Via Facebook Tracey Lucas asks: We’ve helped our Elks with an annual Flag Day Ceremony and Flag Retirement Ceremony for many years. Some years we have over 400 flags that have been collected during the year to retire during the evening. We want to retire these flags with the utmost respect, but at the same time, the emissions from burning mostly synthetic flags for several hours has us worried, for the environment, but mostly for our Scouts....
Here’s the latest question posed by Scouting Magazine’s ‘What Would You Do‘ column: Commanding Respect Our troop has just seven Scouts who are 14 or older, including me, and then 15 to 20 younger Scouts. On camp-outs, the younger Scouts don’t listen to us, and they give us attitude when we ask them to do something. We have tried many things, but nothing seems to work. Could you give us some ideas?...
From Scouting Magazine’s ‘What Would You Do?’ One of our Boy Scouts has Asperger’s syndrome. He does well learning Scouting concepts by reading, but he has struggled with camp-outs and activities that are not highly structured. What can we do as a troop to help him succeed? Also, it is taking him a long time to complete advancement requirements. How do we encourage him to keep putting in the effort to complete his requirements, even though they are more challenging for him than for other Scouts?...
‘What Would You Do?’ AKA ‘Front Line Stuff’ question for the next issue of Scouting Magazine; During free time on a recent troop camp-out, a Scout from the Fox patrol thought it would be fun to steal the Rattlesnake patrol’s flag. One boy punched the other, and the fisticuffs continued for several minutes. In the aftermath, I want to know how other troops handle physical fights. How do they prevent them, and what...
The current question for the What Would You Do? feature in Scouting Magazine: Phone calls, snail mail, and even e-mail seem antiquated to many of our Scouts. We’re exploring nontraditional communications forms such as Twitter, Facebook, and mass-calling systems, but we need guidance. How do you manage such systems, and what guidelines do you follow? D.C. Newtown, Conn. The world of social media (facebook, twitter, etc.) is growing and changing so fast it is difficult for most of us to keep up!...
From Scouting Magazine’s ‘What would You Do?’ department (formerly called ‘Front Line Stuff’) a question about a recent troop leader election: We recently had our troop leadership elections, and the Scouts elected a senior patrol leader who is inexperienced, uncommitted, and has no real sense of responsibility. I am worried about the direction of the troop, but I want to respect the boys’ choice. What do I do? Scoutmaster D.M....
Scouting magazine’s feature once called ‘Front Line Stuff’ has been renamed (I think) ‘What would you do?’ Here’s the current question; Many Scouts start and finish merit badge requirements in a reasonable amount of time, others do not. Often, at summer camp, boys begin badges but return home with partial completions. Some of these partials have remained on our advancement records for more than a year. What can I do...
The current question at Scouting Magazine’s Front Line Stuff How Would You Manage Rapid Growth in Your Troop? Over the past few years our troop has doubled in size due to good programming and good promotion by our committee chair. Although this is a great problem to have, it’s hard to keep youth and adult leaders in step with changes required by the larger numbers. What should we do to...
The current question at Scouting Magazine’s Front Line Stuff Getting Cub Scouts to be Serious I am a den chief, and my father is a den leader. I play games with the Cub Scouts and try to have fun, but when it’s time to be serious, they just want to keep fooling around. How can I get them to listen when it’s time? Den Chief W.M. Congratulations to W.M. for serving as a Den Chief!...
Scouting Magazine’s Front Line Stuff asks how to balance sports and Scouting : So many of our Scouts are involved in sports that there are always conflicts between troop meetings and outings and team practices and games. How do other troops handle this issue? T.L. Kansas City, Mo. Instead of responding to these situations with a policy we have a philosophy: the Troop meets all year long and missing a few meetings or outings is not held against anyone....
Scouting Magazine poses the following question on “How to Control Misuse of Cell Phones”; A few of our parents want their sons to be able to use their personal cell phones during meetings and camp-outs. What can we do to keep the technology from being disruptive, yet allow the parents the security they’re asking for? A parents desire for the convience and reassurance that cell phones afford must be tempered with a knowledge of the practices and goals of Scouting....
Scouting Magazine’s Front Line Stuff asks the question: Our troop’s patrols are organized by age and don’t function well. We basically have two patrols: the “chaos” patrol of 11- and 12-year old boys and the “I’m too cool” patrol of older Scouts. How can we create functional patrols where the older Scouts teach the younger ones? A.S. Louisville, Ky Encouraging older and younger Scouts to interact with each other is simple when we observe the methods and aims of Scouting....
Scouter 573 asks: What can I do to help an uncertain senior patrol leader who thinks he got chosen for something other than his leadership abilities? Most of my senior patrol leader’s (twenty five or so and counting) have had at least a minor crisis of self confidence. A few have had some major misgivings. I try to help them recall that they were elected by their fellow Scouts, and that in itself witnesses that they have confidence in him....
Here’s the question for the May-June 2008 issue of Scouting Magazine Early Departures From Weekend Camp-Outs Our troop has a growing problem of parents picking up their sons from a camp-out on Sunday morning, right after breakfast but before the real work of breaking camp begins. The parents have many excuses for their son’s early departure, but this makes the other Scouts feel like they are getting stuck with all the take-down and packing chores....