Cell Phones

[scottmphoto]

Last summer at camp, we had the cell phone problem, but I was only a parent teaching a merit badge and not in the troop leadership at the time.

The leadership made a BIG deal out of the Scouts not bringing any electronics but every adult there (except me, because I turned my phone off and locked it in the car for the week) virtually had a cell phone glued to their ear.

I took a few of them aside at different times and made a few observations and commented about the example that the adults were setting for the Scouts. Needless to say, it didn't do much good.

This summer, I am Scoutmaster and there will be a NO ELECTRONICS policy. I have started making it clear that they can all bring their phones but that they will remain locked in the vehicles. If I catch them with one, I will take it away for the remainder of camp. If there is an emergency, all the parents and spouses will have the camp's emergency land-line number.

I love my cell phone, I don't have a land-line telephone at home... But I go to camp to GO TO CAMP. If I wanted all the stuff that I have at home...I would just stay home.

[asm 411]

Just before summer camp last year the SM and I had got tired of be being detectives and policemen so we asked the PLC what they wanted to do.

 

They came up with some guidelines which are very reasonable. One point is the PLs would be the policemen. It has worked well so far.

 

Are there Scouts that come on camp outs with cell phones? Yep. I have yet to see one being used for a phone call. Mostly taking pictures and as a watch and alarm clock.

 

Is there texting going on when I am not looking? Probably. If we had an adult rule would it still be happening? Yep. The difference is that the Scouts make and enforce the rules and therefore it is no longer a game of hide the cell phone from the Scouters.

 

Are the Scouts missing out on the outdoor experience? Nope.

 

The real question is are we teaching responsible and appropriate actions or how to bully others into doing things our way?

 

 

 

[SMT224]

asm 411 -

Sounds like a good idea - always good to have the PLC develop guidelines.

Can you post them here in their entirety? This may help cathyjh in her current situation by having the Scouts weight in - not just the adults!

Thanks!

[Narraticong]

I'm right in line with ASM. The PLC in his case was left to make the decision. In other words, to set the rules of the "game of Scouting". Sounds like they did a good job.

 

Laws and rules are created to control actions. As a Scoutmaster I feel greater success when Scouts and leaders act appropriately because they understand it is the right thing to do. If they only do it because "it is a rule", then many will look for a way to get around the rule. Instead, let's lead by example, and if we do a good, honest job, others will follow.

 

As specifically relates to cell phones, we curmudgeons need to accept that they are part of life today. I don't care if someone brings one along, or even uses it. But every tool we bring along needs to be used appropriately. The PLC, working with the Scoutmaster, determines what is appropriate. If someone is handling a knife, saw, cell phone, length of rope, stave, inappropriately, it calls for an individual, or perhaps, a group teaching moment. Rather than punishment, we need to look at opportunities to lead and teach. And the more of these discussions which are led by your boy leaders, the more successful your unit will be.

 

This is not difficult. It just involves teaching them, then turning them loose to find success.

[Stosh]

The only problem we have had with cell phones is on our fall outing one boy was home-sick and his PL let him borrow his cell phone to call home. The boy did so, his parents came and got him and he has never returned to the troop. I was unaware of this until AFTER the parent had come and gotten the boy.

 

My only comment to the PL was, "That's why cell phones have no place at outings." Had the PL made a better choice maybe we would still have that scout in our troop. The PL has commented his regrets and now discourages the cell phones amongst his peers for just that reason.

 

Stosh

[scoutldr]

What we are discussing here is the demise of a culture of common sense and etiquette. And I, for one, despise it. Whether the issue is cell phones, smoking, following the rules of the road, business ethics, social graces, or whatever. We have become and are raising the next generation of narcissistic, rude, hedonistic and disagreeable organisms, who think of nothing other than "what's in it for my pleasure" and "anything's ok if you don't get caught". Sad. Really sad...and scary. Animalistic behavior.

[SMT224]

"The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect to their elders.... They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and are tyrants over their teachers."

-- attributed to Socrates by Plato

 

"I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words... When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and

respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly disrespectful and impatient of restraint" -- Hesiod, 8th century BC

 

[OldGreyEagle]

The scary part to me is the attitude of if you can't live without a cell phone, we don't need you exhibited by many.

 

I think thats up to the adult carrying the cell phone and whether or not its use is disrupting the program.

 

I do not know of many units that would refuse adults based on cell phone use, you guys must have a significantly larger volunteer base than the area I serve

 

And with all the Cell phone talk, we have barely scratched the surface of the original question, does the scoutmaster have the authority to tell adults to leave cell phones at home. He can say anything he likes, I will bring what I find necessary

 

(This message has been edited by oldgreyeagle)

[Eagledad]

>>Laws and rules are created to control actions. As a Scoutmaster I feel greater success when Scouts and leaders act appropriately because they understand it is the right thing to do. If they only do it because "it is a rule", then many will look for a way to get around the rule. Instead, let's lead by example, and if we do a good, honest job, others will follow.

