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Get your own
ASK ANDY pin! Go to the end of this
column.
Wendy Duprat is a new Assistant
Webelos Den Leader in the Daniel Webster Council, Nashua, New Hampshire,
USA. She’s thinking that it might be fun and educational for her son’s
Webelos Den to write to other Cub Scouts around the world and exchange
life experiences, where they go to school, their sports and other
interests, share photos, and maybe even exchange council patches. Having
done this myself, for my den, when I was a WDL, I can say from
first-hand experience that it’s one of the more rewarding and
vision-stretching things boys of Webelos age can do! So, if you’re
leader of a Webelos Den somewhere around the country or beyond (I’m
thinking Transatlantic, Direct Service, and Far East Councils), please
get in touch with Wendy directly at
cod3uros@msn.com. I promise you all—You won’t regret this one bit!
Dear Andy,
I’m a new Boy Scout,
not yet a Tenderfoot, and there are some things I can only get done when
I go to my bi-monthly (sic) troop meetings, and my parents usually
always have something planned already. What should I do? JS)
Being a Boy Scout means SHOWING UP. Scouting isn't much fun if
you're not there. Not being at your troop meetings means not knowing
when hikes and campouts are going to happen, not being a part of a
patrol, and not doing the things Scouts do. Most troops meet every
week, not just every two weeks, so if you stay in that particular troop,
you're already missing out on half of Scouting! Maybe you need to find
a troop in Lakeland that meets every week? Troop 104 meets every Monday
night starting at 7 o'clock, at the Lakeland Presbyterian Church, and
Troop 760 meets every Wednesday evening starting at 7 o'clock, at the
First United Methodist Church. But here's the most important thing you
have to do: YOU HAVE TO TELL YOUR PARENTS THAT YOU DON'T WANT THEM TO
SCHEDULE STUFF ON THE SAME NIGHTS AS YOUR TROOP MEETINGS. Then,
they have to be willing to listen to you and make sure they get you to
your troop meetings. If this doesn't happen, you're not going to be a
Scout for much longer, and that would be a shame!
Dear Andy,
I’ve always been told that the Texas flag is the only state
flag that can fly level with the American Flag, because Texas was a
country unlike the other states, which were territories. The "know it
alls" whom I work with have different takes on this. I’ve searched on
the Internet under rules, etc but still cannot find any hard writings
that state this. I believe that any state can fly level as long as the
American flag is first risen and last down. Which is the truth? I
thought about writing to our Politicians, but I knew the Boy Scouts of
America would know the REAL answer. Thank you and God Bless (Susan Marr,
Texas)
Thanks for asking a
Scout! The answer, as you've probably guessed, isn't a "Boy Scout
answer"—It's found in the U.S. Flag Code adopted by Congress and a part
of the Congressional Record.
By way of a bit of history, both Texas and California were
independent republics before they became American states--They're the
only states, in fact, that can claim that distinction! Now, take a look
at the flags of these two states... Notice that they both have single
stars. Texas was the first to do this, when admitted to the Union as a
state in 1845, and California respectfully followed Texas' lead five
years later.
Anyway, the rule applying to ALL states, regardless of their "prior
lives" is that they fly lower than, or to the left of, the American
Flag. And, Yes, you're correct that the American Flag is always the
first up and last down. Going up, it's raised briskly; when lowered,
it's with measured pace.
To be even more clear, NO STATE FLAG can ever fly higher than the
American Flag; but a state (any state) flag and the American Flag can
fly at the same height so long as the American Flag is on it's own right
side, as in...
American Flag State
Flag State Flag State Flag
o
o o o
(audience)
(Note that the American Flag appears to be on the extreme LEFT when you
look at, but from ITS point-of-view it's on the RIGHT.)
Dear Andy,
In your October 2006
column responding to a letter from a Scout Ship employee about
uniforming, you said, “…I equally agree that your advice about the World
Crest is right on!”
Check your uniform
guide again. The World Crest is NOT a mandatory patch. The guide uses
the word “may” not “must”.
That doesn’t mean we
shouldn’t wear it in support of the world brotherhood of scouting–just
that it isn’t required.
Your column is
excellent. You provide factual information tempered with great advice.
Your willingness to say you don’t know or admit errors is very
refreshing and helps educate us even more! (Michael Marks)
Yup, you’re right. The World Crest isn't mandatory. So any Scout
or Scouter who doesn't wish to support the concept of the World
Brotherhood of Scouting need not wear this universal badge, which, by
the way, is worn around the world by over 25 million non-American Scouts
and Scouters.
J
Dear Andy,
Our troop has a very
disruptive and accusatory parent. At our last troop meeting, she accused
our Scoutmaster of hitting a Scout (his own son) and then his ASM of
refusing to provide an aspirator for an asthmatic Scout who neglected to
bring his own on a hike. Both times she is WRONG. Fully four adults
and many Scouts stated that the alleged striking incident never
happened, and as far as the asthmatic Scout is concerned, it’s hardly
necessary to provide an aspirator to a boy who can continually yell, at
the top of his lungs, “I CAN’T BREATHE! I NEED MY BREATHER!” (which he
forgot to bring with him), but then, when he saw the other Scouts
catching fish for dinner, wanted to join right in instead of resting, as
our leaders had instructed him to do.
She also bad-mouths to
her own son, telling him about “this stuck-up kid,” and “that no-good
kid.”
We leaders are getting
really tired of having to listen to this one person stir up trouble so
often, and we’re really hoping there’s some legitimate way to deal with
this. She sits in on all troop meetings, so I’m thinking about having a
Scoutmaster’s Minute that tells a story about the consequences of
spreading rumors and making false accusations. I’m also thinking of
stating: No untrained adults are allowed to sit in on troop meetings.
I don’t want her to
pull her son from the troop—he’s a good and really reliable kid, but his
mother is killing our troop with all this extra stress and drama. What
can we do? (Name Withheld)
Some day, I might figure out why parents, often mothers, feel the
need to intercede themselves disruptively in the business of boys, their
peers, and their role models. It's almost as if they're unable to back
away from being 24/7 parents and take a breather for a little while,
while their son and his fellow Scouts work things out for themselves.
