Chess Merit Badge Class

[EagleScout441]

Lets be clear.....The lad cannot sign off on requirements for a merit badge......It is a National Policy.

 

So what is happening is his SM is signing the cards on his behalf..........I hope.

 

If not there will be a few lads with earned merit badges lacking an appropriate merit badge councilor signature. I hope it doesn't become an issue at an EBOR if the folks running it do any research.

"So what is happening is his SM is signing the cards on his behalf..........I hope."

Basically, yes. I'm not sure which adult will be doing the signing, though. I'm the "middle man," Scouts give me the requirements that they have completed and I report to the adult(counselor) who signs them off.

[EagleScout441]

Now that I think the issue of my being allowed to teach the MB is settled, can we get back to my original question: Any group teaching advice? I think dcsimmons is the only one that has actually given an answer for my question, is there any further advice? The more the merrier.

[EagleScout441]

Now that I think the issue of my being allowed to teach the MB is settled, can we get back to my original question: Any group teaching advice? I think dcsimmons is the only one that has actually given an answer for my question, is there any further advice? The more the merrier.

The MB class isn't until November, all the details haven't been ironed out yet, I haven't looked for anyone in the troop who is qualified to be the counselor yet. I was just offered the chance to teach it 5 days ago when we were making the calendar for next year. Some of the adults suggested it last fall but I didn't pursue it.

"What is the litmus test that your troop used to determine if you are qualified to teach?"

There isn't a standard "litmus test" in our troop, but for the most part it has to do experience in that field. For example, we have an adult in our troop who is a lawyer so he taught the Citizenship in the Nation MB last year, the 16 year old who taught the Wilderness Survival MB had already been on 2 WS/tentless outings and was our SPL at the time. Having gone to chess tournaments and chess club, I have the most recent experience, and only tournament experience that I know of, in my troop.

[Basementdweller]

Since your head is extra thick....of course you are only 15 and Always right.

 

please read the link and see if it sinks in....It is the Merit badge councilor orientation guide..

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/18-125.pdf

 

A Scout earns a merit badge by working with a council/

district-approved and registered adult counselor, an expert in

the chosen subject, who is on the list provided to his troop from

the district.

 

Working with a merit badge counselor gives Scouts contact

with an adult with whom they might not be acquainted.

 

 

What your troop is doing is not standard procedure?

 

 

I just gotta ask this...

 

I am going to bet that YOU earned most of your merit badges at summer camp and the rest by your Scoutmaster signing them off.....

 

 

If that is the case it is incorrect and removing a couple of elements of merit badge program..... Can you guess what those are??

[EagleScout441]

Since your head is extra thick....of course you are only 15 and Always right.

 

please read the link and see if it sinks in....It is the Merit badge councilor orientation guide..

 

http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/18-125.pdf

 

A Scout earns a merit badge by working with a council/

district-approved and registered adult counselor, an expert in

the chosen subject, who is on the list provided to his troop from

the district.

 

Working with a merit badge counselor gives Scouts contact

with an adult with whom they might not be acquainted.

 

 

What your troop is doing is not standard procedure?

 

 

I just gotta ask this...

 

I am going to bet that YOU earned most of your merit badges at summer camp and the rest by your Scoutmaster signing them off.....

 

 

If that is the case it is incorrect and removing a couple of elements of merit badge program..... Can you guess what those are??

"by working with a council/district-approved and registered adult counselor, an expert in the chosen subject, who is on the list provided to his troop from the district."

I have never seen a district list of merit badge counselors. My troop does merit badge counselors like this: The scout is required, before he begins MB work, to find someone who has experience in that field of study(law, architecture, etc) who is willing to be the merit badge counselor for that scout. Our SM has never given me a name/number/contact of any kind, I have had to go out and find someone, whether it is a teacher at my school or one of the adults in our troop. As far as I know, this has always been the way that my troop has done it.

"Since your head is extra thick....of course you are only 15 and Always right."

