{"id":1724,"date":"2014-08-28T12:17:51","date_gmt":"2014-08-28T16:17:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=1724"},"modified":"2014-08-28T12:17:51","modified_gmt":"2014-08-28T16:17:51","slug":"issue-411-august-28-2014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2014\/08\/issue-411-august-28-2014\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 411 \u2013 August 28, 2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

________________________________________
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Does the BSA have any sort of instructional film or video (a \u201creality show\u201d would be even better!) that shows a troop being run as it\u2019s supposed to be run, including what meetings look like (the SPL\u2019s in charge), how PLC meetings are run (chaired by the SPL), how troops go camping and hiking by patrols, and what a Scoutmaster\u2019s really supposed to be doing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our troop\u2019s Committee Chair is urging me to sign up for the Wood Badge course. He\u2019s mentioned how educational it was for him and the Scoutmaster before me, but\u2014and here\u2019s the rub\u2014these guys didn\u2019t necessarily stick to The Patrol Method, which I consider the key to a successful troop, as it was intended and supposedly is \u201ctaught\u201d at Wood Badge, and our troop is suffering for this absence. A few months ago, when I first wrote to you about our troop\u2019s problems, you really helped me out. Since then, we\u2019ve acted on your suggestions and our present Senior Patrol Leader has stepped up to run troop and PLC meetings the right way, including using the Troop Meeting Plan as his (and my!) guide. Our meetings have gotten much better since we started doing things the right way. So THANKS! But what about Wood Badge? (Joe Powell, SM, Georgia-Carolina Council)<\/strong><\/p>\n

It used to be part of the “Scoutmastership” training course (as it was called back in the 90’s) to organize the participants into patrols throughout the course, and especially for the outdoor camping component (patrols planned and organized their menus for the weekend, bought their own food, arranged their own transportation, made sure they had tents and camping\/cooking gear for all, established a “duty roster” that rotated all members except the Patrol Leader, etc.). The obvious purpose of this was so that these Scoutmasters would be “living the patrol method,” which they could then bring back to their troops. Mostly this worked, but sometimes it didn’t. Some Scoutmasters (and ASMs) never figured out that what they were doing throughout this training was exactly what their Scouts were supposed to be doing back in their home troops! Some of them actually thought that “this was just a way to organize the training course.” (Ouch!) So they’d go home and “run” their troops just like the guy before them had… Scoutmaster is in charge, everything’s planned and organized by the committee, lots of merit badge “classes” as part of troop meetings, parents plan the food and transportation, and on and on… They never figured out that what Scouting’s all about is THE PATROL METHOD. It didn’t dawn on them that Scouts’ first loyalties are to their fellow patrol members; that “the troop” was merely the “umbrella” under which Scouts function, learn from one another (i.e., not from adults, except for merit badges), and lead one another.<\/p>\n

Those who did figure out what was going on brought it back and sometimes received flak from the “old-timers” in the troop who clung to the “we’ve never done it that way, so why change” mentality.<\/p>\n

Nobody bothered to actually read the Scoutmaster Handbook or\u2014even more important\u2014the PATROL LEADER HANDBOOK! Nobody used the “Troop Meeting Plan” (Google it\u2014download it, and give it to your SPL!).<\/p>\n

But… those who did “get it” went back and made the necessary changes (they use this as their position: If we don’t deliver what their Scout Handbook promises, we’re not delivering Scouting) and enjoyed wonderful success. And…they had happy Scouts!<\/p>\n

So get your committee folks and your ASMs to read two books: The SENIOR PATROL LEADER HANDBOOK and the PATROL LEADER HANDBOOK. If you all follow what’s in these two books, you’ll have a fabulous troop!
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a Merit Badge Counselor. Many people I come in contact with, in various professions, are very willing to assist a Scout in some of his requirements; however, they aren\u2019t interested in becoming registered Merit Badge Counselors. I\u2019ve had Scouts\u2019 completed requirements reviewed and or gone over by the professional, and I\u2019m with the Scout during these reviews so I can then sign their \u201cBlue Cards.\u201d This appears to be permissible under the GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT Topics 7.0.1.4 (\u201cMerit badge counselors who do not meet specific requirements may use the services of others who do so\u201d),<\/strong> 7.0.3.1 (\u201cIf there are questions that requirements were met, a counselor may confirm with adults involved\u201d), and 7.0.3.2 (\u201cGuest experts assisting registered and approved counselors\u201d). Do I have this right? (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I can\u2019t find two of your citations\u2014the first and the third\u2014in the GTA, so let\u2019s deal with it this way: If you, as the registered MBC for a particular merit badge, are satisfied that the Scout has completed the requirement(s) as written, then you sign off; but only if you\u2019re authorized by your council for that particular merit badge.
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