Problem is, I don't think that day is just around the corner... So, what
to do in the meanwhile?
Poisonous accusations after-the-fact are—there's just one word for
it—pointless. This incident is passed and whatever perceived crisis
there may have been is also now history. This holds true regardless of
the accuracy of the accusations.
This makes me wonder what the motivation behind the accusation
might be. Is it to seek justice? To raise controversy? To capture
some needed personal attention? Something else? The question usually
always remains: What's motivating this person to cause disruption and
possible rancor now, when it's too late to take direct action?
Maybe its nothing more than a lack of understanding of the
differences between the Cub program, in which Den Leaders always
controlled everything, and Boy Scouting, where in the right sort of
troop, there’s vastly less adult control minute-to-minute, and it's
supposed to be this way. Boy Scouts is so much more than merely "Cubs
in tan shirts"!
Sun Tzu's classic writings, crafted circa 410 BC in China, on The
Art of War stresses that the warrior's goal is not to kill his enemy; it
is to disarm him. A disarmed enemy is no longer a threat. "To subdue
the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence." "Policy backed up
by strength is superior to strength in the absence of policy." In The
Book of Five Rings, written by Miyamoto Musashi, a samurai and ronin, in
the early 1600's AD, teaches us to "listen to your enemy's threats so
you will know his (or her) greatest fears," and to "always provide a way
of escape for your enemy, so that he (or she) will not feel impelled to
fight to the death."
These observations may be useful in dealing with this woman.
Listen to her, but only alone and away from the Scouts, and you will
take away her weapon of shouting and ranting. Listen without
interrupting her until she has nothing more to say--she is now
disarmed. Instead of directly confronting her accusations, re-describe
to her what you believe she has just said to you, and ask if you have
that right. When she agrees, you cannot be subsequently accused of not
listening to her--she is further disarmed. Now, instead of defending or
re-casting whatever situations she's described, instead describe the way
the Scouting program works, including its methods and why those
particular methods are employed (to reach specific goals). By doing
this, you will have removed the emotional baggage from the conversation
and put all issues on an objective, non-personal plane. Once at this
place, you may ask her for her suggestions as to how future situations
such as this might be prevented, avoided, or alleviated, and then listen
to her response. Finally, thank her for her insights and return calmly
to the meeting room, but not before you have invited her to seek you out
for a private conversation should anything else trouble her in the
future, and receive her firm agreement to this. (This last step provides
the underpinning needed for you to remove her from the meeting room
should there be any further outbursts.)
Follow this plan as I've described it, in the order laid out, and
I'm willing to guarantee that your problem parent will no longer disrupt
your troop.
Dear Andy,
My son wants to do his
Eagle project. We live in one town and he goes to a different town’s
troop that is also in a different council. Which place does he need to
do his project? In the town he lives in, or in the town his troop is
in? (Donna Lander, Unadilla, NY)
This is an excellent question. I've been struggling with how to
put this in a way that doesn't risk your feeling offended, and I'm
likely to be unsuccessful, but here goes, anyway: This is a question for
an Eagle candidate to ask. I hope you'll suggest to your son that he
write to me.
Hi Andy,
I’m now Assistant
Council Commissioner. The District Executive that I help out with advice
from time to time has a new Key 3 and they’re having a problem with a
pack Committee Chair and Cubmaster butting heads. That De has asked me
to help resolve this problem, since both the District Commissioner and
District Chair are inexperienced with this type of problem. We sat down
with the CM, who says the CC is regimented and domineering, which is
causing disharmony among both the pack committee and the den leaders.
The CM wants the CC removed and is trying to get the district or council
to do it. I’ve told him that the pack’s Chartered Organization has the
say-so on pack leaders—not the district or council—but the Chartered
Organization Representative is apparently washing his hands of the
problem, expecting the CC and CM to work out their own problems. I’ve
given the Key 3 my opinion, and I’m wary of involving a council-level
commissioner (me!) in this dispute. But I do feel that if something
isn't done soon, this pack will have a major upheaval and someone’s head
will roll, which could, in turn, result in disgruntled leaders and
possibly a failure of the pack as a whole. I know there isn't enough
space to explain all the issues, but when all three of a district’s Key
3 ask for my help, I can't walk away from this. Any suggestions would
be appreciated. Thanks! (Ty Roshdy, ACC, Golden Empire Council, CA)
Your CC-CM at loggerheads situation is not that unusual. We
volunteers do seem to have a habit of butting heads with the very people
we're supposed to be on the same team with! This is definitely a
pack-level problem that needs to stay inside the pack and not get
escalated. I think what's needed is a facilitator-mediator who can
bring these two warring guys together (with no one else around!), find
out what the beef is, and guide them to resolving their differences for
themselves, without taking sides (but also well-versed in BSA policy, in
case there's some sort of policy transgression afoot). Ideally, this
should be the pack's Unit Commissioner. If there isn't one, then the
job falls to their District Commissioner. In your shoes, I don't think
I'd let it go beyond that, and I wouldn't take on the job myself UNLESS
I knew these two guys personally. Except for that, this sure isn't
something an ACC should get involved with, if only because you don't
want these two warriors to get it in their heads that their personal
issues are "important" at a council level! So, if the District
Commissioner doesn’t have mediating-facilitating experience, get him or
give him some good coaching right away, so he can do his job
successfully!
Dear Andy,
Our troop is changing
Chartered Organizations and the new CO is asking about the details of
the BSA’s insurance policies. I’ve looked and looked online for copies
of the policies (which I think would best provide answers to our new
CO’s questions) but can’t find them. Do you know where to find the
policies online? (John Woughter, Transatlantic Council, Bonn, Germany)
The BSA has
self-insurance policies, are administered by the national council office
in Irving, Texas. If your new CO or COR needs answers to specific
questions, these are best obtained from your Transatlantic Council
service center; however, they shouldn't be expecting to see the actual
policy.
