anyone says anything about my not going to roundtable - they've changed nights to the same as our Scout meeting night now.

Still a few hundred hours a year now.

 

EDIT

Due to the temporal distortions we have been experiencing in this time continuum this post will actually be made after EagleinKY' post.(This message has been edited by t158sm)

[CA_Scouter]

Don't you think its amazing how many posts you see on this forum when you figure that we only spend roughly and hour a week doing this? Har-har... yea RIGHT!

 

I'm trying to figure out how much time I really DO dedicate to my troop... let's see...

 

1. Check scouter.com every morning and various times throughout the day

2. Review program to be sure we are on track

3. Work with Committee Chair on various things

4. Look for Scoutmaster Minutes to share

5. Work with ASM's to keep the scouts on track

6. Troop meetings once a week

7. Scoutmaster meetings once a month

8. Campouts once a month

9. Advise my Eagle candidate on his project

 

I'm probably looking at 6-10 hours avg a week here.

 

I guess the most time I spend on Scouting is just THINKING about it. Its constant... I'm always thinking of how we can improve the program, how I can get my scouts to do more boy-led stuff, places we can go, equipment we can get, inventive and fun stuff we can do, etc...

 

Here's a good story... I was at REI last weekend and they had a 'used and unclaimed gear' sale. I walk back there and they are selling boots for 83 cents a pair! Yes, you read correctly. I got 7 pair of boots ( all in good condition ) to bring back to the troop for our equipment locker. I was so excited that I totally forgot the reason I was there was to buy new boots for myself! What a sicko, eh?

 

So how long is your 'hour per week' ?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SemperParatus]

I stopped wearing a watch several years ago. As long as you are doing what you enjoy, the time expended is pretty irrelevant.

 

As a Cubmaster/Den Leader, I used to spend a good 15 hours a week on average. As a Scoutmaster, it was probably about the same as you, 6-10 hours a week. As Committee Chair, its 2-3 hours a week. I stay away from District/Council responsibilities as much as possible, nowadays. I found they had a tendency of becoming blackholes of time that consumed too many precious hours away from my family, church, work, troop and me.

 

Of course, if you didn't spend so much time with scouting on your mind, you would probably have never come across the deal of the century...83 cent boots...wow!

 

 

[OneHour]

Ah ... a topic that's near and dear to my name!

 

Monday night - 6:15 pm - 9:00 pm, troop meeting (actually troop meeting lasts 1.5 hour, paperwork, mb counseling, requirement testings take up 1-1.5 hour afterward.)

 

Tuesday night (used to be) - 6:45 pm - 8:00, Den meeting (I have 6 mos reprieve from Cub Scout before I start all over again as a Tiger Leader)!

 

Wednesday night (once a month) - 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm - Troop Committee meeting.

 

Thursday night (once a month) - 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm - Round Table

 

Friday - Sunday - campout, outing, District events, District Training ...

 

This excluding any review of the troop plan with the SPL or mb counseling ... not to mention helping out with the Pack meeting and planning for Den meetings or Pack event that I chair.

 

Of course, it doesn't include shopping on the net for cheap camping, hiking gear for myself, my boys, or for the troop.

 

I'd say ... about 10+ hours (without counting campouts and weekend scouting activities) a week and that's conservative! At pinewood derby time, the hours go up considerably, especially when I get to work on my 18-wheeler!

 

My wife says that I live and breathe scouting. That's not true! I also dream scouting, too!

 

As it goes ... it's one hour a week per scout!

 

1Hour

 

 

ps: This also excludes the cummalative hour each day looking, learning, and sharing on this forum.(This message has been edited by OneHour)

[EagleInKY]

An hour per week per scouts... that's funny. And, not that far from the truth. I'd say that when we were small and new, it was more like two hours per week per scout, but not it's considerably less.

[OXCOPS]

I would say I put in (on average) 60 hours a week.

 

Of course, I like it so much I became a District Exec.

 

In case you guys don't know, the work you volunteer for the units is greatly appreciated. There is no real way to measure the successes you have helped create in each Scout, but know that it would not be possible without the dedication and hard work of the adult volunteers.

 

Thank you.

[DugNevius]

if you ask my ex it was way too long. She couldnt handle me going to philmont for two weeks, not to mention all the training i led the troop in for a year. The relationship is over but i continue in scouting.

[red feather]

"An hour a scout" just about states the time spent. Comes out to about 20 hours a week. As recently new (6mos) scoutmaster I am finding that the more I do not know the more time I spend trying to learn about what I do not know.

 

Lovin every minute of it.

 

yis