Merit badge questions

[yarrow]

There are a lot of badges that have requirements that seem to be able to be filled in a number of ways. Some I think follow the intent better than others. I know at Merit Badge Colleges that the letter of the requirements are usually met but I am not sure about the intent. For example: when a badge says to present your information from a badge to a group or troop I think the intent is that the troop benefit from the presentation. At a MB College they might break into groups of 3 and each present the information to the other 2 in the group. The letter of the requirement is met but I'm not sure about the intent. Anyone else see this as a problem or a less worthwhile experience?

 

[evmori]

I would think the group - like the Troop - would benefit from the presentation unless this is just fluffed over to meet the requirement. I have never been a big fan of merit badge colleges.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

[OldGreyEagle]

I guess it depends if you are a letter of the law fan or a spirit of the law follower....

 

Never have been a fan of a Merit Badge College either, the term collge tends to add dignity to the true intent of the event, that of a Merit Badge Mill

[sctmom]

I heard it called "free merit badge day".

[jmcquillan]

I, too, am no big fan of the Merit Badge College, and avoided it as much as I could. In fact, I really had some problems with merit badges at summer camp. Each year I would make it my business to observe some of the sessions my scouts were attending, and found that the coverage and attention given to many of the badges was quite inadequate when compared to the book. I frequently made my concerns known to the Camp Director, but they pretty much fell on deaf ears.

 

One example was the Riflery Merit Badge. Although there were amply qualified instructors at camp, they only had one week, one hour a day, to cover the material. The adults in our troop were many times aghast at the little time spent on safety. So...with the volunteered help of the many NRA members in our troop, we made it our business to teach that badge, and Shotgun, at home. It took much more time than at camp, but we were certain that the safety issues had thoroughly been attended to, and the scouts had a much better understanding of the material, the guns, their use and misuse. But that's just one extreme example. Environmental Science was one that usually was covered quite well at camp, but the writing exercises usually kept the scouts up quite late at night.

 

There is no nirvana. We just have to be picky, and vigilant.

[slontwovvy]

Our district has something called a merit badge clinic. They take about four merit badges a month, and have small groups working with counselors to attain the badge. All of the prerequisites must be done beforehand, and they spend anywhere from 6-8 hours per badge, sometimes more. It's a good way for Scouts to actually earn their badges.

 

As for Rifle MB, I guess that depends on the camp you go to. Our Rifle instructor is an ex-Marine, a Hunter Safety Instructor, and the coach of three state champion shooters. He "don't skimp for nobody." Safety is something he drills into everyone from the moment they step on the range to the moment they leave.

[AdvanceOn]

I don't know anything about merit badge college but I know I have had some of the same concerns about summer camp merit badges. Before my time as advancement coordinator for our troop (so I don't know all the details) one 1st year scout attended summer camp (joined troop end of March, camp in July) and "earned" the camping merit badge!? When I look at the requirements I don't see how this was remotely possible.

 

How do y'all (or maybe I should say youn's since I'm in PA now) feel about the topic-specific merit badge camps? My kids are skipping summer camp and instead are attending aviation camp. They'll earn up to six merit badges (Aviation, orienteering, first aid, and some others that I don't remember off-hand). There is also a technology and construction merit badge camp offered. None of our scouts has ever attended these camps, my boys will be the first. Any opinions?

 

Melodee

[buffalo2]

Not to squash your direction Melodee but I have seen Merit Badge Challenge (our local flavor) sessions that seemed to be pretty well operated and were quite comprehensive. Imagine 3 1-hour class sessions on each of 3 Saturday mornings that are spaced 2 weeks apart. Spend some effort getting the concept of pre-work across to the Scouts, and don't hesitate to send them home with partials (and a point of contact for completion) if they're not working at the proper level. Appropriate standards can be maintained and the boys are clear on having earned these Merit Badges (and they will distinguish this experience from the Summer Camp mill)

It can work but its not easy!

[Chippewa29]

buffalo2-

 

I like how you guys spread it out over three very separate days. That way, Scouts who come unprepared the first day can get a reality check and come for the final sessions more prepared and ready to actually earn the badge as opposed to the one day sessions or coming unprepared to summer camp.