Dear Andy,
This is interesting… I
think it’s reasonable for our new CO to inquire about details of the
insurance policies, since they could be liable, and I’d personally be a
bit skeptical with a “Trust me, you’re covered by insurance,”
statement. I don’t think this will be a make-or-break item, but do you
have any advice on how to respond if the CO presses for further proof of
insurance? (John Woughter)
I understand your point of view completely, and there's certainly
no way that you, personally, should be put in the position of having to
address this particular issue, so my best suggestion is that, for
further information on insurance, you refer the new CO to an appropriate
paid employee at the service center.
Dear Andy,
My son wants to work on
some merit badges in which he and I have similar interests. So I
contacted our council and requested a merit badge counselor list. On
receiving it, I noticed that a few of the merit badges he wanted to work
on didn’t have any counselors anywhere in the entire council, so I
personally signed up to be a MBC for ten different merit badges that I’d
like to counsel scouts on, some of which were the ones my son wanted to
work on. My son and I then took the “Blue Cards” to his Scoutmaster for
signature. But he told us, first, that the troop doesn’t use Blue Cards
(they use the “worksheets” from meritbadge.com), and, second, that since
I’m his parent, I can’t counsel or approve my son for any merit badges
unless I teach it in a group setting (this is despite my being the only
MBC for several MBs in the council!). Now I’m perfectly OK with him
going to MBCs other than me if that’s an option in the council, but when
I’m the only one, this “group” rule seems out of line. I took these
issues our Committee Chair and Troop Advancement Chair, and they
supported the Scoutmaster’s point of view. Along the way, I’ve
discovered that the Scoutmaster manages all of the advancement, and that
the Troop Advancement Chair is really only a title—he doesn’t do much of
anything. So here are my (pretty obvious) questions…
Can a Scoutmaster
really deny a Scout a merit badge because his parent was the MBC?
Is there any concern
about a troop’s not using “Blue Cards”?
Who is supposed to
manage advancement records?
What are your feelings
on having group lessons at weekly troop meetings to earn merit badges?
Thanks for your help
and sorry for being so long-winded. (David McMann)
Go here right away:
www.usscouts.org/boyscouts/MBCounseling.html and
read everything that's there. Then, using your son's Boy Scout
Handbook plus Advancement Committee Policies and Procedures
(which you'll go and buy at your local Scout Shop, or at scoutstuff.org),
plus the Troop Committee Guidebook, follow along with me, because
I'm going to try to sort through the mess you've described. Everything
I'll say first is a BSA POLICY or PROCEDURE unless it's italicized,
in which case it's a personal insight...
In your son's Handbook, page 187 describes how a merit badge
begins. It starts with the Scout (not his father!) asking his
Scoutmaster for the name of a counselor (which certainly can be you—his
own dad) and for a signed merit badge application ("Blue Card"—more
about these in a moment). Earning a merit badge starts with a Scout and
Scoutmaster, not with the counselor. It takes the Scoutmaster's
signature to get underway. If your son doesn't have that up-front
Scoutmaster's signature, he shouldn't be working on the merit badge.
That said, if the Scoutmaster's signature is missing but your son's
inadvertently completed all the requirements, then your son (not you!)
should just go get a signed "blue card" for whatever merit badge we're
talking about, and then you, as counselor, fill in the "completion date"
and sign it, so your son can turn it in.
There is no limit to the number of merit badges a Scout can earn
from the same counselor.
There is no "relationship restriction" on counselor-and-Scout: A
parent is absolutely permitted to counsel his or her own son.
"Group" merit badge “classes” aren’t required in the above or any
other situation.
The buddy system applies to merit badges. The buddy may be another Scout
or other adult, except in a parent-and-son situation, where no buddy is
required.
No person, unit, district, or council has the authority to alter
any BSA National advancement requirement, or to add a stipulation that
in any way supersedes the BSA National Council.
The merit badge application ("Blue Card") is the official BSA merit
badge application, common across every one of the BSA's 303 councils.
There is no substitute.
While the "worksheets" found at meritbadge.com are nice as just
what they're stated to be—worksheets—they're totally inadequate as
permanent records of merit badges earned. What's more, they turn what
would otherwise be a healthy interest in self-directed learning on the
part of boys into a stultifying "Scout school." As a counselor myself
for several thousand Scouts over many years, I wouldn't use those things
if my life depended on it! Bluntly, they're awful!
Once properly earned, no
rank or merit badge can ever, EVER be taken away from or denied to a
Scout. In the case of merit badges, there is no "Board of Review"—The
counselor's signature indicating that the work is completed is final.
The unit's committee member responsible for advancement (usually
called "advancement chair")—not the Scoutmaster—is responsible for
maintaining the advancement records of the youth in the unit.
No counselor can be forced to use the "group method" of counseling
if he or she prefers not to do so. "Group merit badge 'classes'" in
troop meetings is about as dumb as it gets.
There's absolutely no provision for "group merit badge lessons” in
the Troop Meeting Plan as published by the BSA and used by troops for
decades. That's not to say that a merit badge counselor on some
subject area can't visit a troop to promote his or her subject—but not
to "teach" it!
So, first get your own act
together, then make sure your son's following the procedure stated in
his Handbook, and then go ahead and counsel away! If the troop
continues to have a problem with this, go find another troop and lose
these misinformed people!
Dear Andy,
My scout store is out
of merit badge cards to award with the merit badges at our upcoming
Court of Honor! Can I create my own cards? (Ron Hepler, Troop 125,
Williamson, NY)
Don't worry about those cards. They're not needed for a Court of
Honor, anyway! They're supposed to have been given to the Scouts, along
with the cloth merit badges themselves, at the very next troop meeting
after they turned in their completed Blue Cards. Merit badges, ranks,
and other achievements are never, ever held back till Courts of Honor.
They're presented to the Scouts who earn them at the absolute earliest
opportunity. A Court of Honor is the place to publicly announce each
Scout's advancements since the last CoH, but it's not where the badges
are presented (unless a Board of Review for something was held just the
week before). So, go ahead and present the cloth badges, and then give
the Scouts their cards when your Scout Shop gets them in. In fact, get
a bunch of them ahead of time, so you always have them "in stock" for
your troop!
