Counseling Pathfinding MB

[AT1988]

 

 

Well, Ive signed up to be a merit badge counselor for Pathfinding. Im kind excited about it. A lot of the kids in this age of GPS are at a total loss as to their natural bearings. If you ask for directions to a nearby landmark youre liable to get a blank stare. Many of them have no idea as to the names of any of the connecting streets between where they are and where they wish to go.

 

The interesting thing is, is that the requirements were left in their early archaic early 20th century form by national. Here they are:

 

 

To obtain a merit badge for Pathfinding, a Scout must:

 

1. In the country, know every lane, bypath, and short cut for a distance of at least two miles in every direction around the local scout headquarters; or in a city, have a general knowledge of the district within a three-mile radius of the local scout headquarters, so as to be able to guide people at any time, by day or by night.

2. Know the population of the five principal neighboring towns, their general direction from his scout headquarters, and be able to give strangers correct directions how to reach them.

3. If in the country, know in a two mile radius, the approximate number of horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs owned on the five neighboring farms; or, in a town, know, in a half-mile radius, the location of livery stables, garages and blacksmith shops.

4. Know the location of the nearest meat markets, bakeries, groceries, and drug stores.

5. Know the location of the the nearest police station, hospital, doctor, fire alarm, fire hydrant, telegraph and telephone offices, and railroad stations.

6. Know something of the history of his place; and know the location of its principal public buildings, such as the town or city hall, post-office, schools and churches.

7. Submit a map not necessarily drawn by himself upon which he personally has indicated as much as possible of the above information.

 

http://www.scouting.org/scoutsource/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges/2010_mb_pathfinding.aspx

 

 

While out town does have garages, a police station, grocery stores, drug stores, and fire stations, its been a few generations since the last livery stables and blacksmith shops went out of business. And I googled telegraph office and the name of our town, but I came up dry there too.

 

To be fair there is some guidance provided here:

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/historic_pathfinding_new.pdf

 

but its still rather loose. Common sense dictates that the requirements should be adjusted to the Scouts world as its exists today.

 

Maybe museums, libraries, or hospitals could be substituted for livery stables and blacksmith shops.

 

How do you all see it?

 

 

 

[John-in-KC]

I would substitute car rental facilities for livery stables and garages/machine shops for smithies.

 

Modern equivalents.

[diogenes]

At the risk of "adding to the requirements", I could see adding museums and libraries (hospitals are already there) to the list. I would also suggest airport and/or bus station, as they are more common than train stations in many areas.

[AT1988]

Scoutmaster Bucky has already produced a worksheet for Pathfinding:

 

http://scoutmasterbucky.com/documents/SMBWorkbooks/Scoutmaster%20Bucky%20-%20Pathfinding%20Merit%20Badge%20Workbook.pdf

 

It's got its own take on modernizing the requirements. Some of it I agree with, some of it I'm not so sure about.

 

 

[AT1988]

An interesting article about how one troop is doing Pathfinding:

 

 

Troop 1 Scouts earn Pathfinding MB!

by trooponenews (Subscribe)

Posted on: Mar 23, 2010 at 11:28 PM MDT

Channel: News

Location: Logan, Utah

Tags:

Boy Scout Troop One - Old Ephraim Dist.-Trapper Trails Council

 

Boy Scout Troop One from Logan, Utah (Sponsored by the Logan Lions Club-Trapper Trails Council-Old Ephraim District) is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a continuously chartered scouting unit with specially scheduled activities each month throughout the year 2010. Troop One is the oldest Boy Scout Troop west of the Mississippi River, and will be celebrating their 100th anniversary as a scouting unit in March 2010. Boys between the ages of 11-17 who are interested in joining Troop One are encouraged to visit our troop meetings at First Presbyterian Church, 178 West Center Street in Logan, Tuesdays between 7:00-8:30 pm. Troop One is a non-denominational scouting unit.

 

March 23-Logan, Utah

 

By Joshua W.-Asst. Senior Patrol Leader-Troop 1 Logan, Utah

 

Tonight, Troop 1 Asst. Scoutmaster and merit badge counselor Jason Grimes and 15 Troop 1 scouts hiked the streets of downtown Logan to earn requirements for the Pathfinding Merit Badge. This antiquated merit badge was decommissioned in 1952. However, in honor of the BSAs 100th Anniversary, this badge has been named to the BSAs new Historical Merit Badge Program and can be earned by Boy Scouts from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2010.

