Air Conditioned Eagle Encampment

[Horizon]

I have no issue with this for the classroom badges. I am working with the local middle school teachers to get them registered as Merit Badge Counselors so that their Social Studies, Science and Music classes can be used to earn a MB as well. Much of the same work is done in the class, and the instructors like the BSA requirements and materials. I have used a local cooking school for parts of Cooking MB, and I have used the local pilot school to teach Aviation. A coach has been the counselor for Personal Fitness, and the entire team earned it (even though only a couple were Scouts).

[DuctTape]

I have no issue with this for the classroom badges. I am working with the local middle school teachers to get them registered as Merit Badge Counselors so that their Social Studies' date=' Science and Music classes can be used to earn a MB as well. Much of the same work is done in the class, and the instructors like the BSA requirements and materials. I have used a local cooking school for parts of Cooking MB, and I have used the local pilot school to teach Aviation. A coach has been the counselor for Personal Fitness, and the entire team earned it (even though only a couple were Scouts). [/quote']

 

 

I don't think any merit badges should be done like school. Scouting should not be in a classroom. That is the antithesis of scouting. Anyone besides me have the first edition handbook?

[TAHAWK]

What bothers me about the "group" MB approach, even when the BSA rules are followed by individually testing each candidates on every requirement (which is routinely ignored) is the absence of the opportunity for one-on-one counseling. (And I know that "one-on-one" is a term of art in our YPT era)

 

The candidate also misses the opportunity to call a new adult and arrange an appointment.

 

As for any need to facilitiate or accelerate the obtaining of Eagle, we have already a ccelerated to over 700% of what the rate was when I earned Eagle. That reality argues that there is no need to find ways to make the path easier.

[Horizon]

 

 

I don't think any merit badges should be done like school. Scouting should not be in a classroom. That is the antithesis of scouting. Anyone besides me have the first edition handbook?

 

I agree - but the BSA keeps on assigning merit badges that duplicate class work. As long as the requirements look like schoolwork, the best methodology will be to duplicate the classroom. When possible, we take the role of the Oxford tutorial, with as much 1:1 (without violating YP) as possible. In the meantime, the BSA requires badges that are covered in a social studies class - just add a field trip.

 

We also have a ton of badges that are career oriented - those are going to be taught classroom style as well by local experts.

[DuctTape]

 

I agree - but the BSA keeps on assigning merit badges that duplicate class work. As long as the requirements look like schoolwork, the best methodology will be to duplicate the classroom. When possible, we take the role of the Oxford tutorial, with as much 1:1 (without violating YP) as possible. In the meantime, the BSA requires badges that are covered in a social studies class - just add a field trip.

 

We also have a ton of badges that are career oriented - those are going to be taught classroom style as well by local experts.

 

 

I disagree. It isn't the badges, nor the requirements which make the methodology duplicate the classroom, it is the the large group of scouts with a single counselor which force the classroom mindset.

[CherokeeScouter]

I think you guys are talking about Lanoche. We do the Winter Camp there. Excellent place. Would even suggest it for northern troops for a post-Christmas excursion. Beautiful camping in Florida in winter. Combine it with a trip to the Cape Canaveral or the Everglades or the Keys. Do some Scuba or fishing.

 

I gotta say, camping in Florida in mid-summer is nothing short of brutal. We don't really offer it after mid-May because no one would go. Our troop activities in the summer are focused on Summer Camp (usually in NC or GA mountains) and the annual treks to Philmont, Summit, Northern Tier and the AT.