I'm simply doing it the way my troop has instructed.

"Always right"? Far from it.

[Twocubdad]

Question for you, 441: Why do you play chess? Why is there almost always someone at summer camp up for a game? Spit-balling here, but I'll guess it's because you enjoy it. So go with that and focus on the fun, not the merit badge. Merit badge classes are the bane of a great troop program. There are volumes of threads here as to why troop meetings should never include MB classes, so I won't repeat it all here. But I encourage you to search the site and read them.

 

Much better is to focus on learning skills and having fun and let the merit badges come as they will. Several years ago I ran a month-long program for the troop on home repairs. The guys learned to rebuild toilets, we wired switches and outlets, learned to caulk a neat joint and -- the best part -- how to solder copper pipe. The boys had fun and I had moms dropping off dads for the lessons. But at the end of the month NOT ONE Scout earned the merit badge. A failure right? HECK NO! We learned stuff, had fun (who doesn't like playing with molten metal) and got something out of the program.

 

Your focus for chess should be similar. Counseling the merit badges is an adult problem. Let the adult leaders deal with it (although as a youth leader and Eagle, I agree you should be guiding [or maybe dragging] the adults toward a more appropriately-run program.)

 

You asked for help in planning the program -- here 'tis: involve the other Scouts in teaching the program. You said there are a number of guys who play chess, so use them. Organize the guys you know to be good players and put together a program. Break the rest of the guys up into small groups based on skill levels. Maybe you work with the best players or maybe your skills are best applied to giving the novices and good foundation -- but you decide. Break up the lectures among lots of hands-on playing. Next, make it part of the patrol program. The grand-finale could be a tournament with the patrols competing against each other. Rank the players so that only top-ranked players play against each other. Then devise a scoring system so that each patrol has a fair shot. You may even consider allowing the bottom-ranked players to play checkers. But everyone participates and everyone contributes to the patrol's success.

 

This is how you build a good troop program.

 

(OBTW, at the end of the tournament, mention that there is a Chess merit badge. You could even distribute a sheet listing the requirements and mention to the Scouts that if they've paid attention, they've probably gained the skills and knowledge to complete the badge. If they are interested, they should see the SM for a blue card and make an appointment to meet with the counselor. THAT'S the way the MB program should work.)

 

 

[Basementdweller]

eaglewolf......First I am an Eagle.

 

​Eagle doesn't mean anything more than the lad camped a bit, attended some meetings over at least a 3 year period and may or may not have actually earned merit badges and held Positions of Responsibility that may or may not have been simply titles......

 

The BSA program has a huge problem with quality control. Too many PL and SPL's are simply figure heads. As we have seen on this forum, not all camping, patrols, advancement and troops are the same.......

 

Who is the more quality Eagle Boy led or Adult led????? Depends on one definition of quality.

 

I have met fantastic eagles and way to many who could not stand on their own two feet.

 

 

Yet another Untrained scoutmaster who has no idea how the program is supposed to run.....

 

Not your fault that your adult leadership has failed in this aspect of the program.

 

 

Well seriously most districts and certainly all councils will have a merit badge list of varying quality.....

 

Here is a couple of examples

 

http://www.stlbsa.org/scouts/mbcd/pages/counselors-directory.aspx

 

http://www.minsitrails.com/Volunteer/Program/MeritBadgeCounselor

 

http://www.calumetcouncil.org/MeritBadgeCounselors.html

 

 

So Check your councils website for a list of councilors....

[EagleScout441]

Found this on our troop website: http://bsatroop441.scoutlander.com/Common/DownloadAttachment.aspx?SID=Pg2NYnG8eubZDy0A12Hh6A%3d%3d

Can't find any council MBC documents though.

[King Ding Dong]

Found this on our troop website: http://bsatroop441.scoutlander.com/Common/DownloadAttachment.aspx?SID=Pg2NYnG8eubZDy0A12Hh6A%3d%3d

Can't find any council MBC documents though.

