Why are the 1st two questions between adults volunteers usually...

[DeanRx]

1) Were you a scout as a youth?

2) Did you earn Eagle?

 

Followed closely by: 3) Have you done WB, powder horn, etc...

 

Just curious as recent posts have discussed the Boy Scout portion looking down their collective noses at the Cub Scout portion... is this line of question an de facto screen between adults to figure out how legit a vol leader is? or to see how you rank out vs another adult vol leader?

 

I just find it funny as I was helping teach a BALOO course tow weekends ago and when I show up, the introductions go something like this....

 

"Were you in scouts as a boy? - Yes "Hmm, thats good..."

"Did you eagle? (I assume they mean earned the rank)" - No, just got to Life... "Well, thats too bad..."

 

Its like you're almost a great scouter, but not quite. Hopefully, I still did a good job on the class and empartedd some knowledge someone will find useful in their scouting "career", but I can't help but wonder if others take what you say with less sincerity when they have discussions like that.

[Second Class]

I can't for the life of me see how anyone can look down their nose at a Cub Scout leader. If anyone earns their stripes, it's Cubbies.

I've seen some old Eagle scouts do what you discribe, but it's rare. Knots, Woggles, chrome dangley things are the things that one another can know what you've done and where you've been without saying a word.

 

I suppose it's one way of determining if you are "legit" or not. I have a couple of stripped shirts just to run undercover sometimes.

There are a lot of un recognised leaders that I know of, because they have absentee COR's and CC's. That's a shame. But it their lack of these knots doesn't make them less effective as mentors or leaders.

 

If someone is going to discount your (or my) teaching because you or I didn't earn Eagle, then we are in deep trouble. (there are over ten adult Eagle scouts in my CO membership, and they might as well not exist for all we see them.

[kari_cardi]

Hey, if you are a woman, the assessment moves directly to #3. Impossible to be a BSA Eagle scout, and no amount of GSUSA experience as a youth counts. So your scenario really only applies to male scouters, with a small nod to the possibility of Venturing females for #1.

[moosetracker]

I don't know of anyone who does that.. They don't ask it of my husband/son.. I don;t get the WB question (although, maybe someone curious might look for the beads and skip the question.)..

 

I am unsure what the first questions might be, do we have popular ones in this counsil? Maybe... What position you hold in scouting? What town is your unit located in? Why did you become an adult leader? What ages are your son(s)?What rank is your son(s)? (the last two only if the persons age has them look like an age to be a parent, as some of us have aged out of that question..) I might ask if their son made Eagle to the older crowd..

 

Well those might be some of mine if the introduction is not followed by the scouter asking me some sort of question about district training, and I have to come up with "small talk".

[Eagle92]

When wearing a t-shirt, polo, or a jacket over the uniform, yep I agree with Dean.

 

I especially agree with some BS leaders looking down on the CS leaders. Mahor problem in my neck of the woods IMHO.

[moosetracker]

Well anyone who is a participant for Baloo, should be CS leaders, unless they are straddling both camps CS & BS at the same time.. So there shouldn't be anyone looking down their noses at anyone for being a CS leader..

 

Totally ridiculous.. I always teach both CS & BS specifics on the same day, while alot of the BS are already wise old owls (some are greenhorns though).. The CS leaders usually either know their stuff at least at the CS level or are eager to learn it, and they come to the course with much more enthusisam (most times).

[SMT224]

My first two questions to a new parent or volunteer with the Troop is "...how many Scouts can your vehicle carry, and can it pull a trailer?" Most anyone can be trained, but a leader with a Suburban...

[Lisabob]

Yeah I've run into the elitism thing aimed at cub leaders. It used to really tick me off, until I realized that most of the time, people with that attitude also don't know what they're talking about when it comes to the current cub scout program. If I had a dollar for every crazy half-truth or misconception they spout, I'd be rich. And I love it when you attend a gathering of scouters and some stout fellow has all the Eagles in the room stand up and the rest of us give them a rousing round of applause or something, and then he goes on about the value of Eagles giving back to scouting....blah blah blah blah blah.

