11
11
0
Recently the Army has committed to establishing BLC online at the soldiers home. Do you feel this method of teaching will actually give soldiers basic knowledge of being a NCO or do you feel its better to continue the school course after the virus.
Posted in these groups: 
Basic Leaders Course (BLC formerly WLC PLDC)
NCO Academy
SGT
Leadership
Development
Basic Leaders Course (BLC formerly WLC PLDC) NCO Academy SGT Leadership Development
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 30
5
5
0
4
4
0
Have them evaluated at a location within thier state for National Guard (During or for Annual Training). On a Field site for Active. Reserves at a Training location/Site
Everything should be as local as possible.
Have oversight by CSM/SGMs pick by other CSM's.
Recommend be done in Squad/Team size groups.
Maybe record the event for evaluation?
For schoolhouse NCOES instructors?
Live video streaming for better evaluation, using approved apps that allow recording.
Just some thoughts.
Everything should be as local as possible.
Have oversight by CSM/SGMs pick by other CSM's.
Recommend be done in Squad/Team size groups.
Maybe record the event for evaluation?
For schoolhouse NCOES instructors?
Live video streaming for better evaluation, using approved apps that allow recording.
Just some thoughts.
(4)
(0)
SSG (Join to see)
SGT Eric Davis dunno yet ask me again in a week or two.
My soldiers are supposed to go thru it .....soon.
My soldiers are supposed to go thru it .....soon.
(0)
(0)
3
3
0
You learn by doing. Just because you have a piece of paper saying that you are qualified to do something doesn’t mean that you can actually do it. Leaders lead by example, others just check the box or get the certificate and move forward.
(3)
(0)
3
3
0
Yes and no, Yes it will allow the Soldiers to have time to learn to use initiative. No, it will not allow the Soldier to learn from other Soldiers experience
(3)
(0)
SGM Robert Murray
1SG Walter Craig - As you can tell, even Rallypoint is an online discussion about leadership. Basic? Advanced? We, on this thread, read the comments of others. How WELL do these individuals on here articulate a perspective/viewpoint on paper? These are the same people who write award recommendations or evaluations. Are the tools for research and analysis available? Yes, but people can't take the time to do that to validate a viewpoint or perspective.
(0)
(0)
3
3
0
In person is always better, you also have the benefit of Peep discussions. On line has provided college degrees for many, many years. It is better than not at all.
(3)
(0)
3
3
0
Needs to be a face to face course. Jr enlisted need that experience of standing in front of a formation and leading the element. They have to feel the nervousness and get their commands in order before they march the element. The pressure of being graded in person for marching or land nav or leading in the FTX. Can’t do that online.
(3)
(0)
SGM Robert Murray
1SG Tommy McGee 1SG (Join to see) Not necessarily. Ask drill sergeant candidates. Ask Toastmaster members. I don't how many times I've talk to the wall, lectured a tree or bored myself in a mirror. Nowadays, SKYPE works too. Combine that with Youtube presentations and you have it down pat. It's called acting. Over time, the repetitiveness of the real thing helps to ease the discomfort. . .not necessarily eradicate it.
YOU ARE active duty, so you can't speak derogatorily about your commander in chief, but I can provide a "constructive criticism" perspective. . .he's been commander in chief for awhile. . .standing in front of a "formation." How's that worked out for him?
Just a perspective.
YOU ARE active duty, so you can't speak derogatorily about your commander in chief, but I can provide a "constructive criticism" perspective. . .he's been commander in chief for awhile. . .standing in front of a "formation." How's that worked out for him?
Just a perspective.
(0)
(0)
SGM Robert Murray
1SG Walter Craig - Your statement sounds vague. You said 'not one knew or could perform taking charge." Excuse me? How about another option? "did not or chose not to take charge." My specialty is communications and not drill and ceremony. I chose NOT to have a retirement ceremony so as to NOT inconvenience soldiers with FLUFF pomp and circumstance. I made E9 because of my technical skills AND leadership skills and not drill. March around a bunch of E-9's? How'd that make you feel? How's that any different a "task" than say marching privates in basic training, prisoners to a holding position or criminals at Fort Leavenworth? Remiss in their duties? To do what? A retirement ceremony? OK. . . we'll put that as a significant achievement on an NCOER.
(0)
(0)
3
3
0
ANY. . .repeat ANY continuing education improves professional development. The more you learn, the more you grow. . .period. In my 25 years of the military, I received my BS degree, however, when all was said and done, I actually accumulated over 240 semester hours of courses completed. Most colleges, you only need 120. Some were traditional; many were online. What the online did was improve my written/composition skills immensely. You'd be surprised how many people don't write well to effectively communicate a thought process. Online works.
(3)
(0)
3
3
0
The course doesn't do anything as a resident course, why would online change that?
(3)
(0)
SSG Carlos Madden
I felt that my time at Ft Lewis was mostly valuable but I went through PLDC. Are soldiers not gaining anything from the course now?