I think you know our ultimate goal is to help you do the program correctly. Many of us have contacts and experience that can help you get correct information you need. What council and district is your toop in ? Is it the Mid Tennesee Council, Trail of Tears District ? If it is one of us can contact your District Executive Ryan Vanden and see if he can get you the resources your troop needs.

 

The web site does not appear to have an online MBC directory. That is OK as it is National Policy that information should only be available to certain unit leaders. Not all councils follow that directive, mine doesn't.

 

Here are the relevant sections of the 2013 GTA

 

7.0.2.2 Web-Based Counselor Lists

Online counselor lists present a number of challenges. They should only be placed on official council websites that conform to the National Council guidelines at http://www.scouting.org/Marketing/Resources/ CouncilWeb.aspx. Give attention to protecting counselor privacy. Limit access to those who have merit badge– related responsibilities, such as advancement committee members and chairs, or unit leaders and selected assistants. Scouts should not have access. Their interaction with the Scoutmaster in discussing work on a badge, and obtaining a counselor’s name, is an important part of the merit badge plan.

7.0.2.3 Unit Counselor Lists

Units may establish their own lists of counselors, who may or may not opt to work with youth in other units. This may be necessary in wide geographic areas. It can also be helpful to have ready counselors for the most popular badges. Recognize, however, that Scouts learn from the perspectives of counselors outside their own troop. Note that all merit badge counselors, including those serving only one unit, must be registered and be approved by the council (or district, if authorized) advancement committee.

[qwazse]

Found this on our troop website: http://bsatroop441.scoutlander.com/Common/DownloadAttachment.aspx?SID=Pg2NYnG8eubZDy0A12Hh6A%3d%3d

Can't find any council MBC documents though.

I'm gonna give your leaders the benefit of the doubt and take a guess at what happened:

 

 

Building and maintaining a list of MBCs is hard work. Back in my scout days a hard-working volunteer would coordinate with the DE and identify everyone theyknew with a particular hobby/skill (this often involved walking the exhibits at local fairs and consuming no small amount of funnel cake), ask that person if they would like to counsel MB, exchange addresses, then shake hands. Done. Then somebody's secretary would type it up. In my small town, you could practically get the phone book and just scratch the names of folks who weren't MBCs.

 

 

Now an MBC has to fill out paperwork, take YPT, jump through lots of hoops just to be a name on the list that might only get one call a year, if that! Your SMs thought that was stupid, they probably weren't getting help from their district (why? Because for the same amount of result, they push ten times the paper!) And, they decided to go it on their own.

 

What should you do? Make a fun class. Teach skills. At the end have an address and phone of an adult who they can go to and discuss what they learned. Hopefully that person is already on your councils list.

 

If not, Put the responsibility of making that adult an official MBC squarely on your adult leaders and the DE.

[EagleScout441]

"I think you know our ultimate goal is to help you do the program correctly."

Yes I do, although some users can be a little harsh in their method of doing so.

"Is it the Mid Tennessee Council, Trail of Tears District?"

Yes it is, I have found DE Ryan Vaden's contact information. Once I have spoken with my SM on Monday's meeting(BTW, we are soon getting a new SM), I will proceed to contact DE Ryan Vaden.

One question, if I contacted the President of my old chess club and he was willing to do it, could he be the MBC?

[EagleScout441]

Question for you, 441: Why do you play chess? Why is there almost always someone at summer camp up for a game? Spit-balling here, but I'll guess it's because you enjoy it. So go with that and focus on the fun, not the merit badge. Merit badge classes are the bane of a great troop program. There are volumes of threads here as to why troop meetings should never include MB classes, so I won't repeat it all here. But I encourage you to search the site and read them.

