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Something to give in place of badge at graduation?


heat4212

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They attempted the Tiger Badge.  Why is it such a big deal?

 

I expect them to have fun, and to come back next year proud of their achievements and ready for bigger challenges. 

 

Do.  Your.  Best.

What challenges are there if you get awarded no matter what?  Heh the waterfront was closed but not to worry you all pass swim test.

 

How do you know what you best is if you have not tried or better, tried and failed and then re-tried and succeeded. That's Scouting!

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They attempted the Tiger Badge.  Why is it such a big deal?

 

I expect them to have fun, and to come back next year proud of their achievements and ready for bigger challenges. 

 

Do.  Your.  Best.

 

 

If they did Requirement 1 and 3, but not Requirement 2 they did not Do Their Best to complete the badge.

 

Awarding something when not done is the big deal.

 

EDIT: If you cannot knock out Tiger in the time from September to May, 1) Your Den was not organized, and 2) your parents obviously didn't spend any time with their kids. I could do this in a few weekends with my kids. C'mon, must we dumb-down EVERYTHING?

Edited by Krampus
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The cubs know who earned the award and who didn't.  Adults can pretend that the cubs aren't that aware.   But that would be a mistake.   Those cubs know who hit the mark and who didn't.

 

Presenting an undeserved award demeans the awards of the cubs who did earn it.

 

Giving them all awards despite some kids not fulfilling the requirements = short term guilt relief for adults + long term demotivation for the many kids who did meet/exceed the requirements.

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No Eagle Rank was awarded to a scout based on "Do Your Best"  We shouldn't have to unlearn Cub Scout principles and retrain Boy Scout half way through the program.

 

Maybe the reason cross overs drop out so fast is because they don't give out MB's like they do belt loops.

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No Eagle Rank was awarded to a scout based on "Do Your Best"

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Just Say'n.

 

 

....because they don't give out MB's like they do belt loops.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. Just Say'n.

 

I will let others point the fingers. :)

Edited by King Ding Dong
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Cub. Scouts.

Do Your Best.

Why is this so hard to understand? This is a separate program from Boy Scouts.

  

If there is no Do, there is no Do Your Best.

 

Exactly!!! If they did 2 of 3 requirements they didn't Do what was required.

 

So do you award all awards if only 66% of the work is done? When does this stop? Webelos? AOL?

 

I won't even mention the fact that BSA EXPECTS you to DO all the requirements...not just 66%.

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I think the "Do your best" means to do your best whether one receives the award or not.  There have been plenty of times I put my best effort into something and still came up short.  It's not a life-threatening situation and doesn't require 30 years of professional counseling to correct.  It's just the way life is.  No matter how hard one tries, ya can't win 'em all!

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How often do we hear this when it comes to "well he tried"....

 

"But he's only five"

"But he's only eight"

"But he's only ten"

 

Yes.   And then some day, he'll be only 16, and will have never learned the value of completing what he started.

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Because nothing teaches character and honesty in a six year old like not giving him a patch because he joined in November instead of October.

 

Fine. I'll never convince a bunch of graybeard drill sergeants that there are fundamental differences between Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. Then back to the original topic, what to give the boys? Nothing. Anything you give them is an undeserved participant ribbon, and shame on you for even making the suggestion that these boys deserve such a hallow gesture.

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Fehler, the hollowest gesture of all would be to give the cubs the award they didn't really finish.    They know the score.   If they don't receive the award now because of timing, they can keep chipping away at it and get it in a couple months.   Not the end of the world.

 

You mention the old drill sergeant...well, I wasn't a drill sergeant, but I retired from the military not too long ago.    A trend I noticed over the years:   bright young folks that can't handle disappointment.

 

Passed over for promotion...didn't win a certain award...didn't get the medal they expected...etc...some just can't process it.   They can't believe it.   They've always had coaches, teachers, parents, scout leaders and others pulling for them, giving full credit each step of the way.   Even if they didn't deserve it.   And when they hear "no" for the first time, it really shakes some of them to their core.

 

Fortunately, most are made of better stuff than that and they work through the pain, and get with the program.   But what a shame to have to learn that lesson at 20 in a professional environment.  

 

Far better to experience disappointment as a youngster, in a situation that does not have such high stakes.   Sure, it hurts but they'll get over it.  

 

"But they are just cubs."  Yes.   Perfect age to learn an invaluable lesson.   Then they'll handle those future disappointments with more poise and perspective.

Edited by desertrat77
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One also has to consider an option most often neglected in discussions like this.... Is it the bling or is it the program that is important to the boy?  If the bling is more important than the program, there's something seriously wrong with the way the program is being run in that neck of the woods.   As @@desertrat77 points out, is failure a lesson that is important for scouts to deal with?  The reality of life is: failure is more common than success.  How many Tiger Cubs will get AOL and how many will reach the rank of Eagle?  Those numbers say a lot on how the program is run.

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