Earned ALL 134 merit badges in protest to labelled too young for Eagle?

[Basementdweller]

Anyone ever think we should set a Standard Number of Merit Badges and do away with all the Fluff ones?

We need to concentrate on certain Skills and their Knowledge retention. What good is a 134 Merit Badge Eagle who can't remember how to Stop Bleeding or perform CPR no matter what age they are 13 or 18 or anywhere in between.

It was before my time as Scoutmaster, the BS part is the filling out the merit badge.com worksheets and then turning them in for immediate credit.

 

It just dawned on me, I witnessed boys qued up with MB.com worksheets in the Cit in community line, I wonder if they did their 8 hours of community service.

[jpstodwftexas]

Well then Lets Broaden the Merit Badge System even more since we don't wanna Stiffle the Imagination and Creativity of the Scouters..Do Away with just Cooking Merit Badge instead we Have French Cuisine, Asian Cuisine, Tex-Mex, Cajun, Italian, German, Kosher, Texas BBQ, KCBBQ, Memphis BBQ, Orlean Cuisine, Southern Fried, Pastry Chef..

 

Eagle Scouts today are Turning into "shells"

We Know Longer care if they learn anything and retain their knowledge...Wonder why most Councils stopped having First Aid Meets and Scout-o-Ramas..becuase we know our Scouts don't have the Knowledge or Skill to Showcase them to outsiders any More.

 

Wonder if Yall feel the Same way about your Doctors and Lawyers?

I don't want a Doctor or Lawyer working for me who has a case of CRS...

[perdidochas]

Doesn't prove anything other than he can sample a wide range of topics. I never put much stock in merit badges as a youth, and I still don't.I hope he continues on and holds more positions like PL, SPL, Guide, Instructor. Maybe towards then end of his youth involvement he becomes a JASM.

Quayze, the scoutmaster handbooks says that a JASM has to be 16 or 17.

[perdidochas]

Anyone ever think we should set a Standard Number of Merit Badges and do away with all the Fluff ones?

We need to concentrate on certain Skills and their Knowledge retention. What good is a 134 Merit Badge Eagle who can't remember how to Stop Bleeding or perform CPR no matter what age they are 13 or 18 or anywhere in between.

I might get rid of some of the one hour merit badges--fingerprinting comes to mind, but in general, most of the MBs are good subject matter that will motivate some scouts to want to learn. The troop program should be to concentrate on certain skills and knowledge retention. I'm a big fan of all the nature type merit badges, for example. If I had my druthers, Nature would be a required MB. I have said it a lot of times, but I agree with Moosetracker about Citizenship. One CItizenship MB would be sufficient.

[perdidochas]

Where is the rule written by BSA that once earned a Scouter can't Purchase a Merit Badge but have to wait because it has to be presented by Unit at a Court of Honor?

The rule is that a merit badge patch can't be bought until an Advancement Report for it is filled out. I think it's up to the Troop, but in my Troop, we give out Rank patches right after the BOR, but wait on the MBs for the Court of Honor. We can only do this because we have a supply of rank badges from before the new rules.

[Kudu]

This is a false analogy.

 

It is not an analogy.

 

The distain with which most boys hold schoolwork Scouting is literal, not figurative.

 

Simply put, we can destroy any sport by doing to it what Merit Badges and "leadership skills" do to Scouting. All we need is a government-imposed monopoly. What modern Republicans call "socialism."

 

The purpose of football (or any sport) is to teach the players to play football. Period.

That is exactly wrong. Period.

 

Ask any parent why their son participates in sports. You will get idealistic reasons similar to your so-called "purpose of Scouting" (teamwork, sportsmanship, exercise, sharpness of mind, mental strength; emotional, psychological, and social health; self-esteem, self-worth, peer status, peer acceptance, etc.).

 

The difference between sports and Scouts is that, in a free market, we can not replace ball proficiency with schoolwork and office management "teamwork" metaphors. Boys would simply leave a Scout-like office cubical sport, unless their parents forced them to add a Heisman Trophy Award to their resumes for earning seatwork Personal Management and Citizenship hat pins in a game with the 300 feet removed from between end zones.

 

But woe be unto any boy who cheapens the integrity of seatwork football's highest award by earning all 134 classroom hat pins by the age of thirteen!

 

Even the congressional charter' date=' which you often cite, specifies a much broader purpose of Scouting: "[T']he ability of boys to do things for themselves and others." Scoutcraft is but one part of that; "teaching" is explicitly cited as another.