Hi Andy,
I'm looking for a permission slip that I can use generally. The purpose
is to carry it in the main transportation car, along with the tour
permit. My initial thought was that I’d find it in the Safety First
guidelines, but I didn't find that true. It’s also not on the “forms”
site on websites. In looking around, I found you. Can you help? (Jean
Broese, Weblow Leader, Pack 595, Redondo Beach, Los Angeles Council, LA)
Thanks for looking around and finding me. I hope you become a
regular reader!
You'll find an absolutely excellent permission slip in the back of the
BSA book, Guide to Safe Scouting. Just copy it as many times as you
need (that's what it's there for), or use it as a template to create
your own.
Oh, yeah… One more thing: It’s WEBELOS (both singular and plural).
Dear Andy,
I volunteered to make
the troop banner for my son's den. What do they look like? (Lisa
Tomaino, Santa Clara County Council, San Jose, CA)
I know what a troop flag looks like, but I sure don't know what a
troop banner looks like. But...you refer to your son's den,
which suggests he's a Cub Scout; not a Boy Scout (Boy Scouts are members
of patrols and troops; Cub Scouts are members of dens and packs—patrols
are parts of a troop and dens are parts of a pack). So maybe you mean
den flag? These are inexpensively purchased at
www.scoutstuff.org – go there, and then click on "flags and ribbons"
and you'll see a den flag right in the middle of the screen.
Hello Andy,
I'm a new Scoutmaster
with some Scout discipline problems. My immediate situation is that I
have two Scouts who are 16-year-old stepbrothers who are an almost
constant source of trouble in the troop. They both seem to be
essentially good kids with a lot of potential for greater things; but
when they have "free time" they start to feed off each other and their
horsing around often leads to the destruction of somebody's property or,
as in the most recent case, personal injury. The event that happened is
hearsay only—I didn’t personally witness the incident—but given these
boys’ past history I think I have a pretty good idea of what happened.
It seems that, while cooking lunch over a propane stove, one of the
brothers heated a knife over the flame and then touched it
"accidentally" to the back of a 13 year old patrol member's hand,
resulting in a three inch long second-degree burn. When I questioned the
victimized Scout, he was certain that this was done on purpose, while
the perpetrator (no surprise here!) claims that it was accidental.
Personally, I don't believe that this kid knew the extent of the damage
he’d cause with the knife, but there’s very little doubt in my mind that
it was intentional. The victim’s dad is furious and ready to file
assault charges, while the perpetrator’s dad is standing by his son,
equally furious that “intention to do harm” would even be
suggested. Do you have any advice? These boys need to be reined in
somehow, but I don't want to lose them, because I do think that they
both have great potential. Then again, I believe that I’m at risk of
losing our troop’s younger Scouts, whose parents are concerned about
their sons’ safety. My normal response would be to chalk it up
to "boys will be boys," but when it comes to personal injury, I have
little to no tolerance.
My question is: How
do I let these brothers, and their dad, know that this kind of behavior
will not be tolerated, without losing them, or do I have no choice other
than expulsion? I’ve already tried talking to their dad, but got
nowhere. (DA)
Boys are rockets. Our job is to aim them. If we don't, they'll
find their own courses, and this usually leads to collisions. So, here
are my suggestions...
"Boys will be boys"… until they injure someone. One of them injured a
fellow Scout. There must be accountability and consequences here. A 16
year old knows exactly what happens when metal is put in a fire and then
touches skin. No excuse, accidental or otherwise, is acceptable. Do you
use Totin' Chips and Firem'n Chits? If not, start now. If you do, pull
both of them from the offending Scout, but privately (praise in public,
correct in private).
Expulsion isn't needed, or warranted. Taking responsibility and
being accountable for one's actions is. The understanding that our
actions have consequences is equally important. The offending Scout
owes the injured Scout the sincerest of apologies, at the very least.
He should also be asked what he thinks would be a reasonable consequence
to him for having burned a fellow Scout. Perhaps a fire-related service
project. Perhaps sharpening every ax the troop owns. Get him to come
up with something significant, and then make sure he carries it out.
As for the father who wants to file charges, he appears to be
within his rights to do this—against the Scout, of course, not the troop
or you, personally. If this is what he believes is the right thing to
do, do not attempt to dissuade him.
Remember this: These boys are at an age where they will test every
boundary to see if it holds fast or not. You'd better have boundaries,
and enforce them. If you don't, they'll walk all over you and the rest
of the troop. When you enforce the boundaries that they're testing, you
instill in them confidence, because they have a terrible need to know
where the boundaries are, and an equal need to know that these
boundaries are inviolate.
Immediately, get those two brothers into different patrols. Then,
get those patrols to camp as far away from one another as you can,
reasonably. Next, alert their Patrol Leaders that they have to keep
these two busy and on-task and challenged. It's the Patrol Leaders'
jobs to aim them—Not yours, or you'll be sacrificing the entire troop
for just two Scouts, and as Scoutmaster you can't afford to do this.
Dear Andy,
My son is a Boy Scout
and he is reaching an age (he is 13) where he could be losing interest
in the program. It doesn't help that his Troop made some updates to
policies, and what he was told were going to count as activities, were
later changed to non-activity status. Now he needs just a few more
things to complete his First Class, but he doesn’t need any more service
hours. That being the case, can’t he continue to earn service hours to
apply to a later rank? He was told that any service hours he earns right
now won’t count toward his next rank because he hasn’t completed all his
First Class requirements yet, and he can't “roll over” his additional
service hours to the next rank. (Adam W.)
Your son needs to re-read his Boy Scout Handbook. In the
section on Star rank requirements, for instance, it states: "While a
First Class Scout, take part in service projects..." (italics
mine). This means that, unlike cell phone minutes, he's not supposed to
be "banking" or “rolling over” extra time. At the same time, it's
equally important for him to understand that not everything he does in
Scouts is for advancement. There are things he'll be doing just to do
them. Helping others by giving service is one of these. We help
other people because we're Scouts, and this is what Scouts do.
He needs to understand (and maybe you, too) that it’s not true that
additional service hours "don't count for anything." They have lots to
do with a little thing called "show Scout Spirit..."
