Cub Scout & WEBELOS NOVA Award Conversation

[King Ding Dong]

So you guys are ok with a Cubedwelling code monkey teaching engineering or scientific method????

 

 

Kinda like the Kmart security guard teaching Atomic Energy........Doesn't make sense.

 

Sorry I want a Pilot teaching Aviation, Engineer teaching engineering or a Journeyman teaching electricity.

Pack, while I understand your concerns, do your criteria apply to the whole cub program or just the STEM program ? If not why ?

 

As Dedkad points out if we need to bring in a degreed expert on very Cub requirement we might as well just close up shop now because that is not going to happen.

 

At the BS MB level you can probably apply that criteria in the cities but what do all the rural Scouts do ?

[packsaddle]

So you guys are ok with a Cubedwelling code monkey teaching engineering or scientific method????

 

 

Kinda like the Kmart security guard teaching Atomic Energy........Doesn't make sense.

 

Sorry I want a Pilot teaching Aviation, Engineer teaching engineering or a Journeyman teaching electricity.

We apply it to STEM, not the other cub scout stuff. In the MB programs for boy scouts I prefer that the counselors be selected on the basis of some kind of professional understanding of the MB subject. I doubt that the people who proposed and promoted the creation of this STEM program intended it to be delivered by store clerks. However, it IS conceivable that a store clerk might be appropriate for merit badges related to commerce or perhaps personal management.

 

In rural areas, there nevertheless ARE people who maintain the electrical lines and grid, people who understand metallurgy, and people who work with complex chemicals, communication technologies, or energy supply. A college degree isn't necessarily required, just a solid knowledge base in the subject area. But a person whose life experience doesn't go much beyond mowing lawns or loading grain may not be one of my top choices.

 

Oops, I guess I didn't answer the 'why not?' question about the whole cub program. The traditional cub program around here is well-established and the chance of making much of a change in it is slim. The activities for the cubs up to Webelos ARE at a level that seem to be delivered nicely by almost any interested person. At Webelos (or whatever the heck it's going to be from now on), the boys around here typically get bored and want to do exciting things, especially in the outdoors or with power tools, lol. And there are some parents who are up to providing that level of program but not many...it takes more time and there just aren't as many in the first place, so it tends to suffer around here and we lose boys to other options (we'd lose some of those anyway, probably). OK, I think that answers it: basically we apply it to STEM and not the rest of the program out of a sense of pragmatic reality and, really, not as much need to apply it to the rest of the program.

[howarthe]

So you guys are ok with a Cubedwelling code monkey teaching engineering or scientific method????

 

 

Kinda like the Kmart security guard teaching Atomic Energy........Doesn't make sense.

 

Sorry I want a Pilot teaching Aviation, Engineer teaching engineering or a Journeyman teaching electricity.

I want a pilot teaching aviation, an engineer teaching engineering and a journeyman teaching electricity, too, but that is not what is being taught in the Cub Scout STEM/NOVA program. In the Cub Scout STEM/NOVA program, we are teaching boys, very young boys. The teacher will require intermediate to advanced skills in being able to manage, inspire and engage children and only novice level skills in science, technology, engineering and math. So yes, I am totally OK with a cube dwelling code monkey teaching my scouts as long as she is good with children. I am an unemployed data analyst, and I feel confident that I can cover the material in both Super Nova books competently.