 

Much better is to focus on learning skills and having fun and let the merit badges come as they will. Several years ago I ran a month-long program for the troop on home repairs. The guys learned to rebuild toilets, we wired switches and outlets, learned to caulk a neat joint and -- the best part -- how to solder copper pipe. The boys had fun and I had moms dropping off dads for the lessons. But at the end of the month NOT ONE Scout earned the merit badge. A failure right? HECK NO! We learned stuff, had fun (who doesn't like playing with molten metal) and got something out of the program.

 

Your focus for chess should be similar. Counseling the merit badges is an adult problem. Let the adult leaders deal with it (although as a youth leader and Eagle, I agree you should be guiding [or maybe dragging] the adults toward a more appropriately-run program.)

 

You asked for help in planning the program -- here 'tis: involve the other Scouts in teaching the program. You said there are a number of guys who play chess, so use them. Organize the guys you know to be good players and put together a program. Break the rest of the guys up into small groups based on skill levels. Maybe you work with the best players or maybe your skills are best applied to giving the novices and good foundation -- but you decide. Break up the lectures among lots of hands-on playing. Next, make it part of the patrol program. The grand-finale could be a tournament with the patrols competing against each other. Rank the players so that only top-ranked players play against each other. Then devise a scoring system so that each patrol has a fair shot. You may even consider allowing the bottom-ranked players to play checkers. But everyone participates and everyone contributes to the patrol's success.

 

This is how you build a good troop program.

 

(OBTW, at the end of the tournament, mention that there is a Chess merit badge. You could even distribute a sheet listing the requirements and mention to the Scouts that if they've paid attention, they've probably gained the skills and knowledge to complete the badge. If they are interested, they should see the SM for a blue card and make an appointment to meet with the counselor. THAT'S the way the MB program should work.)

 

I will not force anyone to complete the requirements as I teach the class, but rather focus on helping them improve their skill, playing strategies, and learning the full extent the rules of chess, and of course mainly: fun.. If any of them want to earn a merit badge in the process, they can. And there will be a tournament at the end of the class.

[King Ding Dong]

"I think you know our ultimate goal is to help you do the program correctly."

Yes I do, although some users can be a little harsh in their method of doing so.

"Is it the Mid Tennessee Council, Trail of Tears District?"

Yes it is, I have found DE Ryan Vaden's contact information. Once I have spoken with my SM on Monday's meeting(BTW, we are soon getting a new SM), I will proceed to contact DE Ryan Vaden.

One question, if I contacted the President of my old chess club and he was willing to do it, could he be the MBC?

If he is 18, takes YPT, and fills out an adult application and whatever MBC application your council has it should not be a problem. In my council there is not a registration fee for a MBC.

 

Some of us may be a little harsh, but realize the way you described the process sounds really bad.

[qwazse]

"I think you know our ultimate goal is to help you do the program correctly."

Yes I do, although some users can be a little harsh in their method of doing so.

"Is it the Mid Tennessee Council, Trail of Tears District?"

Yes it is, I have found DE Ryan Vaden's contact information. Once I have spoken with my SM on Monday's meeting(BTW, we are soon getting a new SM), I will proceed to contact DE Ryan Vaden.

One question, if I contacted the President of my old chess club and he was willing to do it, could he be the MBC?

Sounds like you've got a plan. And while you're at it, hustle up and turn in your youth application for your venturing crew, that way your hard work can apply to an Arts & Hobbies bronze award (or whatever they'll call it in 2014)!

[EagleScout441]

"I think you know our ultimate goal is to help you do the program correctly."

Yes I do, although some users can be a little harsh in their method of doing so.

"Is it the Mid Tennessee Council, Trail of Tears District?"

Yes it is, I have found DE Ryan Vaden's contact information. Once I have spoken with my SM on Monday's meeting(BTW, we are soon getting a new SM), I will proceed to contact DE Ryan Vaden.

One question, if I contacted the President of my old chess club and he was willing to do it, could he be the MBC?

Technically, Venturers can keep working towards Bronze awards until December 31, 2014.