This stellar Boy Scout has legions of merits

[frankj]

A general comment on advancement, from Policies and Procedures Manual "A Badgeis recognition of what a Scout is able to do, not merely a reward for what he has done." I try to stress this in our troop, and avoid the perfunctory completion of requirements in a punch-list manner.

[Chief Decorah]

There are Eagle Scouts who are Eagle Scouts, and there are Eagle Scouts who completed the requirements. Is there any doubt about which best describes the subject of this thread?

 

Scouting is about experiences, camaradarie, growing up, leadership, fun, camping, hiking, learning... I could go on and on. Earning badges of rank, as well as merit badges, are best earned as a result of a Scout's participation.

 

As for earning his Eagle by twelve years old, I smell a fair amount of "pencil-whipping". Not a chance...

[slontwovvy]

I also believe that if Mr. Jedadiah really received all 123 merit badges in five years, something must be wrong. It would be difficult to find counselors for them in five years, let alone earn them. I mean honestly, my council doesn't have counselors for about ten merit badges. Again, I suspect pencil-whipping. Unless he signed up counselors that are less than qualified, I don't see how he could have done it.

[OldGreyEagle]

One thing that should be considered in this thread that hasnt been mentioned is the culture of Utah. This scout most likley is LDS. The LDS church uses the Boy Scout program as its youth group. If the troop that this scout is in is organized anything like most scout troops in Utah, he earned his badges. As far as qualified merit badge counselors are concerned, again the culture of the LDS church would mean the most qualified men of the community were availible to him.

 

Perhaps as was suggested he is a prodigy, perhaps he should be doing college work and is the one in a million true 12 year old Eagle Scout. Since he was a Cub Scout and most likely earned the Arrow of Light, he could have joined the Scouts when he was 10. This would have given him enough time to reach Eagle at 12 and put in the required time. I still would like to know if he had fun and has enriched his troop through his efforts, the program is supposed to be about more than collecting badges, earned or otherwise. He comment at the end of the article troubles he, he says he is "through", does this mean he views earning all the merit badges as a task he set upon, a goal he wanted to achieve or did he do it for the love of scouting? I hope its the latter!(This message has been edited by OldGreyEagle)

[andrews]

Having a complete merit badge roster is not impossible. I believe the one in our district had all slots filled. Whether they are all active is another question, but all the slots were filled. If I recall correctly, Archeology was the only empty one for a while, but they found someone for that.

 

Of course a motivated Scout could find quality people in the fields and sign them up as a councilor. I did that for a few of my teachers on my own path to Eagle. Though I only got enough badges in total for my Silver Palm, and the last few were by looking for what was easiest out of what was left. I was also 17 at the time and was trying to get the palms done before time ran out. (I realized they existed about 1 year before I turned 18.)

 

Brad

[sctmom]

I've been thinking about this thread over the last few days. First, I wonder if this "collect all merit badges" is somewhat related to our society's materilistic attitude for some boys. Our kids (and ourselves) are bombarded with "pokemon - gotta catch them all", "collect the complete set of this TOY at burger heaven", "drive the latest car", etc.

 

Brad, You said you home school your children. Also, based on your posts, you are a very involved parent and teach strong values to your children, so the above is not about you. In fact, I hear many home schooled scouts doing more merit badges because they have more time (a lot of time at regular school is wasted), they have involved parents, they have parents who set a good example, and the parents can easily see how the merit badges tie into school work. Also, I bet they are more independent in their thinking and their actions than their peers.

 

Finally, let me tell you about a young Eagle Scout I know. He is in 8th grade and had his court of honor in the fall. So he's 13, maybe 14? He was a Cub Scout in our pack. He is a great kid. His dad was a Cub Scout leader and is now an ASM. It doesn't take you long around this kid to know he EARNED that Eagle badge. I don't know the family well, but I have the scout in action at a troop meeting, a troop campout, and most recently at our Pack's Pinewood Derby. He was asked to help with the weigh in at the PWD. He did a great job, helping people fix their cars, add weights, etc. He is always great with the Cubs and other Boy Scouts. He wore his uniform with pride at the Pinewood Derby. He gave up his Saturday evening to do this because he cared. He's not going for "hours of community service". He is tall for his age, and with the maturity he has, very few people realize how young he is. He is also in 4-H and I'm sure other activities. His dad is not the type to push his kid to get Eagle too fast or to let him get away with pencil-whipped requirements.

 

Talking to a few other Webelos's Parents,we all wished our kids were like this one. Also we don't think our kids will be that mature in 2 1/2 years....we wish, but are realistic. In fact we keep discussing the troop we really like EXCEPT "they can get their Eagle in 3 or 4 years, And after that they quit." Something just doesn't set well with anyone on that attitude. We want our kids involved in something they will do throughout their teenage years to keep them out of trouble. We live in an area where there are few choices about activities -- sports or scouts.

 

[Weekender]

Brad,

 

My wife and I also Homeschool our two children (both boys). And I agree completely that the merit badges make excellent school units. We've found the scientific and animal raising (pets etc) related badges particularly useful in our science program. We also incorperate community service into our school curriculum. You are probably already aware of this but if not you might want to look into the "congressional award" program. All other scouters may want to check it out as well. The award honors kids for community service, personal growth, and expedition or exploration efforts. We just heard of it recently and are enrolling my older son. My younger boy has to wait another yaer or so before he's eligible.