Dear Andy,
At a recent Roundtable, a fellow Scouter took the position
that youth leadership is just an optional feature of Scouting,
because it’s not required by a BSA policy. He went on to claim that
only those things required “by policy" are mandatory, and everything
else is just "methods" or "program elements" to be employed or not as a
unit’s adult leaders see fit.
I’m aware that the language in the Boy Scout Handbook,
the Scoutmaster Handbook, and in Fast Start training says, to me
at least, that youth leadership is an essential and required aspect of
Scouting. But no, I can’t find a "policy," thus labeled, that requires
youth leadership. This same guy apparently isn’t impressed with our
District Executive’s opinion, or the Baden-Powell quote that appears at
Scouting.org to the effect that the patrol method is the only
method, because he sees "methods" as optional—take ‘em or leave ‘em.
Now, he’s managing to convince some of the other Scouters that he’s
right, because he speaks with not a shadow of doubt and backs this up
with his more than 30 years in the program. Do you have any insights
into authoritative statements on this issue? (TL)
Oh, I just love these
guys. The thing to tell this doofus is just this:
"Go ahead and find some written policy that says you can run things
any darned way you like and still call it Scouting. Until you can do
that, shut your pie-hole! You know darned well what's right, but
instead of doing what you know you’re supposed to, you're attempting to
violate and undermine the Scouting program. We're not going to stand
for it, and neither should the Scouts in your whacko troop! Unless
you're prepared to get it right, you can take yourself and your years of
misbegotten experience out of here."
The fact is, this guy is either too stupid to understand that our
job, as volunteers, is to deliver the Scouting program as described in
the BOY SCOUT HANDBOOK to the boys and young men in our care, or
he’s deliberately attempting to refute and undermine the essentials of
Scouting.
Hello Andy,
I’m looking for a
“chant” or spiritual saying… Some of the words are, “May the great
Scoutmasters meet with us until we meet again.” I’m not sure what the
name of it is. We were with another troop at the time, and they’d say
this at the end of every meeting. Everyone would “circle up” and recite
this together, then the meeting would be dismissed. Can you help me?
(Cheryl Trent, SM, Troop 493, Springcreek, VA)
You've got it almost right! It’s
called The Scout Benediction. Here's how it's done: All Scouts form a
"brotherhood circle," with their arms around each other's shoulders, and
then in unison say, "And now, may the great Master, of all Scouts, be
with us, till we meet again."
Dear Andy,
I’m the immediate past Scoutmaster of a troop, with two
sons in it. Recently, our Scouts put in for troop positions, as always,
but this time their (new) Scoutmaster told them that he and the
Committee Chair would be appointing all youth leader positions—there
would be no elections this time, not even for patrol leaders. Then, at a
subsequent Court of Honor, the SM made the public statement that
elections are merely “popularity contests,” and because some Scouts
don’t belong to the right clique or weren’t popular, they don’t get
elected, and so he and the CC were going to “fix” that by appointing all
troop positions. It was not surprise that the newly appointed Senior
Patrol Leader turned out to be the CC’s son! Then, the SM claimed that
he’d “checked with council,” and “council” said he could do this “if it
improved the Troop." I've never heard of such a thing (!) and of course
I know what it says on page 26 of the Boy Scout Handbookok, page 13
of the Scoutmaster Handbook, and page 11 of the Troop
Committee Guidebook.
Both I and the Scoutmaster before me (we’re both still
involved in the troop) are appalled. The troop is extremely healthy, and
hardly needs “improvement.” But what to do to remedy such a
travesty? To say nothing of blatant nepotism! My attempts to
get help from our council service center go unanswered. This may sound
Orwellian, but it's really happening. These people—the SM and
CC—are my friends, which makes this an awful burden for me to carry.
(DP)
Here we have a Scoutmaster who fails to grasp that in becoming a
volunteer Scouting leader, he established a covenant to deliver the
Scouting program as intended, and as described in the BOY SCOUT
HANDBOOK to the boys and young men in the troop he serves, and when
he deviates from this he violates and breaks this covenant is the most
fundamental of ways. His cohort is no better. They have, together,
broken one of the keystones of the Scouting movement—a keystone that has
been in place from the very beginning of Scouting some ten decades ago.
This is, however, a troop problem, to be resolved at the troop
level. Neither the council nor the district has the authority to effect
a change. The troop is "owned" by its chartered organization; not the
council. The solution does not lie outside the troop.
If the Scoutmaster and CC are your personal friends, how about
speaking with each one, personally, with the BS Handbook and the SM
Handbook pages that describe the leader election process pre-marked?
Have your other former Scoutmaster at your side when you do this, so
that you're not outnumbered. If these jerks still don't get it, and
agree to fix it immediately, then it's time to bring out the heavy guns.
If they refuse to self-correct, then they must be corrected. The
troop’s sponsor and parents need to seize control of the troop and, if
the CC and Scoutmaster still don’t “get it,” to boot them out forthwith.
Stop emailing. Ask your district for a Unit Commissioner to help
you. Call a parents' meeting. Describe to the parents how and why
elections are fundamental to the Scouting program and convince them that
they must demand that this be reestablished immediately. Involve
key people from the troop's sponsor, and educate them, as well. Be sure
to emphasize that neither the Scoutmaster nor the Committee Chair has
the authority to institute such a deviation, that this is no longer
Scouting, that this is undermining the program at a seminal level, that
no matter who is appointed—be it sons or not—appointment of Patrol
Leaders is anathema to the Scouting program and principles and this
isn’t open to opinion or further discussion; it’s wrong, wrong, wrong.
Don’t permit these two deviants to claim "authority" from "council"
because "council" is superseded by BSA national policies and cannot be
altered on whim.
Hi Andy,
You've touched on what
an 18-21 year old can do "officially" in Scouting, such as ASM, ACM,
etc. But I haven't heard anything recently about the
College Scouter Reserve, which
allowed young men and women to stay registered in Scouting and to either
help their old units or volunteer in units, districts, camps,
etc., according to their availability, while away at school. As a
Hispanic Outreach worker, we sometimes hired from this pool for
part-timers, too. By the way, some councils will register
former leaders as Scouter Reserve. I'll bet this could be a great
untapped source for commissioners, merit badge counselors, etc., in
districts and councils across the country. (Dean Whinery, “I used to be
a Beaver...”)