 

As part of the merit badge requirements, scouts from Troop 1 had to show general knowledge of the local area and also describe how to reach their home from their current location at the First Presbyterian Church of Logan. During the walk, scouts were told about some of the historical sites of downtown Logan. Stops included: Caine Lyric Theatre in beautiful downtown Logan (which reportedly has a ghost on the premises that has a thing for Shakespeare); the Logan LDS Tabernacle; St. Johns Episcopal Church (the founding site of Troop 1 in 1910), Federal Way (upon which was the original Post Office in Logan & the first Federal Building in Cache Valley); Logan City Fire Department; War Memorial and County Courthouse (where a mob lynched the murderer of the sheriffs nephew back in 1873); Logan Post Office, Logan City Police Station, & Logan City Library; First Judicial District Court Building, and finally the Logan Masonic Lodge.

 

In closing, as a scout, I thought this was an interesting way to learn about the city of Logan and earn a rare merit badge, all at the same time. I hope other scouts will participate in the Historic Merit Badge Program too.

 

 

http://www.cachevalleydaily.com/ishare/88986977.html

[SR540Beaver]

I hate to break it to Logan, Utah's Troop 1, but they are not the oldest Boy Scout Troop west of the Mississippi.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oldest_Scout_Groups#United_States_of_America_2

 

The first Boy Scout troop in America was organized in Pawhuska, Osage County, Oklahoma, in May 1909 by Reverend John F. Mitchell. Rev. Mitchell was a missionary priest from England sent to St. Thomas Episcopal Church by the Church of England. Rev. Mitchell, who had been associated in scout work with Lord Baden-Powell in England, organized the troop of Boy Scouts under English charter and equipped them with English uniforms, manuals, and badges.

 

The charter members of the troop were: Douglas Foote, Jack Hutchings, John I. Johnson, Robert MuGuire, Lee Copeland, Cliff Ferguson, Thomas Leahy, Walter B. Johnson, Tom Leahy, Joe McGuire, Clyde Wilson, Dick Millard, "Spider" Hinkle, Clemmer Curtis, Roland Blanc, Alex Tinker, Jack Coffey, Rogers Leahy, and Roland McGuire.

[Twocubdad]

In the spirit of the historical nature of the badges, why not stick with the requirements as written and let the guys figure our what a livery stables and blacksmith shops are and try to find them. While they don't serve the same purpose as they did in 1911, they're around.

 

The modern equivalents (car rentals and mechanics) are an interesting conversation, but I wouldn't change the requirements.

 

God knows we've been given no instruction from National on this, but to me the whole point is for the boys to gain a little understanding of life in 1910, and not to learn path finding, per se. There are already modern equivalent MBs for that.

[RememberSchiff]

Well if we are going to credit troops created BEFORE the BSA officially existed how about Burnside, Kentucky.

 

"Burnside is believed to be home to the first Boy Scout troop in the United States. In 1908, two years before the Boy Scouts of America was officially organized, Mrs. Myra Greeno Bass organized a local troop of 15 boys, using official Boy Scout materials she had acquired from England. A sign at the edge of town declares Burnside "Birthplace of Boy Scouts of America", and an official state historical society marker commemorates the troop.[1] Burnside is now part of the Blue Grass Council."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting_in_Kentucky

 

Twocubdad,

Please refer to the accompanying mb counselor and summer camp guide for each historic merit badge as that was a stated reason for the three month delay. No I could not find it either.

 

One of our enterprising scouts decided to research the local library archives and found a 1910 map and business directory. So he is working on the badge as if he were a 1911 scout. Bright scout.

 

My two Indian head cents,(This message has been edited by RememberSchiff)

[ScoutNut]

There are horse stables across the country. Often you will find them in more rural areas, or near state parks. However, many cities also have horse stables. Many cities have horse mounted police patrols.

 

Horses wear horse shoes. Those shoes must be made by someone.

 

I agree, while the counselor might have a list of resources in his pocket, it should be up to the SCOUT to do his own work for the badge.

[AT1988]

 

What was the idea behind the pathfinder MB in 1911? Is it a fossil, meant merely to have the scout picture what his neighborhood was like 100 years ago? Or, is that idea still applicable in a world of automobiles, GPS, and fast food? According to the author of the original Pathfinding merit badge pamphlet, Belmore Browne:

 

To my mind there is no important merit badge among all of those granted by the Boy Scouts of America than the one given for pathfinding; and if the scout is not interested in pathfinding, he will know nothing of the locality in which he lives, and he will not have the opportunities for learning and putting into practice those requirements that are necessarily a part of the education of every Norman man.

