Since the New Year's Day post, some things about the cub scout pack have come into clear focus. I really like my den, even though 2 of the boys are sometimes hard to deal with! Its great spending an hour or so every other week with a group of boys trying to teach them something! The highlights of the year have been the night we built birdhouses, the night we learned knots and the night we did a little architecture by drawing the room we meet in.
The other parent leaders have continued to be a hassle and a disappointment. This past week, I was out of town on the evening of the monthly leaders Roundtable meeting for our district. I could not get a single other leader to attend in my absence. Of particular issue was our committe chair who was especially arrogant about it.
Due to issues with our son and with the school/parish administration, we are taking our son to a public school next year. We knew this was a possiblity in November of last year. We made the firm decision last month, though we are unsure which school. We applied to a magnet technology school, but won't know until March/April if he got in. If he doesn't get in there, he'll go to our local public school.
Since November, I have been trying to decide how to handle scouting. I don't want to make the same mistakes for my son that I made myself - sticking with a less than active troop and not earning Eagle in part because of it. I have been unable to get good parental involvement. I have not pulled out all the stops and have not gotten up in parent's faces, but our troop suffers from a lack of parental interest. I can't believe me getting up in people's faces will change this and I shouldn't have to do that.
So, do I pull my son out and resign as Cubmaster when he changes schools? After this week and lack of support by other parents, I think the answer to that is yes! I just need to do some research and decide which troop is good for him.
As for the CSI chapter, our incoming president with ALS is getting much worse, very quickly. At our February meeting, his speech was so slurred that we could not understand him. Our outgoing president is not interested in serving another year and our 2nd VP isn't ready to be president, he needs the year to prepare. Our outgoing president is worried about her job, so feels that she needs to focus on job and less on CSI. I can sympathise with that. The 2nd VP cold probably do it, he'll just need some help. Obviously, if the 1st VP moves up to president, he'll need a lot of help as well!
I sent an e-mail today to our retired chapter secretary and close personal adviser from when I was president. She relocated to Chicago about 6 months ago. I'll let you know what she thinks!
I suspect we'll need to find another chapter president. I don't see how his speech impediment will allow him to be president much less whatever other degradation occurs between now and June 30, 2010. I don't want to be mean or unsympathetic, but I'm trying to not diminish the gains we've made as a chapter in the past couple of years. We shall see....
