Topic
What it takes to lead a troop week after week. Scoutmasters and assistant Scoutmasters wrote openly about vision, patience, mentoring youth leaders and the occasional rainy campout.
200 posts · 2007–2020
Showing 101–150 of 200 posts
Your have seen the presentation in the first video. You have heard from the former members of Boy Scout Troop 68 during the next two videos. Now it is time to hear from the retired scoutmaster. In this, the final of four parts of the retirement party, we finally get to hear what Steve has…
You've got 60 seconds; make them count. After a pack or troop meeting filled with learning, fun, and fellowship comes the grand finale: the Scoutmaster's or Cubmaster's Minute. Consider it a closing argument to your Scouts - one last chance to inspire before they head home.
If you have been following this blog and the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast you know that two of the four parts of the scoutmaster retirement party video have been posted. Here is the third part. It features more alumni of Boy Scout Troop 68 as they step up to the podium and share their memories…
Larry Geiger has served as a Scoutmaster for two different troops so that means he has transitioned in and out of the Scoutmaster role more than most of us. I asked him to write about these transitions and offer his advice.
I had been curious for a couple of weeks what the committee had planned for the retirement party. They had been very quiet whenever I was nearby. A great example of this was at the February committee meeting. I make the agenda so I listed the party under old business thinking they night bring up…
You have been reading about it in the blog. Now you can watch it happen. This post to the Melrose Scout Productions Podcast features the first of four videos taken from the troop's retirement party for Scoutmaster Steve who stepped down after 30 years of service.
I realize that many of you would think that I have gone overboard about the subject of "Why Scout Camp is Important" but I still have covered this topic in its entirety. Basically what I am doing is that I am trying to give you as Scout Leaders, Youth Leaders, or parents enough information in…
The Ten Essentials of Scoutmastership penned by William ‘Green Bar' Hillcourt were part of the Scoutmaster's Handbook for many years. 1. A belief in boys that will make you want to invest yourself and your time on their behalf. As Plato said " Of all the animals , the boy is the most unmanageable ".
Adult leaders often say things like; "I don't override the boys decisions at all. " "I asked them what they wanted to do." "This was their decision." What most of us fail to recognize is that many of these ‘boy led' decisions were probably coerced, at least in part, by the presence of adults when they…
Scouting's One Essential Feature - Scoutmastercg.com At our council camporee in December I walked around the entire camp and saw only two troops that had identifiable patrols. Most troops were set up as one unit, with all the tents lined up and no discernible internal division into patrols.
At our council camporee in December I walked around the entire camp and saw only two troops that had identifiable patrols. Most troops were set up as one unit, with all the tents lined up and no discernible internal division into patrols.
The more things change the more they stay the same… I am referring to the new Advancement guide of the BSA. You can download now at the Scouting.org or here is a direct link GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT 2011 . In it you will find much of the same policies and practices that have governed the advancement…
Here's some of the books that have helped me as a Scout leader and outdoorsman. This collection has helped me learn practical skills, history, outdoor lore, the Scouting program and provided inspiration for many years. Wildwoods Wisdom Ellsworth Jaeger was an educator, author and curator.
It is not a secret. Some Boy Scouts get nervous when it is time to do a scoutmaster conference for a rank. As a scoutmaster I do my best to put the Scout at ease and we usually get through it without a problem.
The Junior Assistant Scoutmaster is a youth member of a Boy Scout troop who serves in the capacity of an Assistant Scoutmaster except where legal age and maturity are required. He must be at least 16 years old and not yet 18.
