Pushups = Hazing ??

[abysmal]

Hmmm
This is really making me think.....

I have more than a couple cadets that just WON'T get their uniforms right.

I have to admit, that I never even considered contacting "mom & dad" and enlisting them in the pursuit of cadet excellance, but hey, what the heck, if that solves the problem, then perhaps I need to bring them in the loop.

[arajca]

It's a good idea in general to keep mom and dad informed about what their cadet is doing - or not doing. I recommend having regular Parents' Nights to show off the cadets' progress and awards.

[PWK-GT]

It's a good idea in general to keep mom and dad informed about what their cadet is doing - or not doing. I recommend having regular Parents' Nights to show off the cadets' progress and awards.

How often do you do those? It sounds like a decent idea......Especially because I have never met most of the parents. Of course, the apple don't fall from the tree.....normally.

[abysmal]

It's a good idea in general to keep mom and dad informed about what their cadet is doing - or not doing. I recommend having regular Parents' Nights to show off the cadets' progress and awards.

We have never done that.

[arajca]

How often do you do those? It sounds like a decent idea......Especially because I have never met most of the parents. Of course, the apple don't fall from the tree.....normally.

I would recommend a Parents' Night every six months. My current unit holds awards and promotion nights the first Monday of each month. The families are invited and we generally have a fun activity that everyone can join in on after the presentations.

[PWK-GT]

Do you normally get a decent % of parents attending? I think sometimes they view us as babysitters .........it would be interesting to see though!
Got any examples to share RE: 'a fun activity'??

[abysmal]

Do you normally get a decent % of parents attending?

I know one thing that continues to amaze me are the number of parents that come for the WHOLE meeting and just hang out in our hanger chatting with each other.

I keep trying to get them to join so they can do something productive since they are already there and have better attendance than a lot of my cadets!

[Pace]

I know one thing that continues to amaze me are the number of parents that come for the WHOLE meeting and just hang out in our hanger chatting with each other.

I keep trying to get them to join so they can do something productive since they are already there and have better attendance than a lot of my cadets!

You have that too, huh?  I have one parent that sits through the meeting (and has for 3 years), but she won't join.  There's another parent that just sits out in his truck for 2 hours reading and watching movies on his laptop.  Both would make excellent members of the squadron, but neither will join.  They want CAP to be their child's "thing" without them (which is perfectly understandable), but they never actually leave the area.

[abysmal]

That is SO exactly what I see every monday night.
I have had 3 parents commit to get fingerprinted and become members.
So far 1 said she got the prints and never turned them in, the other 2 have not yet been printed.

But I hold out hope...

[SarDragon]

Get your own print kit for the unit, and get one or two folks trained by a local LEA. We do all our own prints in house. Makes thing a lot simpler.

[SAR junkie]

its hard to describe this cadet. nothing works. and my mentor is the DCC of my squadron. he did mention just takin away the privilages like i  mentioned earlier. but his methods are just not working with this cadet. i feel i have given him ample time to adjust. and his parents, well....lets jus say we wanted him to trim his hair. they mentioned that if i got onto him one more time ( the better part of a month and a half) about his hair...that he would not come back, the other option was taht he would go to CAP distinctive. we gave him an ultimatium. either he trimed his hair, or he didnt come bak. i will not have one cadet in my squadron wear the CAP disctintive JUST because he is too lazy to trim his hair. he finally trimmed it, but it took alot to get him just to do that. i have decided, and my cadet staff agrees that we cannot salvage a cadet out of this teenager.

i hate to feel this way. but the fact that this cadet is NOT active in the activities we do but does come to the meetings..grrr.. (mad CC over here) he has been in for six months now and still doesnt wear his freakin cutouts. there is NO excuse for this cadets behavior.

and i dont even thnk that push ups will save this cadet. i dont feel he is a vital asset to the programs. he does more harm than good. im yet to see him do nething worth while.

grrrrrrrr.....im so frustrated right now..... 

[PWK-GT]

For starters, what do you think it finally took to get him to trim his hair? It seemed that his parents were of little help there......You might be on to something.
Next: Has anyone asked him simply WHY he chooses to be a member of an all-volunteer group and then NOT respect the rules and regs? Or, are you just a babysitter to the folks?
Also--What do your Senior officers think? Is this acceptable behavior to them?

Just some thoughts before going drastic.......but you may have to.

[SAR junkie]

my superiors do NOT feel that this is appropriate behavior from this cadet. in that aspect they agree with me. they keep telling me that the cadet program is to be run by my cadet staff and myself. so they are in the loop on everything.

im not sure what got him to trim his hair. he joined b/c he wanted to fly. but he never got an o flight because he couldnt get his act together. i dont want him in my squadron. he is majorly affecting the moral of the unit...and has a negative effect on the new prospective cadets.

[PWK-GT]

my superiors do NOT feel that this is appropriate behavior from this cadet. in that aspect they agree with me. they keep telling me that the cadet program is to be run by my cadet staff and myself. so they are in the loop on everything.

