Issue 591 – March 19, 2019

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Hi Andy,

About your recent viewpoints on learning and applying The Patrol Method, I could swear that one of the purposes of IOLS (Introduction to Outdoor Living Skills) is to do exactly this! In fact, that’s what the introduction to this training component—required for all Scoutmasters and assistants—says, and here’s the quote: “Specifically, this hands-on program gives adult leaders a practical introduction to The Patrol Method of a Scout-led troop by teaching many of the practical outdoor skills they need to lead Scouts in the out-of-doors. In addition, the teaching methods, activities, and games model the variety of teaching used in effective and engaging Scouting programs.” So if this is the case, what do you think is going on here? (Ron Blaisdell, Michigan Crossroads Council)

Just like the Wood Badge course, participants live and work by patrols. Problem is, the participants very often fail to take this home with them. You’d think they’d “get it” that what they’ve been doing for five to six days is what they’re supposed to instill and their troops are supposed to do when they get back home. But they don’t. They just go on their merry way, as if “patrol living” never happened. I haven’t figured this one out, either…

There’s a story about two eagles and a flock of turkeys. Seems the eagles were soaring at about a thousand feet when one spots a gaggle of turkeys walking—yes, walking—home after a good feed in a nearby field. “Hey,” one eagle says to the other, “those guys are birds! They’re supposed to fly, not walk around like those guys down there are doing!” So the eagles swoop down, greet the turkeys, and give them a crash-course in how to fly. They show ’em how to take off, and glide, and catch thermals, and do barrel-rolls, and all sorts o’ stuff. Then, pretty well satisfied that these turkeys now know how to fly, the eagles take off and soar back to the clouds. “Wow! That was really cool!” says one turkey to the rest, as the others nod and continue their walk home. And so it goes…
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Hello Andy,

Our Scouts BSA troop for girls is having its first campout this coming weekend. One of the adult attendees is one of our troop’s male volunteers (the other two are trained female leaders). We had a conversation at our committee meeting about what the Lodging/Cabin Accommodations section of the GUIDE TO SAFE SCOUTING means when it says, “Whenever possible, separate cabins or lodging should be provided for male and female adults as well as for male and female youth. Where separate accommodations cannot be provided due to group size or limited availability, modifications may be made. Where completely separate accommodations are not available, additional supervision is required. Physical separation… including temporary barriers or space should be used only when no other arrangements are possible.”

My own take on this is that there should be only one gender in a one-room cabin, and hanging a sheet or tarp as a divider between adults and youth doesn’t work since it’s a modification and, as per the last line from the GTSS above, these are limited to single gender only. Others on the committee took this to mean that, since the section starts with “whenever possible,” if there isn’t a separate cabin available, then the “rule” can be modified.

I tried to find some clarity online, but I’m having no luck because everything points to the above passage. If you can point us in the right direction, we’d really appreciate it! (Joe Capuano, Jr., CC)

So let’s take a look at this… As you told me, you have a Scouts BSA troop of girls, at least one registered and YP-trained female adult, and one other YP-trained female adult, plus one YP-trained male adult, and you’ll be spending overnight in a single-room cabin. Let’s use good (not “common”) sense here, and keep it simple. How about the guy simply pitches a tent nearby, since, as an adult, he can tent alone? If the troop doesn’t have a tent, go rent one. That would make the whole issue go away, yes?
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Hi Andy,

A few years ago, as I recall, the BSA had a guide to help a new troop get organized and up and running once it was formed. It showed things that needed to be worked on for the first six to twelve months, both for Scouts (elections, filling positions, forming patrols, etc.) and for adults (boards of review, finances, calendar, etc.). I can’t seem to find anything like that online now. Maybe you or your readers can help direct me to something?