[KoreaScouter]

I'm personally reluctant to have Scouts do a lot of advance academic work for MBs, whether for a roundup (or whatever you call it), ot for summer camp, UNLESS their attendance at the classes is a lock-in. We've done advance work before, only to find that the class was oversubscribed (and one of our Scouts was moved to another badge), or undersubscribed (so the badge was cancelled and substituted with another that we didn't do advance work for). Either way, time and effort wasted, or at least not used optimally for that setting.

 

One man's opinion: the most suitable badges for summer camp are those that don't require a lot of academic work in the field, and can be honestly completed in a week-long camp. Most summer camp schedules are so full there's no daylight left when the Scouts have time to do the bookwork (or they're too worn out to do it). Also, I don't think the camp environment lends itself to paperwork...lighting, work surfaces, access to references, distractions, etc. You can come up with your own lists of suitable and not-so-suitable badges based on your district/council camp facilities.

 

Any SM with concerns about how camp MB counselors are signing off the requirements must get involved in the camp planning, to ensure standards are maintained. Shouldn't we all be involved as counselors or assistants anyway? During times when one isn't committed to a MB class, simple "wandering about" to the various classes will give an accurate picture of how the classes are being taught.

 

Finally, participation in these single day events is not required, and, I have seen SMs exclude their Scouts from certain MB classes at summer camps where they knew from history that certain elements likely wouldn't meet requirements.

 

For what it's worth, I took our troop to a district MB roundup recently, sat in on several of the classes, and thought the whole thing was very well done...

[Eman]

Summer camp should be fore watersports and fun, but it turns into merit badge camp. In most cases the merit badges are poorly done and the boy learns very little. The same happens at merit badge university. The truth is though if the adults didn't crash course these kids on badges there would be very few badges earned. The merit badges are supposed to be done by the boy on his own initiative. This is supposed to slowly teach him how to do an Eagle project while learning along the way. Merit badge counselors are supposed to be registered members of the community that don't "teach" the subject, but instead review the boy's workbook. I'm sure the ones that do merit badges on all those Sat. are doing it on their own initiative. Nothing like school 6 days a week to make you well rounded!

[bigbeard]

I've resisted being a merit badge councilor for any badge for a variety of reasons (SM fills all of my hour a week!). When our winter camping theme of Emergency Preparedness was chosen at the PLC, I had to step up. Did my homework, laid out a schedule for the Troop-wide activities in the requirements, set aside time for discussing the bookwork aspects, made 20 copies of the MB book, handed out a worksheet to help the boys through the material, made a dummy for the search, etc. Materials and expectations were handed out before Christmas. The program was made quite clear.

 

Everybody on the trip had a great time. Only one Scout did the bookwork - only one Scout got his bluecard signed. Several parents felt that by not going through the book line by line with them, I had not given the boys a chance to learn the material. I know schoolwork takes a lot of time, and other activities eat it up as well, but reading the book to the boys for credit dosen't fly. A life skills badge like EP cannot be glossed over, IMHO. Competence is required, mastery optional but reccommended.

 

 

 

 

[Chippewa29]

bigbeard-

 

I applaud you for sticking to your guns on that. The Scout that did the work got his reward. The Scouts that didn't do the work still had a good time, but didn't receive something that they didn't earn. I wonder if the parents that wanted you to do storytime (picture yourself reading the book to them and showing the pictures along the way, ala a kindergarten teacher) have any concept of what initiative is. You are presenting your Scouts with opportunities. It is up to them to take advantage of those opportunities.

[k9gold-scout]

Every council should have an advancement comm. made up of the dist. advancement chairs. They are responsible of reviewing merit badge programs. Most councils have training for these jobs and most scouters are glad to give the need counciling to each scout, when they are advised what is required. It is not a hard job but the paperwork needs to be done at home, I haven't yet learned to use my palm program around the campfire.

[OldGreyEagle]

Ah yes, the serenity of the summer camp evening campfire as dusk closes in and from each side of the camp you can hear the gentle rumble as each honda 1000 watt generator kicks in to provide light and power for palm pilots, PC's and printers. Then again I could use the power to run my CPAP machine so I wouldnt keep the camp up wih my snoring, I dont know, snore... generator noise... snore...generator noise, what do you think?