My council has decided that all Merit Badge Counselors must attend an in-person training class before they\u2019re approved. The kicker is that the classes are held two hours from our town, so asking someone living in our area to be a counselor is an almost impossible task now.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Has something changed at the national level to add this “must take a training class” requirement? I\u2019m not talking about Youth Protection; this is a council-developed training class I’m talking about. From the two people that did take it, their feedback was that it’s nothing more than reading the Merit Badge Counselor Guidebook, and showing the same thing in a Power Point slide show.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I know from reading your past columns that when a troop loses its sense of where \u201cTrue North\u201d is, we need to determine whether it\u2019s fixable or not and, if it\u2019s not then, find another troop. But what do you do when your council takes its eye off True North? (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Not only via letters from readers like you over the past dozen years but in my own personal experience as a Scoutmaster (twice) and boots-on-the-ground Commissioner for the past 25 years (and I’m also a MBC myself, and have been for over 20 years and some 150+ Scouts), I’m excruciatingly familiar with Merit Badge Counselors who just don’t get what they’re supposed to be doing. This has ranged from clueless to tyrannical to not giving a darn to thinking merit badges get passed out like lollipops. Here are just a few highlights of the horrors I’ve personally witnessed…<\/p>\n

MBC to Scout: “Carve me a ball-in-box and I’ll give you the Woodcarving merit badge.”<\/p>\n

MBC to Scout who\u2019s just completed a requirement: “Well, that might be what ‘the book’ says, but for me here’s what you’re going to do…”<\/p>\n

MBC to Scout who\u2019s earned Swimming merit badge: “You’re too young to start Lifesaving merit badge, so come back when you’re older.”<\/p>\n

MBC to Scout: “Well, keep your Personal Management records like to book says and come back to me in three months and I’ll tell you if you got it right or not. If you didn’t get it right, you’ll do another three months.”<\/p>\n

MBC to Scout: “What makes you think you’re ready for Personal Fitness merit badge? Come back to me in a year or two, after you’ve grown a bit, and I’ll tell you whether you can start or not.”<\/p>\n

MBC to Scout who shows up with notes (only): “Yeah, the requirement says, “Tell your counselor,” but for me, I expect a written report.”<\/p>\n

MBC to Scout: “You failed.”<\/p>\n

MBC to Scout with merit badge pamphlet: “That book only shows the ‘minimum’ requirements. I’m going to expect a lot more out of you.”<\/p>\n

MBC to Scout: “I only run ‘classes’ and I won’t be starting another class for three months. Call me back in December.”<\/p>\n

Need more? I’ve got a ton of ’em.<\/p>\n

So my hat’s off to any council advancement committee that sees the need to educate MBCs well beyond the simplicity of YP training, and does something about it.<\/p>\n

(Some years ago for my present council, I created and ran a two-hour orientation session for teaching staff and staff MBCs during summer camp staff development week, and I can tell you from first-hand experience that this is critical! In its absence in prior years, Scouts were definitely left holding the fuzzy end of the lollipop stick!)<\/p>\n

The Guide for Merit Badge Counseling (Cat. No. 34532) has been around for quite some time, but it’s rarely “mandatory reading” for new or experienced MBCs. In fact, I’ll bet that most working MBCs don’t even know it exists!<\/p>\n

Let’s look at it from the Scout’s perspective. In his Scouting life, he’s going to encounter upwards of two dozen MBCs on his way to Eagle. If, in this process, he encounters two dozen different ways of counseling, what sort of Scout are we turning out, and what will his memory of his Scouting experience be?<\/p>\n

To anyone resisting the sort of training your council\u2019s instituted, my response is simple: If you’re not willing to devote the time and effort to learning how to get it right, I don’t want you as a Scouting volunteer, because the youth of America deserve trained counselors, mentors, coaches, and guides who get it right.<\/p>\n

That said, I’m going to suggest an option: “Testing through.” For anyone who\u2019s an experienced MBC I’d offer a quick quiz like the one I\u2019m sending you, and I’d also provide the MBC overview like the one I\u2019m also sending. This way, if the council’s advancement committee is able to determine that you know the score, you’re free to proceed. But if you need some help then they can ask you to make the time to participate in the orientation.<\/p>\n

I’m also going to suggest to your council advancement team that, instead of sort of rote “going through the book,” they ask every participant to read the book before showing up, and then devote the orientation session itself to Q&As plus batch of “what if…” scenarios (the way you’d run a Roundtable or\u2014better yet\u2014the way you’d handle Scouts going for a merit badge!) so that the MBCs can interact with one another and the facilitators!
\n==========
\nHello Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

We\u2019re having trouble figuring out how to register an 18 year-old Eagle Scout in our troop. He\u2019s not planning on going to college or going in the military, and he\u2019d like to stay involved with the troop. Without registering him as an Assistant Scoutmaster, what other options might be open to him? (Lisa Williams)<\/strong><\/p>\n