Welcome Back! In this show you will listen in on a class I taught at our Councils Program and Training Conference. This class is on the Scoutmaster Conference. I used the National Supplemental training on the subject and if you would like to follow along with the slides from the class you can download them…
Welcome Back! In this show you will listen in on a class I taught at our Councils Program and Training Conference. This class is on the Scoutmaster Conference. I used the National Supplemental training on the subject and if you would like to follow along with the slides from the class you can download them…
IN THIS PODCAST Scoutmaster panel discussion; three new documents from the B.S.A. Phone-in question: "Where does the Scoutmaster's responsibilities end and the Committee's responsibilities begin? LINKS Introduction to Leadership Skills for Troops Guide to Advancement 2011 Evaluating Positions of Responsibility New Eagle Project Workbook Walter's post ‘Changes to the Eagle Process' Troop Committee Challenge online…
EDITORS NOTE: This is an excellent example of carpe minutea or ‘seizing the minute' from contributor Larry Gieger . It also gives us all a look into the thought processes and keen observational skills of a veteran Scouter. What are you seeing when you are out camping with your Scouts?
The Scoutmaster's minute is a tradition for sharing a thought or idea at every troop meeting. There are books and websites replete with lots and lots of minutes ( here's mine ) but I have never really used them all that much.
The troop committee was called to a local restaurant for a special meeting on September 13th. As the troop's assistant scoutmaster I was invited to attend. So was the district executive. The scoutmaster was not informed of the meeting. The troop had a problem.
Our Court of Honor was last Sunday and we honored many Scouts and Scouters and at one point we honored a 8+ volunteer who is leaving the Troop and I said some words about her...I got some feedback from many in the Troop about it...so here it is as best as I can remember it…
The three rules of Scouting leadership are simple: delegate delegate delegate I'm a Scoutmaster so I concentrate on the work I am supposed to be doing. I don't do these jobs: Outdoor Coordinator – he takes care of ALL camping trip logistics, phone calls, online reservations to support the annual plan that the Scouts prepared.
Monday night I had the pleasure of sitting down with a young man and talking with him about his up coming Eagle Board of Review. The Scoutmaster conference went well.. but then again, shouldn't it? After all this is his seventh conference, he has completed all the work and at seventeen years old, the Scout…
Funny how time fly's when you're having fun. This week has been an amazing week of Scouting and thus, I have not been on the computer much at all. The Outdoor channel is currently filming Scouts from my Troop on an amazing adventure for the series Scouting for Adventure .
The following is the speech I gave at my son's Eagle Court of Honor this weekend. As much as I can remember preparing it. The delivered version many have differed slightly as I was suffering from 'allergies' and my eyes might have watered up....
Interview with Mark Ray; author of the Scoutmaster's Other Handbook and The Eagle Court of Honor Book. The Scoutmaster's Other Handbook on Amazon The Eagle Court of Honor Book on Amazon Mark Ray's Website Eagle Court of Honor Backdater Mark's Parenting and Scouting in free PDF format Subscribe to the Scoutmaster Newsletter Call and leave…
A young man sits across from you at a table, he is new to the Troop and seeking that first badge.. the Scout Badge. He sheepishly asked for a Scoutmaster conference, and now he is stepping off on the Trail to Eagle.
Scouters offer a wide range of opinions about term limits. (Photo by Flickr user Tamás Mészáros) Scoutmasters in Troop 1776 serve for three years and then step down. As a Scout growing up in 1776, I assumed that every troop did it that way.
Click to view slideshow. When assistant Scoutmaster Matt Testerman heard that in 2009 his troop visited West Point, he formed a plan. You see, Testerman is a graduate of a different service academy, Annapolis, the U.S. Naval Academy. And in the spirit of the Army-Navy rivarly, he wanted to take the guys of Troop 336…
The position of the Junior Assistant Scoutmaster is one that I find debated frequently. The debate ranges from what rank he needs to be to the age he needs to be and then as to what his job is within the Troop.
Last night I participated in a Scoutmaster Conference for a new Scout. It was obviously his first Scoutmaster Conference as a Boy Scout and he was trying to earn his Scout Badge. Here is why I am posting this... The excitement that he had was over the top and its not just him, but I…
It's traditional in Boy Scouts that the Troop meeting be closed by the Scoutmaster with a Scoutmaster's minute. This is something our Scoutmaster used to do all the time (he told me so) but as the years went on it seems to have fallen out of practice. Last night we brought the tradition back. Before
Here's an excerpt from Ask Andy's December 10th column . Hi Andy: My question has to do with BSA national policies and why so many troops seem to stray... For example, my son recently "failed" his Scoutmaster conference for First Class...