Why not simply recruit and
register these folks as Commissioners, Merit Badge Counselors, District
Committee members, and so on, rather than even deal with the amorphous
"Scouter Reserve"? Also, since 1999, a Boy Scout who turns 18 can
simply transfer into a Venturing Crew for the next three years, and
continue to enjoy the Scouting program (maybe with his girlfriend,
too?)!
Hi Andy,
I'm working on my
thesis for Commissioner Science Doctorate, and I’m having trouble
finding literature on my topic: "The Two-Hats Commissioner." Can you
explain to me what it means, and definition of a “two-hats
Commissioner”? I tried looking at all the BSA sites I could find, and
can’t come up anything on it. I’d like to put something together if I
can, but I need a little help. I’d be grateful for any help you can give
or advise. (Donna Rowe, UC, Otschodela Council, Burlington Flats, NY)
Who originated the "two-hats commissioner" expression? Was it you?
If so, you're really the only one who can define it. If someone else,
go ask 'em!
My own take on that expression is simply a volunteer who is wearing
more than one Scouting "hat" -- Commissioner (or some other position)
and something else. I'll admit that I'm guilty of this, myself. I'm a
Commissioner, and I'm also a District Committee Member. I probably
shouldn't be both (unless I either have entirely too much time on my
hands, or I have no personal life--neither of which is true), but we
Scouters tend to stack up hats on our heads, trying to "multi-task" when
we should really be concentrating on just one "job" and doing it with
excellence.
There is one BSA policy regarding Commissioners in particular, and
that's that no Commissioner may simultaneously hold a unit leader
position.
I hope this is at least somewhat helpful.
Dear Andy,
My son attended an
Emergency Preparedness Merit badge camp and still likes step 8—the Troop
Mobilization Plan. I approached the leaders of our troop about this and
was informed they didn’t have a plan and had never had a troop
mobilization. I then asked how the other Scouts in the troop could have
completed this merit badge without having to do this, but this produced
no straight answers.
So, my son needs to
know what a plan consists of and how to go about getting a troop
mobilization going. In fact, I was approached to be the adult leader and
see that this gets done, but I can find no information on it. The only
thing I know is that a plan needs to be written and a troop mobilization
needs to be done. I can’t find any information on how to do this or what
the plan and mobilization consist of. I’m a fledgling leader and
want to do good, but I personally think they gave me this responsibility
because I asked to many questions! I just want to get this done so my
son can complete this badge. He’s 13 and works very hard. He loves
Scouts. HELP! (Mike K)
Yup! I've read the
requirement for Emergency Preparedness and an actual troop mobilization
is definitely needed in order to complete the requirements! OUCH!
Check the Emergency Preparedness merit badge pamphlet for how to do
this, or Google "troop mobilization plan."
SCOUTMASTER ALERT! You
need a a
TROOP MOBILIZATION PLAN! Right away!
Wow! Mea culpa! Even when I was a Scoutmaster, I didn't know
this! Didn't read the requirements for this merit badge till you asked
the question (there are probably more than a hundred others that I've
never read up on, too!), but now that I have, I can sure understand why
that requirement's in there… It's a way to assure that most if not every
troop in the BSA has a mobilization plan. Recent events like 9/11,
Katrina, the California fires, tornadoes, the current mid-western
floods, and a host of other urgencies augur for this being created and
put in place TODAY!
Now, I'm going to make a promise to myself, and to you and all of
my readers: I'm going to bone up on every one of the "Eagle required"
merit badges, and I'm going to do this on a one-a-week basis till I know
them all!
Dear Andy,
What’s required for you to wear with your uniform when you
wear a long-sleeved uniform shirt? (Susan Martin)
A long-sleeved uniform shirt is worn in exactly the same way as a
short-sleeved one, with all patches/badges in their proper places, plus
Scout Cap or hat, belt, pants, and socks. Neckerchief-and-slide are at
the discretion of the troop.
Hi Andy,
Long-time reader, first-time writer!
J
Seriously, though, my son's troop has an issue that’s tearing it apart.
His troop is located in a district and council where a certain religious
organization's troops outnumber the "community" troops ten-to-one.
While most district campouts and Camporees run fairly smoothly despite
this imbalance, out winter Klondike Derby has had issues for the past
several years. In a recent PLC annual program planning meeting, the
Scouts decided that they didn’t want to do the Klondike anymore because
it just wasn’t fun anymore. We’ve since heard from other folks in the
minority “community" troops that they actually want to organize an
alternative Klondike, to be held the same weekend. They even reserved
the council campground for this, and have lined up several activities
that would be a lot of fun and would offer the opportunity to learn a
lot of new skills. Unfortunately, the Chartered Organization
Representative for our troop is also an Assistant District Commissioner
(for Cub Scouts), and she’s totally against any division between our
“community” troops and the religious organization’s dominant troops. At
a recent troop parent meeting, she made it VERY clear that, as our
Chartered Organization Representative, she would not allow our troop to
attend the alternative event, because, to her way of thinking,
participating in such a “rebellious” activity would ruin our troop’s
reputation. As a result, the troop committee vetoed the PLC’s plan to
attend this event. But then, as more information on the event because
available, our Scoutmaster began to champion the idea of going to the
new alternative event. Unfortunately, when this topic was brought up
again, it was shot down, mostly by mothers who also work with the ADC in
Cub Scouting. So as not to incur her further wrath, the Scouts who
still want to attend the new event are literally sneaking around to get
the information about it, so they can go as “visitors,” and not as a
troop. At a recent Roundtable, notes were being passed around like in a
junior high classroom. And, as it turns out, our troop’s newest
“reputation” is that we’re under the dictatorship of this COR-cum-ADC
(even though she’s not our ADC!), and we’ve become a district joke. As
a parent, I want my son to have fun and learn skills as they are
offered. The politics of this should have nothing to do with my son, and
I’m livid that it has gotten to the point where his Scouting activities
are becoming stultified for no good reason. So, I'm asking for those
who feel the same as I do... Does a COR really have that much power,
that he/she can dictate which events the troop attends, and which it
doesn’t? Does a troop have any recourse if they feel the COR is too
controlling, or controlling in areas where he/she shouldn’t be? If
so, what steps can be taken? Lastly, what do you do in a parent meeting
when one gender outnumbers the other gender, and then starts dictating
what the Scouts can do and not do, despite the wishes of the actual
leaders of the troop (like the Scoutmaster) and the Scouts themselves?