[Rooster7]

sctmom, Thanks for the post. I thought I was the only one...There ARE boys out there capable of being an Eagle at 12 or 13. I'm not saying that it's typical, but for anyone to say it's impossible is very presumptuous.

 

In my original post, I inadvertently shorten my kid's Scout growth by a year. He will not have his badge requirements done before 12...I meant to say 13. Regardless, I simply want to reiterate that there are exceptions. I have met some 12-year-olds that were more mature than many 16 and 17 year-olds. Not only in regard to behavior, but in intellect and character as well.

 

BTW, my wife and I home school too (for the last 10 plus years). We used merit badges to complement our curriculum like others have stated here. My oldest earned his Eagle at 16. He is now attending the University of Delaware on an AF ROTC scholarship. I foresee my middle boy achieving the rank of Eagle this year (he has all of the requirements except the project) at the age of 15. My youngest has poured all of his efforts into Scouting. He has a couple of medical problems that has prevented him from pursuing his first loves (football and wrestling). However, because he has been concentrating his efforts in Scouting, he will have his badge requirements done later this year (probably before age 13). I suspect that he will be an Eagle at 13. Every boy is different. Every boy has different interests and motivations. Some boys have a very strong drive to achieve and be recognized...Ever hear of Type A personality. To the skeptics, I'm just saying...Don't judge until you meet the boy.

 

All debate aside as to how or why this boy acquired his 123 merit badges (stellar Boy Scout), I'm still impressed. Look at the list of medical problems that this kid had to overcome. He didn't give in. He found something he enjoyed and excelled at it. This warms my heart (even if there is some kind of discrepancy concerning the badges). You have to love a kid that doesn't let circumstances beat him down. I'm still inspired.

 

[sctmom]

Rooster, I agree I'm impressed with the boy in this article as well. Also, keep in mind that the comment about "collecting merit badges" may not be what the Scout said but what the reporter said. I think we all know that reporters are not always complete and accurate.

 

I talked to a father a couple of years ago who had twin sons in Boy Scouts, each at a different rank. They were a lot alike, did a lot of things together, but one put a little more into scouting than the other. Again, it just depends on the boy. We are each different progress at different speeds. Which is why I envy those of you who can make the choice (and sacrifices) to homeschool. (I can't, I'm single...only income around.)

 

 

[Mike Long]

Maybe some adults went easy on some requirements down the line, maybe not.

 

But a Scout is Trustworthy and as such I have to take this Scout at his word that he dutifully performed all tasks assigned to him to the level his MB councilors required of him.

 

Good Job Jedadiah.

[Chippewa29]

My troop had a Scout about ten years ago who was going for all the merit badges and ended up earning eighty or so before he realized at sixteen that he wanted to accomplish other things in Scouts and life. He was accused (or should I say, his Dad was) of pencil whipping. In reality, he didn't need to cheat, because he had every possible advantage without cheating. He was an only child whose parents basically revolved their lives around him and were active Scouters. Mom only worked part-time and Dad's work schedule was very flexible. Also, the family had a nice bit of money from inheritance so finances were never a problem. Time and money were no object for the parents to help their son earn all those merit badges. He did the requirements, but his parents laid the groundwork and provided the opportunities for him to do it (opportunities most Scouts wouldn't have even with normally supportive parents). Yes, I believe it is possible to earn all those badges, but a ton of factors need to fall into place, including the desire of the Scout.

[slontwovvy]

This may all be true, but I still have my doubts about any 12-year-old Eagle Scout I haven't personally met. But when such leadership-devoid positions (in my opinion) as librarian, historian, bugler, and others are considered leadership positions, I wouldn't put anything past anyone.

[slontwovvy]

I just have not seen any twelve-year-old able to show true leadership. They need a lot of grooming and help before they are able to really hold a true leadership position in the troop, and to really do anything in that position.

[frankj]

Does anyone know how many 12 year olds earn Eagle in any given year? This has probably been discussed previously, elsewhere, but I am curious: why not slow things down a bit and put a minimum age requirement on Eagle? I haven't been active long enough to know what happens to boys once they reach Eagle and/or turn say age 16. Is there a rapid fade from Scouts at that point? Any thoughts out there?

[Eman]

The idea of a 12 year old in a Scout troop that can exhibit leadership over the troop, I'd like to think an Eagle Scout held the position of Senior Patrol leader, sounds unbelievable. Especially an established troop with boys up to 5 yrs. older than him.

Also the idea of a boy completeing all of the Merit Badges sounds impossible if the badges are done properly. I'm not talking about just completing the requirements. I'm talking about the first step where the boy, on his own, shows interest in the badge and contacts the merit badge counselor. Which are the lessons he needs to learn to be able to complete an Eagle project.

As far as an age requirement for Eagle rank it seems as though the time required for leadership positions to attain rank would have been enough. But now that we live in a fast society maybe an age requirement is necessary.

What does a troop do for a 12 year old Eagle Scout that has been there and done that? How do the other boys in the Toop react to his rapid advancement? How do the older boys treat him?

As far as an age when boys start to drift away I have seen it most often at 14-16. It happens when they are uncomfortable trying to be leaders or when the program is boring and not challenging. This is also when peer pressure at High School becomes strongest. I would say that this was the reason for the Venture program. I don't have any experience with Venturing and haven't yet seen a functioning Venturing Crew, but I have seen a lot of dark green shirts, so I don't know if that is the answer.