(0)
(0)
CW2 (Join to see)
It doesn't teach leadership. There is no "this is what a good leader is" or "let's review good leaders" (at least when I went back in 2007, and from what I've seen in conducting briefings at BLC) It's mostly - here's how to run the least effective PT the military has ever seen, here's what a 4856 is (not how to effectively counsel a Soldier), here's the top section of an NCOER is (not that the rated Soldier is basically responsible for writing it throughout the period and documenting on the support form), here's some DC, and then the field exercise was making E4s write full blown OPORDS for a platoon attack.
None of that is actually "leading" Soldiers - it's just "here's the stuff you have to do now that you're an NCO".
There is no get to know your soldiers individually as each one requires different leadership, inspire them to work for accomplishing the mission - not for fear of UCMJ, that an NCO can ACTUALLY recommend UCMJ and should be doing so through the use of the 4856 - not just cookie cutter monthly counselings. Here's some things that a Soldier typically doesn't learn about until they're 15 years in and wished they knew at 3 years, here's how to tactfully tell an Officer or Senior NCO that they're wrong, here's how to be an expert at your carbine or pistol, how to actually land nav (it doesn't matter your MOS it's a common Soldier task).
It's 4 weeks of the 11s and 19s teaching everyone else how to land nav and PT, and seeing how bad most of the Army is at common Soldier tasks.
ALC was the same thing, SLC was all about MOS stuff which was fine - but not leadership.
We don't teach leadership (don't anyone dare say the 62 day US Army Camping School at Benning is leadership...it's patrolling), we assign reading from a few regs from the 40s and expect that to be the same. All of the best leaders I've ever had were the ones that did essentially the exact opposite of what the Army expects of a "leader".
A good leader knows their soldier, and treats them accordingly - which is fair. A Soldier who doesn't try as hard and shams is going to get treated as such. The leader should also discuss the career with the Soldier. I had an subordinate who in no way wanted to go to SERE, I didn't force him - it's his career and his life. If he wants to fall behind his peers so be it, it showed on his NCOER.
A good leader can also let their Soldier fail - failure is the best teacher.
None of that is actually "leading" Soldiers - it's just "here's the stuff you have to do now that you're an NCO".
There is no get to know your soldiers individually as each one requires different leadership, inspire them to work for accomplishing the mission - not for fear of UCMJ, that an NCO can ACTUALLY recommend UCMJ and should be doing so through the use of the 4856 - not just cookie cutter monthly counselings. Here's some things that a Soldier typically doesn't learn about until they're 15 years in and wished they knew at 3 years, here's how to tactfully tell an Officer or Senior NCO that they're wrong, here's how to be an expert at your carbine or pistol, how to actually land nav (it doesn't matter your MOS it's a common Soldier task).
It's 4 weeks of the 11s and 19s teaching everyone else how to land nav and PT, and seeing how bad most of the Army is at common Soldier tasks.
ALC was the same thing, SLC was all about MOS stuff which was fine - but not leadership.
We don't teach leadership (don't anyone dare say the 62 day US Army Camping School at Benning is leadership...it's patrolling), we assign reading from a few regs from the 40s and expect that to be the same. All of the best leaders I've ever had were the ones that did essentially the exact opposite of what the Army expects of a "leader".
A good leader knows their soldier, and treats them accordingly - which is fair. A Soldier who doesn't try as hard and shams is going to get treated as such. The leader should also discuss the career with the Soldier. I had an subordinate who in no way wanted to go to SERE, I didn't force him - it's his career and his life. If he wants to fall behind his peers so be it, it showed on his NCOER.
A good leader can also let their Soldier fail - failure is the best teacher.
(3)
(0)
CW2 (Join to see)
1SG Walter Craig that applies to any resident course though, not about teaching young Soldiers to be leaders, even basic and AIT teach that.
(0)
(0)
2
2
0
My personal opinion is that the Army should wait the pandemic out and then send Soldiers to resident BLC. I graduated PLDC at Fort Hood in 2001 so I fully acknowledge that I'm being biased. If I had to go for 30 days, then the young bucks should too, lmao! In all seriousness, I don't see much value in online NCOES. It is too easy to treat it like a "check the block" activity, like the SSD modules turned out to be for a lot of Soldiers (not everyone). I do understand that a lot of people, whether military education or college education, prefer online courses and excel at them, but I'm not one. I despise online classes and only take them when absolutely necessary. I strongly prefer the interaction with fellow students and professors/instructors at a brick and mortar classroom. I also strongly believe that in order to get the most out of an Army course, especially a leadership course like the NCOES ones, a Soldier needs that interaction with other future leaders. Much of my leadership philosophies developed over time by interacting with instructors and fellow students in PLDC, BNCOC and M-SLC, coupled with the doctrinal foundation provided by the course curriculum itself.
(2)
(0)
2
2
0
It’s better to have a temporary fix than to have a humongous problem after the Virus issue is over. Do you know how many Soldiers this will affect? How many Soldiers that were promotable would have to wait? BLC should be just a validation not a course where you are learning how to be an NCO. That is your Squad Leaders job.
(2)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google