Your response would be greatly appreciated. I'm seriously thinking of
removing my son from this troop because of the COR and the other members
who fail to put the Scouts’ needs and desires first. I'm hoping to find
a way to resolve these issues though before I make such a drastic move.
Thanks in advance and sorry this is so long. (Name Withheld)
Let's begin at the beginning: Scouting is a movement more than an
"organization" in the corporate sense, and when its program is carried
out largely by volunteers and not employees, the "chain of command" and
other corporate structural-type standards can become muddled. But the
bottom line is this: Scouting's not about camping or Klondike derbies or
such—those are its tools, but not its goals--it's about gently and
positively teaching life lessons, largely by example, while boys are
having fun together in small groups (we call these boys Scouts and the
small groups patrols). When this aspect is lost, gets muddled, or
becomes subverted, it's not Scouting any longer; it's something else
entirely. You've told me not about one problem, but about many, and
I'll try to deal with all of them, beginning with the Klondike derby...
A Klondike derby, like ALL other Scouting events that bring Scouts
together—whether from several patrols within the same Troop or many
patrols across many Troops—should most importantly be fun. If an event,
like what’s become of your District's Klondike, isn't fun anymore, the
Scouts should absolutely "vote with their feet" and either (a) not go at
all, or (b) attend another district's Klondike, or (c) have an event of
their own, which CAN be fun. Your Troop chose the third option, and
there's no reason in the world why they shouldn't proceed with it. BUT,
at the same time, the adult volunteers in the Troop should be voicing
the Troop's discontent with how things are being handled at the
Klondike, so that perhaps some changes will ultimately happen to bring
the fun back. The venues for this include conversations with your
Troop's Unit Commissioner, or your District Commissioner, or even your
District Executive, your District Roundtable meetings, and so on. This
way, it's out in the open and there's no skulking around the back
alleys.
As for your COR, she's clearly overstepping her role. BSA basic
training literature says this about the role of the Chartered
Organization Representative: "The representative supports the needs of
the troop as they (that is, the troop) carry out a planned program."
Nowhere does it say that the COR influences, much less controls, the
Troop's program itself. Clip her wings, fast!
Continuing with Scout leader training fundamentals, the Troop's
program is decided by THE SCOUTS—The Patrol Leader's Council (made up of
the Patrol Leaders, with the Senior Patrol Leader in the role of
Chairman, and the Scoutmaster sitting to one side as an advisor)—AND NO
ONE ELSE. The PLC generates program ideas, makes decisions on what
activities the Troop will engage in, and places these events on the
Troop's annual calendar. The Scoutmaster then brings this plan to the
Troop Committee, not for their "vote" but for their support by filling
out tour permits, making reservations, providing transportation,
collecting any necessary monies, securing the necessary equipment, etc.
Further, in a BSA booklet titled d TROOP COMMITTEE GUIDEBOOK, it is
clearly stated (the italics are in the book!): " The Patrol Leader's
Council, not the adult leaders ,
is responsible for planning and conducting the Troop's activities."
This book further states that, when the PLC, through the Scoutmaster,
submits its plans to the Troop Committee, the Committee "approves the
plan or makes alternative suggestions for the PLC to consider". Notice
that is absolutely does NOT say that the Committee can "reject" or
"veto" a plan; only that it can offer suggestions. As for parents in
general, who aren’t registered volunteers with the troop, they have no
say-so at all. Period.
So, not only is your COR way out of line, but your non-registered
parents need to button their lips, and the Troop Committee needs to grow
a spine (so does your Scoutmaster, too)! Moreover, if your COR’s trying
to throw her weight around by wearing her Assistant District
Commissioner hat as well, the Troop Committee needs to remind themselves
and her that commissioners have absolutely no power or authority over
units—the role of commissioner is purely that of support and counsel; it
is a diplomatic role only. Units do not "report to" commissioners.
Ever. No exceptions. A commissioner can advise and counsel, but that's
all. And, if a unit, for whatever reason, chooses to reject that
advice, that's the end of the story. Units are autonomous. So, who
gives a flying fig about "incurring the wrath" of this woman! How darned
lily-livered is this Troop Committee of yours! Think about it this way:
When you deny these Scouts something they really want to do, because one
person is buffaloing a bunch of adults (including the Scouts' primary
role model, the Scoutmaster), what life-lesson are you all teaching
these impressionable boys and young men? (And don’t think for a minute
that they haven’t figured out what’s going on.)
One little wrinkle you didn't mention: Are these other mothers, who
sided with your COR, registered members of the Troop Committee, or are
they "involved parents"? If the latter, then I repeat: They have no
say-so at all! If the former, then maybe you need to change the
composition of the committee and get some folks with spines in there!
Hi Andy,
We spoke with the District Executive about this situation
and he’s standing behind the COR. His interpretation of the Troop
Guidelines is that the COR is acting within her rights to o
"guide
you on the organization's policy," and suggested that if
the committee feels strongly about it, they could contact the head of
the Chartered Organization to see if he thinks the COR stepped over the
boundary. So basically, I don't see anything changing in the troop
unless more than one person stands up and demands that the troop be run
properly. (Name Withheld)
Well, this is a fine kettle of poisson! I agree with you that one
voice in the wilderness isn't enough, and I know from experience that,
when the organization's been corrupted, it can't be changed "from the
inside." It can only be changed from the top. Anything else is an
exercise in futility. The best bet, it seems to me, is for the Scouts
themselves to "vote with their feet" and attend neither the Klondike nor
the campout till this starts resolving itself.
