SM has so many balls to juggle, keeping up with ever changing district expectations

[Eamonn]

"SM has so many balls to juggle, keeping up with ever changing district expectations"????

 

Having been one of "Them, There, District Types"

I'm having a hard time thinking of what expectations a District can place on a Scoutmaster?

 

Yes, I'll own up to doing a little arm twisting to ensure that the unit invited the FOS guy to come in and do his bit.

Yes, I pushed for each and every unit to get rechartered on time.

I pushed Training and Wood Badge. (I however still believe that those who will always will and those who refuse will never attend.)

Camporees and the like should be good fun. Maybe they help provide some sort of program for the Troops who need it, but if a Troop said it was busy doing something else. I was happy that they were not allowing the District to interfere with their unit program.

Other than this I'm left wondering what these "Ever changing district expectations" Might be?

Ea.

 

 

 

[SR540Beaver]

E,

 

I believe what Gern meant was that the SM is too busy doing his job to have to mess with keeping up with every new Eagle policy myth that the district advancement folks come up with. In other words, his time is better spent being an SM and letting an Eagle Advisor wrestle with the ever changing expectations that some district Eagle folks make up for boys to do like hop on their right foot, spinning around while patting their heads and singing Follow Me Boys during the EBOR.

[GernBlansten]

Exactly.

Depending on who from District handles a project (our DAC doesn't review the projects, he assigns someone to do it) the expectations on what is required to get from Life to Eagle vary.

I've coached 9 eagles in my unit. I've had 6 differnet district guys assigned to the scouts. Each one did things differently and had special "requirements".

The DAC does a great job trying to dispell myths, but some of the district guys still have their own agendas. And of course, they are always right aren't they?(This message has been edited by gernblansten)

[Apache Bob]

The district should be there to support the units not the other way around.

Yes, district people should be putting on camporees, roundtables, FOS, food drives, etc to assist the Troops. But the SM should be only concerned with his troop and his Scouts.

[OldGreyEagle]

The Scoutmaster of the Troop I serve is also the Council Chair of Training

[Eamonn]

OldGreyEagle

This would never be allowed in the Council I serve.

No unit leader is allowed to hold a Council Chair. Position.

 

When our DAC was unable to meet with Eagle Scouts who needed project approval, I stood in for him.

To be very honest I really see no difference with a Scout meeting with a person who has been trained in this position. That is to say has a real understanding of what the requirements are and is "Scout-Friendly" and has half a brain!!

Or a Lad meeting with a Merit Badge Counselor.

We are talking about a Leadership Project.

Leadership involves communication and being able to communicate with others.

While most Scouts I know might be a little too polite when talking with an adult to tell him /her that he or she is wrong. Most do know what the requirements state (They have read them!!) Scouts of "Eagle Age" (Whatever that might be?? - I'm going with 16 give or take a year.) Have a very strong sense of justice -What is right and what is wrong. They might remain silent, when dealing with an adult who is wrong, but will be very vocal when they get the opportunity to discuss what happened at the meeting with their SM.

I see the conversation going something like this.

SM:"Hey John how did you get on with your meeting about your Eagle Project?"

Scout: "Not bad; but the guys says my project has to involve at least 250 hours of work!. The Eagle Project Book doesn't say that. My project isn't that long."

SM: "John, let me make a call and I'll get back to you."

 

The SM calls the DAC informs him of what went on. The DAC sees that he has a problem with his staff and fixes it.

If the problem isn't fixed, he calls his COR and explains the situation. The COR attends the District Committee meeting, voices his displeasure that the District is not following the BSA guidelines. The District Key 3 hate to hear from unhappy COR's. They don't like having complaints recorded in the minutes of their meeting!! (I know!!)

They will take steps to ensure that things go the way they are supposed to go.

But if they don't?

The COR calls the Council Training Chair and explains the situation. He informs him that he is very unhappy and has plans to bring this matter up at the Council Annual Meeting.

If the threat of that doesn't have everyone shaking in their boots?

The best thing to do is move to China!!

Having adults pussyfoot around things that are not being done right and preventing Scouts from receiving the life lessons that we can provide really serves no one in any good way.

We have systems in place to fix things.

But they only work if we allow them to work.

I for one would love to see more COR's given real work to do and be given the opportunity to get involved and see what is really happening.

I still fail to see the need for any adult to do something that just about any normal Scout can do for himself.

If the District is not doing something right?

Sure adults need to fix what isn't working.

Don't take away leadership from the Scout.

Eamonn.

PS

Thanks for explaining what "SM has so many balls to juggle, keeping up with ever changing district expectations" Meant!! Clearly I took it to mean something else.

 

[Eamonn]

Double Posting.

Ea(This message has been edited by Eamonn)

[OldGreyEagle]

I can't say I don't understand, but what do you do if the post is open, a willing candidate is there and no one else who is qualified steps up?

 

Rather then artifically limit a person's involvment, why not let the person make the choice of how much time he is willing to commit?

 

if he can't do it, no shame, but if he can, why not?

[Eamonn]

OGE,

I have heard many forms of the "What Harm?" argument.

First it is the job of the person in charge to fill all positions.

As a rule this means passing the buck.

The Council President will pass it on down to a Vice President.

People who wear many hats do prevent others the opportunity to serve.

In the case of the SM. He should make a choice about what he wants to do. - Where he wants to serve?

Does he want to allow someone else the chance to be SM?

Or the opportunity to be Training Chair?

Finding quality people to fill positions is up to the Key 3 or maybe a committee.

A big draw back when someone fills more than one position is when they quit. All too often they have failed to train anyone to fill one spot let alone more than one.

I really do not believe that in a area the size of a Council that one person can't be found who is able to fill the spots that need filled.

All too often it's just a case of someone just asking someone who is there to fill the spot without really looking into who else is available? Or who could be trained to fill the spot.

Ea.