Last night at Roundtable, one of our participants got off on a tangent about the advancement process in her troop.  Remarking that it took her son, an ambitious go-getter, three years to make First Class, she mentioned that it was because the Scoutmaster was very particular about just which Scouts were allowed to sign off on advancements, there were no opportunities for advancements to be completed at camp or troop meetings, and she’d end up driving him to other boys’ houses to get things signed off.  Many other boys were in the same situation and it seemed that the Scoutmaster took some delight in making the boys struggle. We were talking about another topic when she brought this up, but I got to thinking about a response. Continue reading “What’s a Parent to Do?”
Keeping Boys Interested
When boys cross over from a pack to a troop, they usually stay the course if they stick with it for the first year or so. Â There are lots of strategies for keeping them interested once they’ve crossed over. Continue reading “Keeping Boys Interested”
Adult involvement, part 2
While we’re on the subject, let’s think about the adult role at the patrol leaders’ council meetings.
Simply put, adults have no role, because the PLC is composed of the youth leaders of the troop, and the PLC meeting is their meeting — not the adults’ meeting! Continue in Chapter 3 of the Scoutmaster Handbook, which states that “the Senior Patrol Leader chairs the Patrol Leaders’ Council meetings.” Continue reading “Adult involvement, part 2”
Adult Involvement: How much is too much?
Even though Boy Scouts is boy-led, adults are absolutely essential for the program to operate.
However, it’s very easy to cross the line between boy-led and adult-led, just by doing things adults would normally do without thinking about it.
Even something as seemingly minor, helpful and innocent as a stage direction during a flag ceremony, or injecting information into an announcement by the SPL, can send the message to the boys that they really aren’t in charge of the troop meeting. Continue reading “Adult Involvement: How much is too much?”