 

This is not to diminish the worth of recognition or the value of the rank. On the other hand, lots of people who weren't Eagles "give back" to scouting in a bunch of ways. Their service also shouldn't be diminished. And there does come a point, I think, where something earned as a youth shouldn't be the defining focal point of an adult's service career.

 

Oh and by the way, my first couple of questions are usually:

1. How many kids do you have in scouting?

2. How do they like the program?

(This message has been edited by lisabob)

[Basementdweller]

hmmmmm The scouter pecking order....

 

 

mine is an offered hand. If they do not introduce themselves......the first question is who are you???? and where are you from????

 

 

I have learned that symbols around the neck and on the shirt mean little regarding the quality of those that wear them.

 

I like wearing a nice adornment free shirt to roundtable I believe it makes me more approachable to the new folks.....

[momof2cubs]

Try being a woman and a BSA volunteer. Top that with only having experienced Cubbies and well...

 

They know that of course you didn't do scouts when you were a kid. They kinda accept that you volunteer for Cubbies because it is kinda expected that you will be the one doing arts and crafts with the little ones. Leaving the "man's work" of boy scouting to the real volunteers.

 

And before you tell me I am bitter...well maybe you are right. I don't care. It doesn't stop me from giving it my all to the boys.

[ghermanno]

Momof2cubs said: "Try being a woman and a BSA volunteer..."

 

Sorry Mom, don't like operations. Will stay a male.

 

I don't play that game. I appreciate ALL who volunteer and will train if needed and learn where I can (even from females!!) as I KNOW I do NOT know everything.

 

Smile All :-)

 

Rick

[Beavah]

Yah, I think mostly this is just innocent, eh? It's sort of the natural icebreaker type question. The same way college kids ask each other what their major is or where they're from. If yeh showed up at a meeting of the Kennel Club you'd expect people to ask yeh about your dog. If yeh coached football you'd expect people to ask where yeh played football as a youth. If you're a guy in uniform at a Boy Scout event yeh have to expect to be asked about Eagle.

 

Now, I agree with Lisabob as well, eh? I don't much care for the singling out Eagle Scouts as adults in front of other adults. It's a kids award, and if we're recognizing volunteers we should be recognizing 'em for their volunteer contributions as adults. But yeh can make some allowances. I think it's more like alumni at tailgates wearin' the old school colors and being proud of alma mater. It can sometimes get a bit silly, but it's mostly just a fun sorta show of institutional loyalty.

 

Beavah

[boomerscout]

1) Ya ever been camping before?

 

2) Do ya think you'll like this?

 

3) What did you bring to eat?

[Tampa Turtle]

Really. I hear:

 

(after introductions)

(1) I am supposed to wear a uniform?

(2) Who do I see to get a Troop T-shirt?

[Stosh]

There are some out there that need to distinguish between certain types of scouters and it's basically prejudicial at best.

 

I was in Cub Scouts for 4 years and never got above the rank of Bear - Lousy Pack at best.

 

Went on to Boy Scouts for 4 more years and never got above the rank of 2nd Class. - Again, am I penalized because the SM was running a poor program? I had no choice, it was the only troop in town.

 

Finally went into Civil Air Patrol and raised to the rank of cadet officer.

 

I love the out of doors so after becoming an adult and having worked with youth through college and other civic/church organizations I got back into scouting when my kid was a Tiger. Been there ever since. WB trained, but not the new and improved, better than all the rest of those who haven't had the 21st Century WB.

 

Is there bigotry/prejudice going on with the scouters as to who has knots, bells and whistles, lanyard and beads? Yep.

 

There are those who judge others based on their accomplishments, and then there are those who judge others based on their potential. I tend to fall into the second category.

 

Stosh