Prepared Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 We old grey-beards say "Good job"; it suffices. ..heh yeah sometimes though kids get a little discouraged and need a little reassurance that they are doing something right. plus it gives them as goal to work towards and can achieve them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krampus Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 ..heh yeah sometimes though kids get a little discouraged and need a little reassurance that they are doing something right. plus it gives them as goal to work towards and can achieve them. Beyond ranks, merit badges and other awards which they earn, what "reassurance" in the form of awards are you advocating? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RememberSchiff Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 (edited) I prefer encouraging words over coddling. IMO, the latter just produces kids who grow to feel entitled and work the system. Awards should be earned. There are enough Special Snowflake Awards out there. My $0.02 Edited May 25, 2016 by RememberSchiff 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Turtle Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I liked when the boys came up with awards. One patrol whose color was 'blue' made up the 'order of the blue feather' and occasionally a boy who 'saved the day' for the patrol (won the big patrol competition, unselfishly cooked all the meals so the others could go canoeing, or resolved a big fight peacefully) might be award a feather that he could hang on his pocket in recognition of above and beyond (in the eyes of the boys). I think one time the kid 'with the issues' got one for his 1st non-drama campout. Because it came from their peers I noticed they would wear it on campouts. When boys left the patrol they would tie them to the patrol flag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fehler Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Immediate recognition of awards is a strong component of Cub Scouting. Boys take pride in their achievements, and like the reminders of the fun activities they participated in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertrat77 Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 (edited) ..heh yeah sometimes though kids get a little discouraged and need a little reassurance that they are doing something right. plus it gives them as goal to work towards and can achieve them. David, In scouting, I've found that in situations like this, the adults are just reassuring themselves. The scouts are okay and remarkably balanced, as long as they are having fun. The scouters and the parents put much more stock in the cheap handouts. The scouts see right through it. Plus, it's an adult ego thing. "Look at the grand gesture I made." Edited May 25, 2016 by desertrat77 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertrat77 Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 (edited) Immediate recognition of awards is a strong component of Cub Scouting. Boys take pride in their achievements, and like the reminders of the fun activities they participated in. Then let's keep the awards to a minimum--Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, AOL. And eschew the participation ribbons and "I Tied My Shoes!" type of patches. The boys do not need an award every time they do something. Most will see these things for what they are and assign little to no value to them. Scouting memories come from experiences as the result of a solid, active program, not the abundance of cheap awards. Edited May 25, 2016 by desertrat77 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krampus Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Then let's keep the awards to a minimum--Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, AOL. And eschew the participation ribbons and "I Tied My Shoes!" type of patches. The boys do not need an award every time they do something. Most will see these things for what they are and assign little to no value to them. Scouting memories come from experiences as the result of a solid, active program, not the abundance of cheap awards. Exactly. 90% of those patches went in to a shoe box in my Den. The big awards were what they wanted. As long as the meetings were fun, that is all those kids cared about. Wearing the uniform, the hat and shooting off water rockets and playing with water balloons (smaller than a ping pong ball, of course) was all they cared about. Extra patches? [insert stolen line from Blazing Saddles here] 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fehler Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Maybe the shoebox is a fine place to store the awards, but having and possessing the awards reinforces the memories of the event/activity done to accomplish it. I see an interesting pin/patch on a boys uniform, I ask them what they did to earn it. Last night I awarded our Webelos Den their "Webelos Walkabout" pin, and the Scoutmaster asked what they did to earn it. Most of them shrugged, until he added "it looks like a guy hiking", and then all of them erupted in a story of the 5 mile hike they took at the State Park last month. If the actual award is meaningless, why do the Boy Scouts award 130-some odd merit badges, and a patch for every campout and jamboree? Maybe the Silver Buffalo should be replaced with the "Silver Head Pat"? (Boy, there's a double meaning.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John-in-KC Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Actually, four (one of which is a group):If someone gives a kid a James E West Fellowship, that's lifelong.If the kid gets a heroism award, that's lifelong. The AOL award is earned in Cub Scouts and is worn on the Cub Scout uniform until they cross over to a Troop, it is one of two patches that carry over to the Scout uniform, the religious knot and the AOL patch that was awarded to the Cub. It is not awarded to a Boy Scout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krampus Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Maybe the shoebox is a fine place to store the awards, but having and possessing the awards reinforces the memories of the event/activity done to accomplish it. I see an interesting pin/patch on a boys uniform, I ask them what they did to earn it. Last night I awarded our Webelos Den their "Webelos Walkabout" pin, and the Scoutmaster asked what they did to earn it. Most of them shrugged, until he added "it looks like a guy hiking", and then all of them erupted in a story of the 5 mile hike they took at the State Park last month. If the actual award is meaningless, why do the Boy Scouts award 130-some odd merit badges, and a patch for every campout and jamboree? Maybe the Silver Buffalo should be replaced with the "Silver Head Pat"? (Boy, there's a double meaning.) So your own posts proves the point that the patch is meaningless. It took a verbal cue to remind the boys of their fond memory. The PATCH didn't do it, the verbal reminder did! So why the patch? If the patch is supposed to be an "immediate gratification and recognition" it is NOT doing its job because the boys had no clue why they got it. MBs are not meaningless if the Scout is the one driven to take the class. As for the other 130+ badges, they usually have requirements around them and are not just awarded for showing up. Camporee and Jambo patches? Other non-requirement based patches? Totally agree...no place in Boy Scouts EXCEPT as a reminder of the event and NOT as any real achievement. Adult awards? I saw do away with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Turtle Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 I am embarrassed by the bling on some adult (boy) scouters...there seems almost a relationship by the number of patches crammed on the tan shirt and the proximity to the Council power structure. Conversely the SM with a length of rope on his belt loop often indicates a guy who really interacts with his Scouts. I'd love to see a correlation on patches and wood badgers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stosh Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Seriously I have no idea where my WB necker, woggle and beads are right now. It's been years since I wore them. I have two rows of knots, no service stars, a temp patch indicating Scoutfest 1993. Seriously, what does one do about the new unit award when they are working on setting up their second and third units? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prepared Posted May 25, 2016 Author Share Posted May 25, 2016 Beyond ranks, merit badges and other awards which they earn, what "reassurance" in the form of awards are you advocating? Just the typical things like for instance...I am taking my son to Summer resident camp so he can earn his Shooting patch and pins. This is a two fold thing. One, he has fun and two, he learns something important about weapons safety and responsibility. What I mean by saying sometimes they need reassurance sometimes is that it is a goal for kids to work towards, not a coddling mechanism as others put it. When I want something I work for it. My point is that it should be used to teach Scouts to work for something and not just give it to them for the sake of giving it to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krampus Posted May 25, 2016 Share Posted May 25, 2016 Just the typical things like for instance...I am taking my son to Summer resident camp so he can earn his Shooting patch and pins. This is a two fold thing. One, he has fun and two, he learns something important about weapons safety and responsibility. What I mean by saying sometimes they need reassurance sometimes is that it is a goal for kids to work towards, not a coddling mechanism as others put it. When I want something I work for it. My point is that it should be used to teach Scouts to work for something and not just give it to them for the sake of giving it to them. Agreed. Shooting sports patch sounds like he has to earn it. Showing for the day and getting a patch, not so much. We have far too much of that in Cubs. Thankfully not so much of that in Boy Scouts...yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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