 

The Charter lists Scoutcraft as one of the three aims of Scouting. What all adults who love schoolwork Merit Badges (and office cubical Wood Badge) omit is the Charter's primary stipulation: "using the methods that were in common use by boy scouts on June 15, 1916."

 

The purpose of the Congressional Charter was to establish a government-imposed monopoly to protect the YMCA's adult-led night school/summer camp program from competition from real Scouting.

 

HOWEVER, That was in return for Scoutcraft as it was defined in 1916 (based on a lite version of the First Class Journey).

 

Our Scouting monopoly is typical of socialism in general: Most "21st century" Eagle Scouts can not pass the First Class Scoutcraft tests of 1916.

 

So we make indoor Scouting's primary "ethical choice:" Rather than cancel after-school school, we cheat millions of red-blooded American boys out of the Scoutcraft program guaranteed to them by an Act of Congress.

 

And we wonder why they leave.

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

 

 

[Brewmeister]

This is a false analogy.

 

It is not an analogy.

 

The distain with which most boys hold schoolwork Scouting is literal, not figurative.

 

Simply put, we can destroy any sport by doing to it what Merit Badges and "leadership skills" do to Scouting. All we need is a government-imposed monopoly. What modern Republicans call "socialism."

 

The purpose of football (or any sport) is to teach the players to play football. Period.

That is exactly wrong. Period.

 

Ask any parent why their son participates in sports. You will get idealistic reasons similar to your so-called "purpose of Scouting" (teamwork, sportsmanship, exercise, sharpness of mind, mental strength; emotional, psychological, and social health; self-esteem, self-worth, peer status, peer acceptance, etc.).

 

The difference between sports and Scouts is that, in a free market, we can not replace ball proficiency with schoolwork and office management "teamwork" metaphors. Boys would simply leave a Scout-like office cubical sport, unless their parents forced them to add a Heisman Trophy Award to their resumes for earning seatwork Personal Management and Citizenship hat pins in a game with the 300 feet removed from between end zones.

 

But woe be unto any boy who cheapens the integrity of seatwork football's highest award by earning all 134 classroom hat pins by the age of thirteen!

 

Even the congressional charter' date=' which you often cite, specifies a much broader purpose of Scouting: "[T']he ability of boys to do things for themselves and others." Scoutcraft is but one part of that; "teaching" is explicitly cited as another.

 

The Charter lists Scoutcraft as one of the three aims of Scouting. What all adults who love schoolwork Merit Badges (and office cubical Wood Badge) omit is the Charter's primary stipulation: "using the methods that were in common use by boy scouts on June 15, 1916."

 

The purpose of the Congressional Charter was to establish a government-imposed monopoly to protect the YMCA's adult-led night school/summer camp program from competition from real Scouting.

 

HOWEVER, That was in return for Scoutcraft as it was defined in 1916 (based on a lite version of the First Class Journey).

 

Our Scouting monopoly is typical of socialism in general: Most "21st century" Eagle Scouts can not pass the First Class Scoutcraft tests of 1916.

 

So we make indoor Scouting's primary "ethical choice:" Rather than cancel after-school school, we cheat millions of red-blooded American boys out of the Scoutcraft program guaranteed to them by an Act of Congress.

 

And we wonder why they leave.

 

Yours at 300 feet,

 

Kudu

 

I don't disagree with your assessment that there is too much "homework" in the scouting program; merit badges in particular. However, earning those badges is not required for participation in the program. Call them "electives." Just like players who are most interested in the football program will spend time on their own studying play books, game film, in the weight room, etc., to gain the most from the program and achieve excellence in their craft, so will boys who are the most interested in the scouting program make use of all it has to offer, including time playing on the field (camping) and on their own (merit badges).

 

You draw the equation Scouting=Camping. However, Scouting is more than simply a camping club. The fact that scouting offers more and has a broader mission than you would prefer is a strength of the program, and not a weakness.

 

As to boys leaving scouting, boys are leaving sporting programs as well. Little league participation has been steadily declining, and that certainly is not because it has replaced batting practice with bookwork.

[Fehler]

Just turned in my Merit Badge Councilor application.

[moosetracker]

Just turned in my Merit Badge Councilor application.

Sign up for counseling a few merit badges, or all 134?? Don't laugh, I have heard of people who have come close to it.. 50 or 75 of them at least.

[Huzzar]

 

It is not an analogy.

 

The distain with which most boys hold schoolwork Scouting is literal, not figurative.

