How can I get my Cadets to follow military customs and uniform standards?

Question

Flight sgt in CAP. Most of my cadets don't follow uniform standards after I typed a 2 page paper about how to wear them properly and gave one to each of them. And a special 2 of them talk back to officers and me. How can I fix this without them wanting to quit?

Answer 1

Well I'm a teacher and trust me from working in a private school I know all about uniform problems. But remember one thing you are the one in charge here not them. As hard as it is to say ,you need to establish unity in your group. Meaning if one goes down everyone goes down with them, otherwise they will never support each other out on the battle front. Example : If one is out of order everyone has to stay late and do something. After a while of having punishment everyone will get sick of paying for the insubordination of a few. Eventually the problem should fix itself internally. The key is to not make you look like the bad guy, but the people who are not following instruction . I found this very useful. ( take it from a high school teacher no one likes to have to do more on the account of someone elses error)

Answer 2

Ultimately you don't have a lot of leverage since you have no real authority over them. Step one is to always maintain the standard yourself. In fact, you should set higher standards for yourself than you do for them. Next you can do something to recognize the ones who do follow the standard. Try to offer some incentive. Start "cadet of the month" for the sharpest cadet. Or do something for the group if all (or nearly all) of them are in proper uniform. Have contests to see who knows the most about customs, courtesies, and uniform wear.

Emphasize that you're all a team.

It really looks like they don't respect you very much. If they did, they'd follow the standard because they know it's important to you. Don't nag or whine at them. Here's a key point. Don't take yourself too seriously. You're a Civil Air Patrol flight sergeant, for heaven's sake, not Lord Admiral of the High Seas. Never yell or shout.

Make sure to engage them in whatever you discuss when you meet. Don't just tell them what to do. Get buy-in from them. Draw out the quieter ones. Remember that everyone has something to contribute. If a meeting is going really well, the leaders won't be talking much. You'll just direct the flow of ideas from the cadets. Since CAP is voluntary, they need to get some enjoyment out of it. If the leaders are controlling the whole thing, the cadets will either act up or get bored and quit.

Answer 3

I'm a Sea Cadet myself and am training to be promoted to Leading Petty Officer. Now, my cadets have the same issues and again so did I. What i did was hold a class they all had to sit through about exactly how to where the uniform. The cadets that talked back, they got a little extra COD (close order drill) and a few more suck jobs than the others. If that doesn't help, then I'd suggest having a one-on-one chat with each Cadet or Cadet Parent meeting about this and tell them that it is not acceptable.

Answer 4

You are in charge. The responsibility to discipline them is yours. If they show insubordination, they must be disciplined or even punished. That could mean anything from doing certain chores that they don't wish to do, to being expelled from the CAP. Make no mistake; if they feel that you have no authority over them, they will not respect you. Since their respect seems to be something you need to earn (unfortunately) I suggest you make an example of the worst of the offenders by ousting him (or her), and letting the others know that they are on shaky ground if they don't "Straighten Up And Fly Right!" Also, punishing all of them for the infractions of a few is VERY effective, as eventually they will use their own peer pressure to maintain discipline.
There is a reason the CAP can operate in a quasi-military fashion; to ensure that it's members take seriously the responsibility that rests upon their shoulders. They are in a position of public safety. That means that you as their commander have the right and the duty to mete out discipline if need be.
Here's a thought: Believe it or not, study the interactions of the various characters who have commanded a Federation starship from the numerous Star Trek shows. I would say either Captain Kirk or Commander Riker would be very good role models in this case.

Answer 5

First Pusherhombre, bedu and Levi W by singleling them out and having them do anytype of pt for there mistakes is by CAP reg's hazing and not permitted. Now does your squadron have o-rides? Most units hold them every month, dont let them go up. Hold a GI party get their uniforms straight then start with demerits .....after so many drop their o-ride status, then if they keep going down then before promotion hold a board of review, then if no improvement create a board of senior and cadet members to review the cadets status and talk of disipline actions to follow.

Answer 6

Implement demerits and rewards. Reward the most outstanding cadets with something such as a break during drill, and punish the ones who aren't performing well with something such as extended physical training, demotion, or whatever else you could conjure up.

I suggest starting from a clean slate, and telling all of the cadets in a formation that they all have the chance to start over, and upon the next uniform inspection, the new system will be used. Use your chain of command and assign the better cadets to two or three of the cadets who are not conforming to the standards.

Answer 7

You wrote a memo. That's a one-way system of communications. Use the traditional three-step teaching process from military schools: Tell. Show. Do.
Tell them, face to face, what's expected. Show them what a proper uniform looks like by featuring those who are squared away. Do your inspection after the class and concentrate on easy tips to get squared away. By no means do your ever chew out some miscreant in front of the others! You praise in public. You chew in private.
If there are some who can't get with the program, show them where the exit hatch is.

Answer 8

Im tremendously optimistic there's a regulation (announcing that because of the fact I endure in concepts examining it in my view, in simple terms cant endure in concepts it particularly, besides the incontrovertible fact that it went alongside the lines of announcing you are able to placed on the certainly rank besides the incontrovertible fact that it must be a blown up image of it. working example, at Boot Camp could placed on a blown up version of SGT in case you have been the Platoon handbook.

Answer 9

don't just type it up and expect them to understand it like that---the best way is to teach them in a workshop class---

---and I am not sure about the "talk back" situation. I'd always have problems with that; but I was lucky enough that I was ablew to punish them (physical exercises) for a little bit before turning them to my superiors.

Answer 10

Drop them and make them do 20 for every button unbuttoned and every infraction you find.

As for those who talk back, boot them out. Standards need to be maintained and orders must be followed.