Related to this, in a conversation with a new Scoutmaster, he commented on how much Scouting information is out there on the internet and how difficult is to know where it all is. I agreed with him and pointed out that no matter how much training you have you just learn about some things through experience and time. He noted that it would be really nice and useful if the BSA had an outline to guide Scouters like himself and I agree that is a wonderful idea. If it were in “outline” format, it would be as few pages as possible, and so not overwhelming. It would, for instance, list the primary functions of the committee, how a troop is organized, how patrols operate, and the key elements like the Journey To Excellence (JTE) process and so on. It wouldn’t have to elaborate on any of these other than some sub-bullet points to the main topic or how to “implement” them, or perhaps references to printed materials (e.g., the Troop Committee Guidebook) or links to BSA web pages. It would be kind of an index of all the things a troop (or pack) should know about, consider, do, etc. In essence, it could be one document that would serve to guide all Scouting units—youth and adults both—on all aspects related to the unit’s specific program—Cub Scouts, Scouts BSA, etc.

Maybe something like this exists, but I’ve never seen it. It certainly would take some effort to put something like this together, but perhaps that also shows how much it is needed and how valuable it would be. Without something like this, think of all the volunteer time that’s being spent by individuals digging this stuff out. So how about having one key person, or a small team, from the BSA National Office putting this together for everyone to use? (Ed Colaianni, Pathway to Adventure Council, IL)

I do understand your need for additional/supplemental information and guidance… I used to have a six feet tall by five feet wide bookcase filled with BSA books and literature, which I kept current on an ongoing basis. But no more. Now I almost exclusively go online. I’m saving a bunch of money since I no longer buy everything under the sun from the BSA’s retail website ever year or when there are updates—I keep all my files on my laptop ever since the BSA has made these full publications available for online downloading.

So you might want to politely suggest to your Scoutmaster friend that he use the various online search engines. I’ll guarantee he’ll find whatever he’s looking for! Also, does he read my columns? This one makes 591 columns he and others in his troop can read at their leisure; they can skip the Q&As that don’t apply to Scouts and troops, and focus on the rest—with lots of stuff you’ll not necessarily run across in a “normal” day. In addition, does he subscribe to the “Bryan on Scouting” blogs and does he use the USSSP.ORG website for all things Scouting? Just a little nudge should be all that’s needed here…

As for an index of all Scouting resources, that’s a great idea! In fact, that’s exactly why the USSSP.ORG website was created over two decades ago! There are, of course, other Scouting-focused websites as well, which your friend will discover along the way.

But the absolute most important thing your Scoutmaster friend can do is get himself and his entire troop committee to the training sessions provided by his home district and council, and start regularly attending the monthly district roundtables! These resources are the foundations for getting it right!
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Dear Andy,

I was a Cub Scout back in the early 70’s and I remember the Cub Scout Promise containing the words “to be square…” My wife doesn’t believe me that the Promise said “to be square.” Is my memory faulty? (Puzzled Hubby)

Starting in 1930, the original Cub Scout Promise was: “I…promise to be square and to obey the law of the pack.” This was at a time when, in general usage, being “square” meant being fair to all.

In the 50’s, the Promise was expanded to: “I…promise to do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to be square and to obey the law of the pack.” It now included “duty to God and my country,” in more close alignment with the Boy Scout Oath, while “square” continued to mean “fair to all.”

The Cub Scout Promise remained this way until sometime in the 70’s, when the general meaning of “square” changed from “being fair to everyone” to meaning “dorky” (as in “That kid wearing thick eyeglasses and carrying a bunch of books under his arm is a real square”).

Because “square” = “dorky” became so pervasive across America, the Promise dropped it and replaced it with “to help other people,” as in “I… promise to do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people, and to obey the Law of the Pack.”

This 1970’s Promise remained intact for some 40 years, until, in 2014—in a spirit of cohesiveness—the “Scout Oath” became the single commitment for both Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts (the latter now Scouts BSA).

So yes, your memory of being a Cub Scout in the early 70’s, and being “square” is entirely accurate.

To carry this further, “square” is hardly the only American-English word to transform. “Bully” is a prime example. At the turn of the previous century, “bully” meant “jolly” or “splendid” or “delightful” (thus Theodore Roosevelt’s famous reference to the American presidency as a “bully—read ‘delightful’—pulpit,” which has been misconstrued most recently by even such renowned historians as Doris Kearns Goodwin as meaning “to purposefully seek to harm or intimidate others,” thereby casting TR in an entirely incorrect and opposite light.

Happy Scouting!

Andy

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you’d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that’s what we’ll do.)

[No. 591 – 3/19/2019 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2019]