He can check with your district’s District Executive about registering as “Scouter Reserve” (different from “College Scouter Reserve”).
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a troop\u2019s Committee Chair. We right now have a Scout mom who thinks she\u2019s a member of the troop committee because, three years ago, she was one of the members of a board of review for Eagle. Currently, her son is working on his Eagle Project. It seemed to me that it was taking way too long to get completed, so I casually asked her about it. She told me that her son was adding some other things to it, in response to a request from our town\u2019s mayor. I quickly advised her that the project shouldn\u2019t be added to: It shouldn\u2019t include stuff that\u2019s not part of what we originally approved back in the proposal review step. Instead of hearing me, she went to our District Executive to get my advice dismissed. But that didn\u2019t happen; the D.E. agreed with me. Not satisfied, she then called the District Advancement Chair. But he, also, told her that the advice I\u2019d provided was correct. Now, she\u2019s hoppin\u2019 mad and makes our open committee meetings difficult at best. So (finally) here\u2019s my question: If our Scoutmaster, our Chartered Organization Representative, and I all agree that we don\u2019t want her on the committee, can we terminate her from this? (Maybe I should add that I\u2019m a woman, also, just so you know this isn\u2019t a \u201cgender bias\u201d thing here.) (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

You have a couple of little hiccups to fix here… Nothing “lethal” but it’ll make everybody’s life easier and simpler if you get them fixed.<\/p>\n

First, unless this parent is duly registered as a committee member, she’s not. Period. And you’re under no obligation to accept her if she offers to volunteer. You simply need to say that committee’s full at the moment but if an opening ever appears you’ll consider her. That should take care of that part of the equation.<\/p>\n

As for her son and his Eagle project, you’re talking to the wrong person (and sort of empowering her when you do this). Stop talking with her about her son and, instead, speak directly (and only) with the Scout himself.<\/p>\n

If she continues to make a fuss, just do your best to politely ignore her. The more you engage, the more “power” she’ll believe she has.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, if you have to move your committee meetings to a different time or location, so that she stops showing up, do it. Or get your CR to lock the door before the meeting starts.
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can Cub Scout leaders earn the Totin’ Chip and Firem’n Chit, or are they only youth awards? (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Chip and Chit are for Boy Scouts (not Cub Scouts) to earn. Cub Scouts can earn the Whittling Chip. None of these three is for adult volunteers. If your council’s Scout shop sells patches corresponding with any of these, please remember that these idiotic patches are mementos only\u2014they’re not for sewing (or gluing) on uniforms.<\/p>\n

Thanks Andy. I\u2019ve spoken to different Scouters over the years who\u2019ve earned both the Chip and Chit, their rationale being that it shows the Scouts that what\u2019s expected of a Scout is also expected of a leader (\u201clead by example\u201d), and, sure enough, some leaders have also had their Chip or Chit taken away. (N&CW)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yup, you’ve discovered that there are Scouters “out there” who either don’t understand that these are for Boy Scouts only, or who do know this but have made up some malarkey to justify their acquiring same. I didn’t give you an opinion\u2014I gave you BSA policy. So remember Rule #1: Stupid has no cure.
\n==========
\nDear Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was a member of an Eagle board of review last night. The scout did great and the decision to sign off on his Eagle rank was unanimous. He wants to submit his college application before its December 1st deadline and include that he\u2019s an Eagle Scout, but some of the board members said he couldn\u2019t do that until confirmation came back from the BSA National Office. I\u2019ve always thought that, when a Scout successfully completes his board of review, he\u2019s an Eagle Scout. I\u2019d appreciate your advice on how to handle this. (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

You aren\u2019t incorrect: The date that will show on this young man\u2019s Eagle Scout certificate is the date of his board of review. This is the date that, among other things, the national office confirms. While those other reviewers are being justifiably cautious, we need to keep in mind that the deadline is still a couple of months away and confirmation can be obtained electronically or even by phone if he\u2019s pressed for time. So, I\u2019d advise this young man to keep going on his resume and complete it, but hold onto it till all the t\u2019s are crossed. (The odds of a \u201crejection\u201d at this point are, frankly, miniscule.)
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I currently have an outstanding group of adult volunteers who deserve recognition. I currently have a new Scoutmaster who I\u2019ve set up with checklists to start working on both his Scout Leader Training Award and his Scoutmaster’s Key, and I\u2019ve got him working with his assistants to earn theirs, also. They\u2019re also working with our Senior Patrol Leader and PLC to earn the National Outdoor Challenge Award and the National Honor Patrol Awards. Overall, this is a very good and very active troop.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But I can\u2019t seem to find anything for our committee members to earn! I\u2019ve been searching all over the Internet including MyScouting.org for awards or \u201csquare knots\u201d and I\u2019m coming up with zilch. Do you have a direction I can go to find things for our very deserving troop committee? (Glenn Harrop, CC, Rolla, MO)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Troop committee members can earn the Boy Scout Leader’s Training Award too! Check it out here: http:\/\/usscouts.org\/awards\/scoutertrainingB.asp<\/p>\n

Happy Scouting!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Andy<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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\u2019d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

[No. 411 \u2013 8\/28\/2014 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 Andy McCommish 2014]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

________________________________________ Hi Andy, Does the BSA have any sort of instructional film or video (a \u201creality show\u201d would be even better!) that shows a troop being run as it\u2019s supposed to be run, including what meetings look like (the SPL\u2019s in charge), how PLC meetings are run (chaired by the SPL), how troops go camping […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-22"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1724"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1727,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1724\/revisions\/1727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}