Scoutmaster

I get lots of email questions about… … troop conflicts. It may be volunteers arguing with each other, parents arguing with Scouters, volunteers arguing with Scouts, they all have a common thread, and most have a common answer. I also offer my simple advice for welcoming girls into troops, so simple you may not like […] The post Podcast 374 – What’s Next, Email Questions appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Create shared expectations and you’ll have a happy troop. In this week’s podcast I answer an email question about a behavior problem. A problem that would never happen if those involved shared expectations. Ask Scouts to analyze their behavior in light of the Scout oath and law. Listen carefully, ask questions, listen more, share your […] The post Podcast 373 – Create Shared Expectations appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

When thinking about Eagle Scout advancement … .. we ought to ask “what is an Eagle Scout?” rather than “who deserves to be an Eagle Scout?” The answer to the question “who deserves to be an Eagle Scout?” is easy; any Scout who completes the requirements. That’s it. No more and no less. There’s no […] The post Podcast 372 – Eagle Scout Advancement appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Webelos dens as patrols and more older Scout issues … Catching up on email questions this week I’ll talk about Webelos dens working the patrol method and discuss the causes of at least some older Scout problems. (If you listen very carefully you may detect a rant this week). Over thirty years ago I had […] The post Podcast 371 – Webelos Patrols and Older Scout Issues appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Working with older Scouts between the ages of 14-18 … … is both challenging and rewarding. What interests keep them involved? Simply turning up the ‘wow’ factor doesn’t do much to keep them engaged, because they are looking for much more than fun. Respecting and understanding what older Scouts need takes patient observation and an open dialogue.  […] The post Podcast 370 – Working With Older Scouts appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Email questions! I’ll answer email questions concerning patrols and planning in this week’s podcast. I think what most of us want is patrols with long storied histories, stable membership, and high functioning Scouts. It’s my suspicion these kinds of patrols only exist in the pages of handbook. I had a dog eared copy the 1940’s […] The post Podcast 369- Patrols and Planning appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Scouting discipline is constructive…  … because it builds character through applying the Scout oath and law. When we think of discipline we often think of  systems of rules and punishments. These things are more familiar to our Scouts than open-ended situation where they follow principles. Asking them to judge themselves rather than issuing judgments may be […] The post Podcast 368- Constructive Discipline appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Why is Scouting designed around youth leadership? Most Scouters think a youth led troop is the brass ring of Scouting. What exactly do we mean when we talk about youth leadership? There’s much confusion and misunderstanding of this than nearly any other aspect of Scouting. Our perspective is often narrowly focused on things that aren’t […] The post Podcast 367- Developing Youth Leadership appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

How does Scout advancement achieve the main aim of Scouting? Todays talk about advancement continues our foundations series. I’ve written extensively in detail about many aspects of Scout advancement, but this is different. In this podcast I ask how Scout advancement fits into the overall game of Scouting. You’ll hear me read from Baden-Powell’s Aids […] The post Podcast 366 – Scout Advancement appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

What’s the difference between Patrol system and Patrol method? I have never found any actual difference between those terms in Scouting literature, but I will share acouple of thoughts to differentiate between patrol system and patrol method in a way you may find helpful. Over the next three podcasts we’ll continue our foundations series by […] The post Podcast 365 – Patrol System or Method? appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Some aspects of the Scouting game look like flaws… … but they are features we must not alter. Games restrict or constrain play through rules, the laws of physics, or human limitations and Scouting is no exception. We Scouters often expend  lot of effort trying to fix things that don’t need to be fixed, or […] The post Podcast 364 – Playing the Scouting Game appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Thinking of Scouts as players … … fills out the analogy of Scouting as a game. Players volunteer to participate in the game. The most important volunteers in Scouting have more power and influence than the highest official. Without their participation, Scouting would come to a complete halt. They bring endless energy, resources, and real […] The post Podcast 363 – Scouts as Players appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Thinking of Scouters as coaches … … can help us understand our role in the game. These are just analogies – we aren’t actually coaches, and Scouting isn’t actually a game.  Analogies are not exact copies, they only resemble what they represent. What a Scouter does may be similar to coaching, but Scouters hold an unique role in […] The post Podcast 362 – Scouters as Coaches appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

