Parents Acting as Merit Badge Counselors

[Lynda J]

Kevin loved doing merit badges with me. Do I let him slide on anything? NO. Do I demand more of him? Maybe a little, because I know what he is capable of.

Our troop keeps a list of MBCs and a boy can look at this list any time he wants to. He can contact the counselor before he ask for a Blue Card if he wants to. Sometimes there are several people listed for a badge and sometimes one can't work with them on the badge at that time. Then he comes to the SM and gets a Blue Card.. This way when he fills out the card he has the counselors name, phone, etc. From then on it is between him and the counselor.

 

I expect boys in my troop to call me on the phone about working with them on a badge. This includes Kevin. Not they can call my cell phone from the phone at the scout hut. But I want them to learn how they should contact any counselor, whether they are from our troop or a different troop.

 

 

[eisely]

There is nothing preventing a parent from being a MB counselor for their own son, and in some situations it is unavoidable. On a canoeing expedition several years ago I signed up ahead of time to be a canoeing MB counselor so I could properly train the boys and sign off their requirements. I was the only adult on that expedition so qualified. Did that mean that my own son could not earn the MB? I actually cleared it with the district advancement chair before we went, and he had no problem with it.

 

To the extent possible I would think that there should be multiple counselors available for "eagle required" MBs in particular. Boys should be guided to non parent counselors for these MBs, but guiding is not assigning. While most parents will probably be more demanding of their own sons, there have been and will be instances of a parent letting a boy slide by on something. There really is no way to prevent that. The system is based on the presumed integrity of the participants of all ages.

[packsaddle]

Hunt, I don't know what Bob White meant by it but in practice, giving the scout all of the names of the respective MB counselors is exactly what is done...when more than one counselor exists for the MB. At least around here. It worked that way when I was a boy as well. The problem is, now there just isn't a comprehensive MB program for the district, so it is difficult to identify more than one MB counselor for many of them.

[KoreaScouter]

You know, sometimes these hair-splitting discussions border on the ridiculous. When one of my Scouts asks me for a blue card, I look at the list of counselors, consider the Scout, any other Scouts who may be working on the same badge, my experience with the counselor(s), and then I discuss with the Scout which counselor I'd like to assign to him.

 

Why do this? Different counselors have different availability and preferences (days of the week, travel distance, older vs. younger Scouts, etc.). I know the Scout and how they'd match up with a particular counselor. I know which counselors are thorough, and which are less so. And so on.

 

Consider two scenarios.

 

One, I show the list of counselors to the Scout and let him pick. He picks from the list and calls, but can't arrange a mutually available time to meet. After several attempts, he gets frustrated and comes back to me for a different counselor. New blue card, back to square one, several weeks wasted.

 

Two, I consider the variables and tell the Scout who I'd like to match him up with (if "assign" is a sensitive word, we just won't use it). He calls, they meet, we're off to the races.

 

Either way's okay (in accordance with BSA guidance as written), I suppose, but which scenario better helps the Scout meet his advancement goals?

 

BTW, we permit parents to counsel their sons on MBs, as long as they're registered, unless the parent specifically would prefer not to. Haven't been burned yet.

 

KS

[eagle90]

I agree with KS. As Scoutmaster, I assess the scout and the counselors available. Many I know personally, and know they are excellent counselors. If there is a choice of sending a boy to a stranger or someone I know will do a good job, I'm going to "assign" that counselor. I also take into account geography whenever possible. We also have no problems with parents counseling their sons. For the most part, I have found most parents harder on their own kids.

[Bob White]

Hunt,

I am going by the the Boy Scout Handbook and by whay my responsibilities are in helping a scout to make ethical decisions. I would have a hard time classifying the Boy Scout Handbook as mundane material.

BW(This message has been edited by Bob White)

[evmori]

And the Boy Scout Handbook says "obtains the name of a qualified merit badge counselor from his SM". Interpret anyway you want! The SM is the one who determines which merit badge counselor the Scout will use! Now if the Scout has a counselor in mind, the SM can agree or not agree with that counselor!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[Hunt]

"Hunt,

I am going by the the Boy Scout Handbook and by what my responsibilities are in helping a scout to make ethical decisions. I would have a hard time classifying the Boy Scout Handbook as mundane material."

 

Gee, Bob, I was just referring to your comment that if only we would all attend advanced training at Philmont, we would understand the ways of BSA better. Granted, the Handbook language is consistent with your interpretation, but it is also consistent with the interpretation that the SM chooses the counselor, and that interpretation is actually suggested by what the Requirements Book says. If you are familiar with something in writing from BSA that explains this better, it would be great if you could share it. (By the way, what does your "responsibilities in helping a scout to make ethical decisions" have to do with whether you give him a menu of possible counselors or identify one you think would be the best fit? My best guess is that it's a dig at somebody, for something, but I fail to see how it relates to this topic.)

[Bob White]

By the way, what does your "responsibilities in helping a scout to make ethical decisions" have to do with whether you give him a menu of possible counselors or identify one you think would be the best fit?