 

 

The reaction from my son when he attended his first Merit Badge roundtable "this is just Saturday morning school. Can we go fishing instead." It also prompted him to say he wanted to leave Scouts, but stayed in when I said he could skip merit badges and just have fun on the trips.

 

Yes, he eventaully decided to set Eagle as a goal but still disliked more merit badges than he liked.

 

 

 

[boomerscout]

Having fun in the woods is great stuff. However, one purpose of Scouting is to develop the mindset of approaching adulthood. It may seem a long way off, but some of us are slow learners.

 

For this reason, Personal Management is one of the more important merit badges on offer. Way too many families are living paycheck to paycheck (or worse), yet their homes are chock-a-block with the latest bling. If they had learned the rudiments of budgeting and planning, they may have been better able to weather the economic storms that appear in all our lives. The only change I would make to Per. Mgmnt. is to show how to balance a checkbook and what happens when you're overdrawn.

 

100 mb in 3 years? That's 3 per month, so doable with good PERT and CPM skills as some mb only take a day even if done correctly. Even more impressive, though, would be 40 - 50 merit badges plus the Hornaday Medal.

 

(Wow! This site seems to work a lot better!)

[Kudu]

Having fun in the woods is great stuff. However, one purpose of Scouting is to develop the mindset of approaching adulthood. It may seem a long way off, but some of us are slow learners.

 

For this reason, Personal Management is one of the more important merit badges on offer. Way too many families are living paycheck to paycheck (or worse), yet their homes are chock-a-block with the latest bling. If they had learned the rudiments of budgeting and planning, they may have been better able to weather the economic storms that appear in all our lives. The only change I would make to Per. Mgmnt. is to show how to balance a checkbook and what happens when you're overdrawn.

 

100 mb in 3 years? That's 3 per month, so doable with good PERT and CPM skills as some mb only take a day even if done correctly. Even more impressive, though, would be 40 - 50 merit badges plus the Hornaday Medal.

 

(Wow! This site seems to work a lot better!)

Bouncing a ball is great stuff. However, one purpose of basketball is to develop the mindset of approaching adulthood.

 

For this reason, basketball players should learn the rudiments of budgeting, planning, and how to balance a checkbook.

 

Teach Personal Management in school sports. That's why we call it school!

 

Baden-Powell designed Scouts to be the opposite of school.

[Eagle92]

Mixed emotions on this latest discussion. As someone who deals with teens and college students with no involvement in Scouting, I can see the difference. And I do believe part of it is some of the "paper pushing" MBs. BUT I think that there may be ways to incorporate aspects of these MBs in the 'Outing" portiong of Scouting.

 

Take budgeting for example and Personal Management. Apply it to weekend and HA trips.

[moosetracker]

Mixed emotions on this latest discussion. As someone who deals with teens and college students with no involvement in Scouting, I can see the difference. And I do believe part of it is some of the "paper pushing" MBs. BUT I think that there may be ways to incorporate aspects of these MBs in the 'Outing" portiong of Scouting.

 

Take budgeting for example and Personal Management. Apply it to weekend and HA trips.

It's a nice plan Eagle92, but you have to remember that our Adult Leaders are not educational professionals.. They kind of fall into the schoolwork stuff because they don't know how to work with youth, so they go back to what they know from their school years.. What you talk about would take a very creative educational professional to pull off, someone who knows the outdoors well and creative teaching methods for Personal Management and can marry the two..

 

Me personally I stay away from Personal Management, not my bailiwick,, Some scout somehow got the impression I did Personal Management and ask if I would be his councilor, the group of Adult Leaders around me fell down laughing.. I have this feeling some other Adult leader set this poor kid up as a prank..

[Brewmeister]

Having fun in the woods is great stuff. However, one purpose of Scouting is to develop the mindset of approaching adulthood. It may seem a long way off, but some of us are slow learners.

 

For this reason, Personal Management is one of the more important merit badges on offer. Way too many families are living paycheck to paycheck (or worse), yet their homes are chock-a-block with the latest bling. If they had learned the rudiments of budgeting and planning, they may have been better able to weather the economic storms that appear in all our lives. The only change I would make to Per. Mgmnt. is to show how to balance a checkbook and what happens when you're overdrawn.

 

100 mb in 3 years? That's 3 per month, so doable with good PERT and CPM skills as some mb only take a day even if done correctly. Even more impressive, though, would be 40 - 50 merit badges plus the Hornaday Medal.

 

(Wow! This site seems to work a lot better!)

Kudu, you keep undercutting your own argument with your examples and analogies.

 

"To take care of themselves and others."