Andy’s Rule No. 1: Stupid has no cure. Andy’s Rule No. 2: You show up at “troop volunteer night” and after ten minutes you still can’t figure out who the new Scoutmaster’s gonna be… It’s gonna be you. Andy’s Rule No. 3: Don’t try to teach pigs to fly… It wastes your time and annoys […]

Some leaders may be born, but STRONG leaders are MADE! So let’s get going and NAIL IT at NAYLE! NAYLE—the BSA’s premiere Leadership Training—is coming your way, so alert all your troops, crews, ships, and teams, all Scouts and Venturers, and Sea Scouts, too! NAYLE IS ON THE ROAD!   What’s ““NAYLE”? It’s the BSA’s […]

Dear Andy, I have a problem I could use some help with… We have a Life Scout who’s completed all of his requirements for Eagle except his conference with me. The problem: He seems simply unable to provide meaningful answers to “conventional” questions associated with the Eagle rank, like “Tell me about your leadership experiences,” […]

Heard ‘round the office water buffalo… Joining Geocaching, Robotics, and Inventing as new merit badges for the 21st Century, by the end of the year the BSA will be adding yet one more: Cryonics. Word has it that all former Counselors for Taxidermy (discontinued in 1952) will receive a bye for qualifying (if they’re still […]

Dear Andy, I was the Scoutmaster for our troop for three years and left for an overseas assignment two years ago. I’m back now, and have discovered that while I was gone the man who replaced me as Scoutmaster did very little to sustain the troop as a Scout-run operation. Since I’ve returned and am […]

I was happily munching a deliciously moist slab of carrot cake with a cream cheese icing of glacial thickness at a pack’s Blue & Gold a few days ago, thanking my lucky stars for this once-a-year “Commissioner perk” when the parent of a graduating Arrow-of-Light Scout asked me, “So let’s see here…since there are six […]

Hi Andy, My Scout son made a very bad decision by bringing an “adult” magazine on a camp-out. Are there any BSA rules that could be used to have him removed from the troop? He’s a good kid but made a very poor choice. The other boy, who asked him to bring the magazine, is […]

Dear Andy, We have a Star Scout who’s our troop Scribe right now and has had two previous, successful terms as Quartermaster. He’s 14. He’s outstanding in service to others, camping, and overall participation. He’s been a Troop Guide at Webelos Woods and District Camporees, and last summer successfully completed NYLT (National Youth Leadership Training) […]

Happy Valentine’s Day  Every now and again, my email portal brings a letter saying thanks for helping with this or that, and they’re always a pleasure to read and to share with my wife—they’re the best paycheck a volunteer in Scouting or any service-driven endeavor can ever get. But this one is a doozie. It’s […]

Hi Andy, Our council just hired a couple new professionals. One of them was introduced to our district committee the other night. This guy has been “in the profession,” as they say, for 17 years and for some reason we don’t understand, he’s proud of the fact that he’s been in five different councils! Five? […]