The DE's point, and his suggestion, are both mistakes, based on
what you've described to me. This really isn't about anyone else's
"interpretation" of a COR’s role; it's about the cold fact that this
particular COR has singlehandedly squelched something that the Scouts
themselves wanted to do, that was unassailably a Scouting activity. If
your poor excuse for a DE happens to read this, he'll know first-hand
what little I think of his wrong-headed response—tantamount to
dereliction of duty.
Hi Andy,
My question is about
finding information on a ceremony for presenting a religious award. My
Webelos Scout son earned his God and Me religious emblem, and his pastor
is looking for a short presentation. Is there anything “out there”?
(Cathy Heath WDL, Pack 327, Glaciers Edge Council, Delavan, WI)
Congratulations to your
son! He can wear a special "square knot" on his uniform (and carry it
over to his Boy Scout uniform!) for this! I haven't seen a particular
"ceremony" or "presentation" for this, but I'm sure if the Pastor
briefly reviews what earning this means, and involves you and your
husband in the "pinning on," (one of you pins on the medal and the other
pins on the square knot badge—use a safety pin) that that will do the
trick very well!
NetCommish Comment:
Here's a sample ceremony we wrote awhile back:
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SAMPLE RELIGIOUS AWARD
PRESENTATION CEREMONY FOR PACKS
Ladies, Gentlemen,
Scout Leaders and Scouts, we have just concluded our Pack's
awards ceremony where we have honored those Scouts who have
demonstrated achievement by earning Scouting awards. Tonight, we
also want to recognize a Scout who has demonstrated his
commitment to the Cub Scout Promise and have a very special
presentation to make.
Dim lights and light a
candle in front of a large replica of the religious emblem
square knot (can be made with purple felt and rope painted
silver).
Cub Scout ___________
please escort your parents to the front of the room and then
turn to face the pack.
We are very proud of
___________. For the past ___ months he has worked with both his
family and his religious advisor to learn more about his
religious faith and his duty to God. After much hard work and
personal growth, he has received the right to wear the religious
emblem of his faith on his Scout uniform and was presented with
a medal by his religious advisor ___ weeks ago. ___________,
like all Scouts who have received a religious award, he may now
wear Scouting's universal religious award square knot on his
Scout uniform and may continue to wear it as a Boy Scout,
Explorer or Adult later in his life.
We now take great
pleasure in presenting the religious emblem square knot to his
parents, Mr. and Mrs. ___________ in recognition of the role
they have and will continue to play in his religious growth. Mr.
and Mrs. ___________, will you present your son with the
religious emblem square knot?
___________, we know
you will wear this square knot centered over your left pocket
with pride. Congratulations on your accomplishment. You have
lived the Cub Scout promise well. Please escort your parents
back to their seats.
Almost every religious
body in the United States has a religious emblems program open
to Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H and Campfire
Incorporated. We encourage all Scouts to consider participating
in this program. If any other Scouts in this Pack are interested
in working toward the religious award of their own faith, please
see ___________________ (Awards Chairman) at the end of this
meeting. He/she has information on the emblems and will make it
available to you.
SCOUTERS PLEASE NOTE:
You will notice that
this ceremony did not mention what the Cub Scout's religion was
or the name of the church, temple, synagogue, mosque or other
religious organization where the medal was presented and only
referred to the universal religious emblem square knot. There
are three very good reasons for using a non-denominational
ceremony:
1) This method
avoids creating a situation where another Scout may believe
he has to belong to a particular religion (and may even
think he should join another faith) just to participate in
Scouting;
2) This method
encourages other Scouts to consider earning the religious
emblem of their own faith, so they can get the same award
(the knot) as Jimmy; and
3) This method
allows a Scout leader to give the same level of praise to
each Scout earning an emblem using the same ceremonial
props. The leader doesn't have to know a lot about each
religion, doesn't have to create new props, and doesn't have
to worry that any Scout might think a certain religion is
favored.
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Dear Andy,
It seems that the Scouting program has gotten away from
some flag etiquette. When I was a Scoutmaster some 20 years ago, when
the American Flag was presented, you saluted until told "two," and you
then placed your right hand over your heart with your fingers formed in
the Scout Sign, and repeated the Pledge of Allegiance. According to the
American Legion, that’s the proper way of doing it. But the Boy
Scout Handbook teaches that you give the military-style salute when
saying the Pledge of Allegiance. How can this be corrected? (Richard
Barden, UC, Glaciers Edge Council, Madison, WI)
I first joined Scouting in 1950 and in all the time from then till
now I've never heard nor come across the type of "salute" you describe.
Members of both Boy Scouting and the military, when in uniform, salute
with the right hand to the brow (or cap-brim, as the case may be) and
the hand remains there through the Pledge of Allegiance. I've also
looked through every y Boy Scout Handbook and Handbook For Boys
that I own, going back over 90 years, and no such "salute" as you
describe is in any of them. So, I did a little more research. Here's
an excerpt from the official U.S. Flag Code (boldface mine):
"The Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag...should be rendered by
standing at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the
heart. When not in uniform men should remove their headdress with their
right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the
heart. Persons in uniform should... render the military salute."
So, I'd have to say that the Boy Scouts' "flag etiquette" is just
fine, and whatever it was that you may have been shown 20+ years ago may
have been a bit off the mark.
YOU ASKED, SO HERE IT IS – THE OFFICIAL
“ASK ANDY”
PIN!
Get your own
ASK
ANDY
pin so your fellow Scouters, friends, and
kids will know that you’re in the know! The pin is brass,
1-inch diameter, with a clasp on the back and full color with a
shiny hard plastic overlay on the front. Download the order form
(click out of this column and look for the order form
“click-through” just below the picture of the pin, on the
netcommish.com web page-left side) and mail it to me. Then,
think about that big grin you’re gonna have when you’re asked, “HEY,
WHERE’D YOU GET THAT?”
Happy Scouting!
Andy
Got a question?
Have an idea? Found something that works? Send it to me at
AskAndyBSA@yahoo.com.
(Please include your Council name
or your town & state)
(October 2006 –
Copyright © 2006 Andy McCommish)
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