 

So then, the main purpose of Pathfinding is for the scout to, know the locality in which he lives. A purpose, I would argue, just as important today as it was 100 years ago. How many of the boys in your troop never take notice of the names of the street and highways as their parents chauffeur them from place to place?

 

Browne goes on to say that working on the Pathfinder MB is to help the scout acquire a good memory and intelligent perception. Today we might say that we want the scout to develop an awareness of his surroundings and an adult understanding of his town or city.

 

Ive come to the conclusion that while having the boy develop a historical perspective is indeed part of the intention in the reissue of Pathfinding, the original intention of familiarizing the scout with his town, and having him communicate clearly from memory directions to a stranger, is still valid and important. Perhaps more today than it was 100 years ago.

 

To this end I will present the requirements unaltered to foster a local historical perspective, but I will not shy away from updating my questions. In keeping with the stated intentions of the requirements, I will substitute livery stables and blacksmith shops for something just as useful and pertinent to our world. I have not yet decided what these things should be however.

 

[AT1988]

Pathfinding

Merit Badge Workbook

 

 

 

Scouts Name: Unit:

Counselors Name: Counselors Ph #:

 

1. In the country, know every lane, bypath, and short cut for a distance of at least two miles in every direction around the local scout headquarters; or in a city, have a general knowledge of the district within a three-mile radius of the local scout headquarters, so as to be able to guide people at any time, by day or by night.

 

2. Know the population of the five principal neighboring towns, their general direction from his scout headquarters, and be able to give strangers correct directions how to reach them.

Census data can be found at: http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/SUB-EST2008-4.html

 

Pico Rivera

Population _______________

Directions:

 

 

 

Los Angeles

Population _______________

Directions:

 

 

 

Santa Fe Springs

Population _______________

Directions:

 

 

 

El Monte

Population _______________

Directions:

 

 

 

 

Sierra Madre

Population _______________

Directions:

 

 

 

 

 3. If in the country, know in a two mile radius, the approximate number of horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs owned on the five neighboring farms; or, in a town, know, in a half-mile radius, the location of livery stables, garages and blacksmith shops.

tire store

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

hardware store

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

gas station

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

 

 4. Know the location of the nearest meat markets, bakeries, groceries, and drug stores.

grocery store

Name:______________________________________

 

 

 

 

gas station

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

drug store

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

 

 5. Know the location of the nearest police station, hospital, doctor, fire alarm, fire hydrant, telegraph and telephone offices, and railroad stations.

police station

Directions:

 

 

 

hospital

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

your doctor

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

fire station

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

bus depot

Directions:

 

 

 

cell phone store

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

 

 6. Know something of the history of his place; and know the location of its principal public buildings, such as the town or city hall, post-office, schools and churches.

 

Population of Our Town____________________

History of Our Town

 

 

 

 

city hall

Directions:

 

 

 

post office

Directions:

 

 

 

your school

Name:______________________________________

Directions:

 

 

 

First Methodist Church

Directions:

 

 

 

 

 7. Submit a map not necessarily drawn by himself upon which he personally has indicated as much as possible of the above information.

 

 

 

[John-in-KC]

(yelling sarcasm)

OH BOY!!!!

 

JUST WHAT A BOY SCOUT NEEDS!!! A FORM TO TURN A MERIT BADGE INTO ANOTHER BLOODY SCHOOL PROJECT!!!

 

(/yelling sarcasm)

 

Give the youth a large scale map. Let them annotate it. Let them write up their own lists.

[AT1988]

Point well taken.

 

I wouldn't ever require a boy to use a MB worksheet (that would be adding a requirement), if I were a scout I wouldn't want to fill out a MB worksheet, but some kids LIKE to fill out merit badge worksheets.

[cheffy]

Our troop plans on doing this in the coming months.

our town is rather small and keeps to alot of it's historical roots.

to that end the "livery stable" is now the historic museum.

there is still a historic 1890's era working farm that has it's own master blacksmith.

and the local vet has a list or people that will shoe your horse.

we are going to incorporate all these into our MB program.

[AT1988]

Cheffy is in an ideal situation.

 

Clearly the intent of the original merit badge was to instill a mental map into the minds of the scouts (dimension of space)and the ability to communicate this. Added to this is now the idea of instilling a sense of history (time dimension).