 

If you make the decision for the scout then he does not get to practice making decisions on his own, he is simply doing what he is told, (a leadership method which is far too popular with some adults).

By giving the scout the names and contact information of available registered counselors and letting the scout make the choice helps to support the mission of the program.

 

Why would a SM want to send the Scout to a specific counselor? Why must the SM send the scout to a specific counselor?

 

The responsibility of the scoutmaster is to provide a program that encourages scouts to seek new opoortubnites and information through the MB program not to micro-manage him.

 

Focus on a troop meeting program that motivates scouts and let them select their own path and their own registered counselor. You are there as a resource not as a tyrant.

[Hunt]

Bob, those points are a reasonable interpretation of how the procedure should work. I wish the Requirements Book and Handbook made it clearer, if that is indeed how it is supposed to work.

I assume you would have no objection to a SM counseling a scout on why he might choose one MBC over another? To relate this to the original topic, would anyone object to a SM saying to a Scout, "Your dad is registered to counsel this MB, but you should think about going to one of these other counselors so you have the opportunity to work with some other adults."--?

To take this a bit further, I guess I would prefer a middle ground, in which the SM doesn't "assign" the MBC, nor does he simply hand over a list of names. Rather, he might say: "Well, Joe, I see there are six MBCs for Pet Care. Mr. Smith lives over in West Nowhere, so you might have some trouble meeting with him. I don't know Mr. Smith, or Mr. Brown or Mr. Jones, so I can't say anything about them. Your dad is also a Pet Care MBC, and you could do it with him--but you've already done a couple with your dad and you might want to work with some other adults. I see Mr. Doe is also a MBC for Pet Care--I think Tom worked with him, and I have to say he had a lot of trouble getting in touch with Mr. Doe, and it took him a long time to get the badge signed off. Finally, I see Mr. Green is signed up to do this one--several boys in the troop worked with him, and he was very responsive and they had a great time. Let me know which one you'd like to contact, and you can get started."

[evmori]

The Scout decides which merit badge(s) he wants to take. Then obtains the name of a qualified counselor for those MB's from his SM. Now if we want to really get picky, the wording says "name of a qualified counselor" not "names of qualified counselors". That means the SM picks one counselor for the Scout. Why would a SM want to do this? Could it be possible the SM know counselor A "rubber stamps" merit badges while counselor B actually teaches the merit badge? Could be!

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[Bob White]

Hunt,

There are two times when a scoutmaster counsels a scout. 1) when a scout needs counseling, 2) when a scout asks for counseling.

I do not see how a scout choosing his merit badge couselor fits either of these.

 

Scouting is like a simple jig saw puzzle with many clearly defined pieces but you still have to put the pieces together to see the whole picture.

 

Ed

It has been explained to you before by others. It is not your job as a scoutmaster to approve or disapprove of merit badge counselors. if you feel that a counselor is not appropriate in their knowledge or in their administration of the topic then you need to notify the council or district advancment committee. I sincerely doubt that you have sat with each counslor to determine if they fit your mold of what a counselor should do. Please allow others to do their job and you stick to your. it is not your job to tell scouts what to do. While that is a popular leadership style with some scoutmasters that is not what the finished puzzle looks like.

 

[Hunt]

So you're saying, Bob, that unless the Scout asked you for advice, you wouldn't suggest that he go to a counselor you know to be excellent, or suggest that he might want to use somebody other than his own parent? That seems very odd to me. I certainly don't see it as "telling the scout what to do." I see it as being Helpful. I often find myself giving unsolicited advice and suggestions to Scouts ("Joe, I know you still need to do Citizenship in the World, and I know that a group of scouts are getting together to do it with Mr. X--you might want to talk to him, too."). Sometimes they take the advice, and sometimes they don't--that's where their decisionmaking comes in.

[Bob White]

I would offer a scout the names of counselors and information that might help them make their own decision, for instance.

 

Counselor A lives on your street.

Colunselor B is a teach at your school

Counselor C is an Eagle Scout

Counselor D works at________

Counselor E is your Mother.

 

Who would you like to use?

 

Unless the scout asks for further help my role is done. I have given him the names of legitimate counselors. It is his advancement, his opportunity to learn how to make his own choices.

 

I am not his commander, I am his scoutmaster. I am there to counsel and mentor his journey toward the mission of scouting. Not to tell him what to do. There are plenty of other scoutmasters in this for the "authority" over the boys. I am not one of them.

 

 

 

 

 

[tortdog]

>Obtain from his Scoutmaster a signed merit badge application and the name of a qualified counselor for that merit badge.

 

Well, if you read that LITERALLY then it means the Scout has to go to the Scoutmaster and the Scoutmaster is the one who gives the boy ONE counselor's name.

 

Now, did the BSA mean that the Scoutmaster is supposed to filter BSA counselors? I don't think so. I see no problem with the boy choosing a counselor from a list. I also see no problem with the Scoutmaster giving the name of the counselor to the boy.

 

But if you want to be technical (kind of like a technically perfect uniform contrary to the counsel of a local BSA council), it seems to be clear that the Scoutmaster gives the name of ONE counselor to the Scout.