 

As specifically relates to cell phones, we curmudgeons need to accept that they are part of life today. I don't care if someone brings one along, or even uses it. But every tool we bring along needs to be used appropriately. The PLC, working with the Scoutmaster, determines what is appropriate.

[Lisabob]

All of a sudden this has popped up as a problem in our troop at meetings. The oldest scouts (late high school age) seem to have lost all sense of good manners. It has gotten to a point where several adults, independently, have talked with the older guys about the issue. I admit I was one and I NEVER do that, but as I watched a younger scout struggle to teach skill a couple of weeks ago to an unruly group of older guys who were playing on their cell phones, the teacher in me came out.

 

Well part of the problem is manners, plain and simple. But part of it is also that they tend to do this when they aren't being engaged. For example, the skill being presented in the above scenario was really not well done and carried little of value. Not that this excuses poor behavior, but you know the saying about idle hands?

 

Afterwards, some of us adults were talking about it. The agreement was that we supported the SM being less patient and more pointed about manners and the scout law. And we talked about developing a better skill session, which includes helping the presenters learn how to do a good presentation. The former is easier than the latter so we'll see. This week we had a great skill session and no problems, but it was adult-run. And the SM did hold the boys to a higher standard of behavior in terms of the manners thing.

 

As for adults, we have a few big phone talkers. I've noticed that many of them take their cues from the SM's example. Our previous SM was one of those who seemed to have his phone connected to his head but our current SM isn't. Seems like it makes some difference in how the other adults behave. Still, adult-to-adult, it is tough to say "you cannot have your phone and if I catch you, I'll take it from you." Oh yeah? You want to try that? Not a useful dynamic there. Better if the PLC makes a troop-wide decision, I think.

 

 

 

 

[raisinemright]

Here's my take on this.

 

Scouts should leave their phones at home. Adults can have them but should be judicious in their use.

 

Our summer camp has no power at the campsites, so any phones their are off most of the time to save the batteries. It's a one mile walk to the cars to charge them up. However, last year, after I had left, my son had a medical problem that needed a trip to the clinic in town. Instant access to the SM was very helpful. I made the minor mistake of talking to my son on the phone. He is 12, loves scouting, camping and has probably spent a collective 4-6 months away from home with scouts, Bible camp, sleepovers etc. He doesn't get homesick. As soon as I got on the phone, I could tell he was having a little bout of homesickness. He got over it quickly, but with other kids it would be worse.

 

This past weekend, we had a pretty heavy duty storm pop up with strong sustained winds. A couple dad's were calling home and checking the weather constantly. Unfortunately, some of the scouts overheard the forecast of 70 mph winds, it quickly escalated to 90 mph winds and the rumors flew. One of our kids has a pathological fear of storms. I took a crowbar into the block bathroom and got him out of the fetal position and back outside.

 

The stormns never really returned and he was OK. I flat out told him that I called his dad and told him not to come to the campfire that night as he was planning to do.

 

But, to make a short story long, I'll be bringing up at our next meeting that if leaders are calling about weather, conversations must be out of earshot of scouts and only general announcements are to be made to prevent out of control bad weather rumors.

 

It was a really cool storm too! And, i do believe the troop can have electronics rules for all. They can be amended for adults though.

[packsaddle]

Lisabob, I guess we're lucky about the manners thing. The boys in this unit are, for the most part, well-mannered. Some of them say "sir" and "m'am" and don't interrupt, for example. I have to say this is also true for the college students. Most of them exhibit great respect and I think this is not out of fear. I did have one, this semester, who was addicted to the cell phone. I inform them at the first class that every lecture they miss will cost them about half a letter grade. And that texting during class is the same thing as missing a lecture. After the first exam those who missed that point at the beginning understand it clearly. But it's easier when the leader has full control and not quite as direct when the boys are running things. As I said, I guess we're lucky that way.

[mmhardy]

I view a cell phone as essential emergency equipment. In fact after going though an evacuation with our Scout Troop at Sea Base during last years tropical storm Fay I would say that adult Scout leaders be deemed negligent if they don't have one.

[Eagle732]

Our policy is that Scouts should not have electronics in general without special permission. I allow my SPL and PLs to have cell phones on certain camping trips, such a s backpacking trips or when I know patrols will be off on their own so that I can communicate with them in an emergency. They came in handy once when we had a tornado warning and the patrols were out doing trail clean-up!

[JoeBob]

I hate the electronic intrusions into our lives. My kids have be pried off their learning games in the back of the car to look out the window and count cows.

 

But I'm also a hypocrite.

I felt much better when my family was tent camping over break, because I could watch the thunderstorms approaching Huntsville at 3am on radar, coutesy of my Blackberry. The really heavy stuff split around us, so the kids stayed snug and warm in our tent. Without the Blackberry, we'd have been hunkered down in the concrete block bath-house, enjoying the aroma.