Internet-based advancement tracking issue

[ChuckSt8er]

Cubmaster here, back again to seek advice.

 

We have a Wolf Scout who graduated back in June. Since then, according to records submitted by Mom, he has earned 32 belt loops and pins. When I asked the Mom last night to verify this (i.e. Did you happen to put the wrong check box in the wrong column?), she directly stated that she hadn''t falsified records, & that her son had earned all these awards. She claims that she didn''t receive some of these awards last year, so it''s not beyond reason that these have actually been accumulated over the past 12 months. (We are fixing a drastically outdated achievement/advancement system that was only barely meeting our requirements).

 

Anyway, in looking through the reports tonight (we use ScoutTrack, by the way), I see that this same boy is only one activity (not achievement, mind you) away from earning his Wolf badge.

 

Just for perspective/disclosure, the boy has ADHD and the Mom may have used these activities as a way to help keep him engaged/focused during the summer months. It''s not out of the bounds of reason, and if true, is actually commendable that they relied on Scouting to engage him in this manner.

 

Advice? Part of me wants to call foul, but part of me knows that within Cub Scouting, advancement is a matter between a Scout and his Akela. And if the Akela says it''s true, who are we to question?

 

Help me out with this one - - I haven''t yet been able to mentally make peace with this.

 

Thx.

[Oak Tree]

This happened to me once or twice in the pack. (It doesn''t seem to me that this really has much to do with the Internet.)

 

I struggled with it for a little while, too. In the end, all I could figure out I could do was this: ask the parent if he or she realized that they were making an extraordinary claim. And if so, would they mind if I asked them some more detailed questions about it, because I''d want to be able to tell other parents that I''d looked into it and I really did believe they''d actually earned all those awards. The parent was generally happy to discuss what all they''d done.

 

But in the end, yes, you pretty much have to take the parent''s word for it.

[ChuckSt8er]

You''re right, not much to do with the internet.

[lizzygo]

Did he go to cub scout camp over the summer? 3 of my boys earned 9 beltloops, knocked out more than half of their wolf requirements and earned the outdoor activity badges there.

[CalicoPenn]

Chuck,

 

You''ve done a fine job of answering your own question:

 

"Just for perspective/disclosure, the boy has ADHD and the Mom may have used these activities as a way to help keep him engaged/focused during the summer months. It''''s not out of the bounds of reason, and if true, is actually commendable that they relied on Scouting to engage him in this manner."

 

As you yourself stated, its not out of bounds of reason that Mom may have used these activities as a way to keep the youngster angaged and focused and therefore that the lad has earned the awards.

 

Then, as you state, advancement is between a Scout and his Akela. You simply have to take Mom at her word.

 

Calico

[scoutldr]

Chuck, I think you answered your own questions. And you don''t need to explain anything to the other parents...just say, "yes, they must have worked really hard!"

 

It could be the scout is an over-achiever. If so, don''t hold him back. It not, and the parent has cheated, there''s nothing you can do about it.

[ChuckSt8er]

So I talked things through with my Chief Operating Officer (wife), who helped me get to this solution:

 

- Ask the parent/scout to bring in samples of their own work in order to inspire others in the Den to achieve/do more, since they clearly have been able to accomplish great things

- Ask the parent to help be a guide to the rest of the pack since they have truly raised the bar on what can be achieved; if the parent can be a resource for other parents wanting to earn more S&A pins and belt loops, then their rising tide can help left all our boats.

 

And now, the challenge is what to do with this scout for the rest of the year - - just like the student who excels in class, we don''t want him to get bored. If he''s truly performing to this level, we need to be prepared to put new achievement opportunities in front of him for the balance of the year.

 

I''m getting closer to making peace with this issue, but more perspectives are welcome.

[Lisabob]

When I was the adv. chair for our pack we had a few families who made similar claims. In most cases, we asked a few follow up questions and took them at their word. In a few cases where it was clear that there was no way in the world the boys could have earned a particular award (ie, the criteria were such that it would have been impossible) we tried to help parents understand the requirements. But yeah, most of the time you just have to go with it. And really, those belt loops can be earned VERY easily. It wouldn''t be outrageous for a boy to earn 3 or 4 a week, if he wanted to.

 

As to what to do with this boy going forward: one of the nice things about the belt loop and pin awards is that they can be re-earned doing different activities. So there need not be much in the way of duplication. Or, if in your den meetings you plan to work on a belt loop that this boy already has, you could encourage him to start work on the more advanced pin, along side the guys who are doing the beltloop for the first time.

 

About the wolf requirements - he can always begin work on the arrow points! You can also guide him toward other goals like the world conservation award, or any national historic trails awards in your area that are suitable for cubs, or the outdoor activity award, or the leave no trace award, etc., etc..

 

If you run out of things for him to earn, there are also about 150 of those little rocker patches, which have the virtues of being fairly cheap and having no specific requirements (you could, with mom and/or your whole den, set your own requirements I suppose)

 

And then too...you might make sure his mom knows how happy you are that the boy is burning up the wolf and beltloop trail, but maybe help her consider that not all activities need to end in an award to be worth while. Not only does that get expensive for the pack awards budget, but it can also confuse the experience of "doing" with the "reward" of "getting," if over-done. Good luck with it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[funscout]

In my former Pack, the decision was made that the Pack would provide the belt loop the first time it was earned, and the family was responsible for purchasing the belt loop if earned again. (partly for money saving for the pack, partly for encouraging the boys to do different belt loops, rather than the same one over and over)

 

As Advancement Coordinator, I always offered the suggestion that mega-amounts of awards could be spread out over several Pack meetings, so the boy would be recognized at every Pack meeting. Sometimes the boy wanted ALL the awards at once, and that was fine, but other times, they chose to spread them out. If this boy continues his over-achieving, then you don''t have to worry about him not getting awards at some Pack meetings!

 

 

 

 

[JeffD]

also look at the belt loop requirements as many also have a step where you need to display something at a den or pack meeting.

 

[Greg Nelson]

I think this topic DOES have a bit to do with the Internet. I''ll go out on a limb and admit that I find it extremely unlikely that this boy has, in fact, earned the 32 belt loops and pins over the course of the past year.

 

Now, if Mom had to go to the advancement chair in person and put in a claim for this number of awards, she''d have a hard time doing it with a straight face. But, with ScoutTrack, Mom can sit in her living room and file outrageous claims online without having to look anyone in the eye.

 

This comes up in every Pack from time to time, and there''s no good answer. In my own Pack, we had a den of boys put in claims for the Leave No Trace award. One part of the award calls for boys to make posters and display them at a pack meeting. Well, I never saw any posters from these boys. So, what do you, as advancement chair, do? Is it worth getting into it with the parents or den leaders? The boys have done everything their parents or leaders have asked them to do. Should they be punished for their parents'' reading comprehension problems?

 

ScoutTrack is a great time saver, but it also makes abuse of the system that much easier for those who view Scouting as a competition. Frankly, this isn''t as bad as the kids who miss many of the den meetings and field trips, but still magically complete all the requirements for the rank badges in the week before the Blue & Gold.