Welcome back to the SMMPodcast. In this show we answer an email from a listerner wanting to know about how we use our Assistant Scoutmasters. We also dive into a little Troop Discipline talk. Let me know what you think.
I expect you've heard the talk of mandatory training for scout leaders coming along. I suppose that's probably really the only way to make it happen - make it required. I'm happy that all but 1 of the Assistant Scoutmasters in our troop have their Trained patch.
[Author’s note: Throughout this article I am not referring to any specific Troop, this is more general.] I’ve had the opportunity to visit several Boy Scout troops during my time in Scouts, and the one thing I know for sure is that each one operates differently.
So while I prepared yesterday, I ended up writing my thoughts and it evolved into my scoutmaster's vision statement. It will take a while but I hope to get the Scouts to come up with their own vision of our success.
In my last post, I laid out that I'm going to become Scoutmaster tonight. I have had a couple of weeks to plan for this, but I really haven't done much to prepare for tonight. The current Scoutmaster hasn't said a word about this to me, that has me a bit on edge.
This episode of Around The Scouting Campfire is dedicated to a special individual of Boy Scout Troop 68, Eymard, our assistant scoutmaster. Eymard is 83 years old and has been with the troop for 23 years. Buttons and Steve thought it was about time to recognize Eymard on the podcast.
Look around this room! WOW, 70 Scouts and almost 30 Adults all here because they love Scouting. With all these uniforms and all these people it sometimes gets confusing...Mr. Lopresto, can you tell me what the patch on your shoulder says (ASM), Assistant Scoutmaster, Mr.
It is time once again to make that trip to your nearest Hallmark store and pick up this year's Scoutmaster Snoopy Keepsake Ornament. This year's ornament, The Fearless Crew , features Snoopy leading Woodstock and two of his friends on a wilderness hike.
If you are involved with Boy Scouting in the United States you know that this is the 100th anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America and the year of the 2010 National Jamboree. Council troops are currently putting the final touches on their plans to attend the event, and Boy Scouts and leaders are already…
Last Friday night was a Court of Honor held for a Troop in New York. There was nothing really special about about this CoH, just another program honoring Scouts and Scouters in a 100 year old Troop. It's been done before (maybe at least 200 times for this Troop).
Today I spent the better part of it assisting with New Scoutmaster training. On the training team, it is my job to lead the discussion on the role of the Scoutmaster. As we wrapped up today's session, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss on the blog some of the basics of…
In this two part show, Scoutmaster Jerry has a discussion about starting up a new Troop and what it takes to make Troops successful. Join Scoutmaster Jerry as he brings in a special guest, Brand New Scoutmaster Shawn Cleary to talk about the challenges, the hopes, and the program that will make a Troop successful.
Scoutmaster G.B. from Austin, Texas sent me the following: Our troop has a Patrol Leader's Council (PLC) every first Monday. Last Monday the older boys were really acting up. I asked the senior patrol leader (SPL) to get the meeting under control but neither he nor the assistant senior patrol leader responded to my request.
PTC Media Podcasts Have you checked out the PTC Media podcast site yet? ( http://www.ptcmedia.net ) The PTC Media network is a collection of seven Scouting related podcasts, six of them audio and one video. They are produced by four Scout leaders from across the United States.
Have you checked out the PTC Media podcast site yet? ( http://www.ptcmedia.net ) The PTC Media network is a collection of seven Scouting related podcasts, six of them audio and one video. They are produced by four Scout leaders from across the United States.
1 Vote On Idea My guess is this may already be in the works, but it would be great if a new updated version of the Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster Specific Training was created. It could even be distributed in an electronic format.