We’ve heard this before, right? Baden-Powell employed the “Scouting is a game” analogy long before anyone else, and it is the best analogy I’ve found for explaining the wonderfully complex, intriguing, idea that is Scouting. We have to be careful because analogies break down at some point. While Scouting is a game in many ways, it’s […] The post Podcast 361 – Scouting is a Game appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Thank you for being a Scouter! Today I have a short story to share (with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore) I first read on Podcast 248 to wish readers and listeners happy holidays. The story includes Scouters in neckerchiefs, silence imploring, settling ourselves for a long winter’s snoring. Next week is Christmas and the following is new […] The post Podcast 360 – Happy Holidays! appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Imagine two Scout troops, troop A and troop B. Both troops have “average” Scouts (whatever that means) who do what average Scouts do. Both have a well defined procedural approach to discipline and misbehavior. Troop A publishes a guide that defines the rules, how they are enforced, and penalties for breaking them. Troop B has […] The post Podcast 359 – A Tale of Two Scout Troops appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Scout advancement is not adults judging Scouts… … it’s Scouts meeting requirements with the support of adult volunteers – in Scout advancement we are all on the same side. We did not write the requirements. We don’t personally embroider patches to present to them. It’s tiresome and self-defeating to devise our own hoops for Scouts […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 358 – Scout Advancement Judgement calls appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Kevin Callan is here, it’s time to go winter camping! Canada’s Happy Camper, our friend Kevin Callan, author of the new Complete Guide to Winter Camping joins us on this podcast with his welcoming way of sharing his knowledge of the woods in winter. You’ll see right away how Kevin has earned the name “happy […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 357 Kevin Callan and Winter Camping appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Expertise and experience are overrated Scouts need Scouters with energy and vision more than Scouters with expertise and experience. Scouts don’t care what you know, they respond to who you are. In this podcast I answer three email questions. The first (begins at [1:05]) comes from a new Scouter contemplating becoming a Scoutmaster, but is […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 356 Energy and Vision appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

What do I do now? A Scout misbehaves, makes a mistake, or even consciously does something wrong, and things spin out of control, now what? If you hang around long enough your Scouts misbehave, and you’ll will be confronted by this sort of incident, so what is your plan? I’ll discuss an incident shared with […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 355 When Scouts Misbehave appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Should gender define Scouting? This week I want to discuss responses to a post I published last week about gender in Scouting: Girls in the BSA. The post garnered lot’s of responses both for and against the idea of the BSA becoming a co-ed organization, and I’ll discuss some of the objections in this podcast.  […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 354 Gender and Scouting appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

I’ll be brief, well, kind of… … join me as I talk about two key ideas for Scouters I hope you find helpful . This podcast condenses into one talk the answers I wrote to several common email questions I had this summer. I want to share two key ideas I have talked about many […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 353 Two Key Ideas for Scouters appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Hey! I’m still here, are you? My summer break stretched into the fall a little! Spend some time catching up with me in this briefer edition of the podcast, lots to talk about! We had a great trip to Kandersteg International Scout Center in Switzerland, the troop had a great week at summer camp and […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 352 Catching Up appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

 Some Scouting problems are just nettlesome… … they aren’t discipline problems, or particularly disruptive, just nettlesome, irritating, like stinging nettles. Everyone thinks it’s the Scoutmaster’s responsibility to fix nettlesome Scouting problems, truth is it isn’t, at least not directly. Most Scouters run into a situation like this, it bothers them, and then they create a rule […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 351 Nettlesome Scouting Problems appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

 Who “owns” the pack, troop or crew? Scouting Charters are held by a chartering organization owns all of the assets of a Scout unit.  As for whether or not they will dictate how the money is spent; the chartered organization is responsible to make sure finances are administered properly. In practice most chartered organizations do […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 350 Scouting Charters appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Should we ask Scouts to sign “leadership contracts”? A couple of decades ago I tried Scout contracts, it was a mistake. I guess at the time that I would teach my Scouts a thing or two and demand that that sign a Scout contract before they took on a role of responsibility. Of course they signed […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 349 – Scout Contracts? appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

If the Scouts are leading themselves who is leading the Scout leaders? This week I’ll field a couple of email questions that ask the question “who leads the Scout leaders?” Scouting is a team sport, while we all work to build consensus it’s not a democracy. It is, as BP said, “a jolly game” that depends […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 348 – Who Leads Scout Leaders? appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

You’ve used an iterative process before … … whether you know it or not. Iteration means trying something out in a slightly or wholly different way if it does not succeed when first tried. I have some email questions to answer this week and one got me thinking about iteration. Scouting is an iterative process, […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 347 – Scouting is an Iterative Process appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

Another visit with our favorite through hikers … … from a third of the way through their quest to complete the 2000 mile Appalachian Trail. Wade “Nutshoe” Bastain, Bucky “No Name, Buckminster” Kellorg, and their fellow Eagle Scout and hiking companion “Bear” join us from southern Virginia to relate their latest adventures along the Appalachian trail. […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 346 – On The Appalachian Trail Again appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.       

We encourage active Scouts a number of ways … … but at the heart of the matter there’s only two things that make a difference, and  I’ll discuss those two key points in this week’s podcast. The same things that make active Scouts can help us increase activity at roundtables and other functions like courts of honor. […] The post Scoutmaster Podcast 345- Active Scouts and Scouters appeared first on Scoutmastercg.com.