To my thoughts, that may be an ideal way of teaching leadership to your cadet officers / NCO's, but they are Senior for a reason! Your CO doesn't let you guys do what you want, I'm sure. The Senior Officers and SM's are there for anything you cadets might need assistance on.......it's part of their jobs in most cases. But, if they feel unmotivated to get further involved, the problem is not solely on this Cadet No-Brains. In our unit, you try to let the Cadet leadership work on it first--but if it isn't able to be solved this way, the Seniors get involved. That normally carries more weight with a problem cadet, and ultimately they set the tone.
In a perfect world, I know.......
We could always use you here in the flatlands .......Same Region, different slackers

[Cadet Bonnett]

its hard to describe this cadet. nothing works. and my mentor is the DCC of my squadron. he did mention just takin away the privilages like i  mentioned earlier. but his methods are just not working with this cadet. i feel i have given him ample time to adjust. and his parents, well....lets jus say we wanted him to trim his hair. they mentioned that if i got onto him one more time ( the better part of a month and a half) about his hair...that he would not come back, the other option was taht he would go to CAP distinctive. we gave him an ultimatium. either he trimed his hair, or he didnt come bak. i will not have one cadet in my squadron wear the CAP disctintive JUST because he is too lazy to trim his hair. he finally trimmed it, but it took alot to get him just to do that. i have decided, and my cadet staff agrees that we cannot salvage a cadet out of this teenager.

i hate to feel this way. but the fact that this cadet is NOT active in the activities we do but does come to the meetings..grrr.. (mad CC over here) he has been in for six months now and still doesnt wear his freakin cutouts. there is NO excuse for this cadets behavior.

and i dont even thnk that push ups will save this cadet. i dont feel he is a vital asset to the programs. he does more harm than good. im yet to see him do nething worth while.

grrrrrrrr.....im so frustrated right now..... 

SAR junkie,

if this cadet isn't participating in any f the actvities, have you thought about the fact that his home life could be interfering with his CAP life...  His parents may not let him take part in the activities that take place other than the meetings. I would be frustrated too. But maybe you could try talking to him. If there is not an answer than you could probably talk to someone who is willig to answer the question. Maybe he just can't patriciapte.

Or maybe you could give him proper disipline and teach what exactly you are expected to do while in the CIVIL AIR PATROL program if he dosen't listen than do the only other option. PROPER BEHAVIOR IS REQUIRED FOR CAP...

I see how you are ...

[Xeno]

my superiors do NOT feel that this is appropriate behavior from this cadet. in that aspect they agree with me. they keep telling me that the cadet program is to be run by my cadet staff and myself. so they are in the loop on everything.

im not sure what got him to trim his hair. he joined b/c he wanted to fly. but he never got an o flight because he couldnt get his act together. i dont want him in my squadron. he is majorly affecting the moral of the unit...and has a negative effect on the new prospective cadets.

I had problem in my squadron up until a couple weeks ago from two different cadets. I confronted one of them after countless warnings and discussions and pretty much told him that the next time I saw him he'd better be in full uniform with all his cutouts and patches, he'd better have his boots polished and his hair cut to standards and that if he wasn't going to bother looking presentable in the uniform the air force issued him then he didn't need to bother coming(he's been airman basic for a year btw). This was three weeks ago and I haven't seen him since. It was probabally one of the hardest things I've ever done but it had to be done.

Sgt. I think that the best thing you could do would be to give it to him straight. Explain that this is a military unit and he represents not only the air force but also the nation when he is in that uniform and at those meetings, if he's not going to straighten up he doesn't need to be there.

Best case scenario: he straightens his act up... Problem solved
Worst case: You lose a troublemaker... Problem solved.

I can understand you wanting to preserve your unit, I don't like losing people either, but sometimes it just has to be done. Besides, it isn't worth losing good hard working cadets over him.

As for my second troublemaker, he's on vacation right now. Next week I take over as C/CC (my current position is C/XO), so I guess he'll be in for a surprise when he returns...

[SAR junkie]

Chief,

If I am not mistaken, not getting promoted for 6 months is grounds for termination of CAP membership. I  also believe that falls under a form 2B? My mentor has mentioned them before. Im so glad I am not alone in "slackers" but then i guess there are plenty to go around. 

Feel free to PM me. we can chat some more.

[Pace]

Actually, not completing two achievements per year is grounds for termination (reference CAPR 52-16, 2-3.g).  Remember that not all officer achievements are associated with a promotion.  In most cases, the most a Phase IV cadet can achieve is 2 promotions in a year from the date of their Earhart Award.  However, most commanders are unwilling to terminate a cadet solely on this basis.

[abysmal]

Chief,

If I am not mistaken, not getting promoted for 6 months is grounds for termination of CAP membership. I  also believe that falls under a form 2B? My mentor has mentioned them before. Im so glad I am not alone in "slackers" but then i guess there are plenty to go around. 

Feel free to PM me. we can chat some more.

Thats the biggest stick you have in your arsenal.
Use it with exceedingly great caution....

[Cadet Bonnett]

how many activities ar ein passing the pt test