HOW LONG DOES A SCOUT HAVE TO COMPLETE A MERIT BADGE ?

[River2K]

Our troop uses a 6 month limit. If a Scout hasn't completed a merit badge within that time he is required to start over.

 

From what I'm reading here, this is not correct. Since I'm scheduled to take over as Scoutmaster in January, sounds like a change I may want to consider for the troop.

 

My "common sense" tells me a MB SHOULD have a time limit though. Wouldn't a time limit help the Scout to be more responsible about completing a badge?

 

Ken

 

 

[mk9750]

River2K,

 

Congratulations on the upcoming new position!

 

Let's dispense with one aspect of your post quickly: Even if it makes sense, we don't have the authority to change the requirements, and there is no requirement to finish in any specific time frame.

 

But more to the point, I think whether it is a good idea to have a time limit depends on the purposes of the Merit Badge Program. If its main purpose is to make responsible Boy Scouts, then maybe a time limit would have value. But my understanding of the purpose of the Merit Badge program is to give boys a chance to expose themselves to activities, avocations, and hobbies that may interest them, and that will help them grow in mental, physical and spiritual strength. If I am right, I think the question then becomes whether a time limit provides assistance in getting to that main goal?

 

My opinion would be no. I'd rather see a guy start a Merit Badge, lose interest or find another priority, and then "rediscover" it and complete it, even years later, than to try to force him to complete something for which he has no interest, in a short period of time.

 

If a boy's Scouting experience is to be his and his alone (If HE is to be the captain of his Scouting ship), then he should determine when and where he works on any Merit Badge.

 

And lastly, I worry that those who would want to add a time limit to the requirements are doing so to meet an artificial long term goal - Eagle Scout - rather than the real Aims of Scouting. And I think it is this emphasis that causes people to lament "paper Eagles", "Eagle Mills", and "13 year old Eagles". If the boy sets the goal, and does the work satisfactorily, he has earned the award. If we, as parents, or adult leaders, force kids to complete work on our artificial timeline, then there is credence, I think, to the charges.

 

Mark

[packsaddle]

River2K, I agree with mk9750. The troop with which I am associated picked up a couple of mavericks from other troops a couple of years ago - boys who became disenchanted with the program. One of the reasons cited was the strict 6-month limit for completing merit badges. We took them in and now they are outstanding leaders in this troop. I informed them that all outstanding MBs that had never been finished were STILL available. That really helped turn them around. They got to work and finished all of them.

I know the leaders who maintain these 'internal policies'. I also know their stated reasons: 'the boys need a reason to follow through', 'they need a stick as well as a carrot'. My feeling is, though, the leaders just didn't want to put up with keeping the records. I could be wrong. But I suppose I should thank them for the boys that switched to this troop. THANKS! Too bad it had to be as a result of a policy that is in conflict with BSA.

[Fat Old Guy]

"My feeling is, though, the leaders just didn't want to put up with keeping the records."

 

What records? Until a merit badge is completed, the Scout keeps the blue card. If he has it sitting on his dresser for two years, that's between him and his mother.

 

 

[Adrianvs]

I am a merit badge counselor and have worked at a camp that hasn't used blue cards for several years. Instead, the program director has introduced replacement cards of different colors corresponding to the different program areas. They're certainly "prettier" than the blue cards, but I don't think they have any practical advantage over them except possibly ease of organization. And perhaps it allows scoutmasters to see at a glance what kinds of badges his (denoting association, not ownership) scouts are marching off to in the morning. I haven't heard of any difficulties with the cards when partials are sent back to the troop. Well, apart from cards being lost by some party or another, but that's not unique to either method, of course. I assume that most merit badge counselors in our council are familiar with the "camp cards" but I don't know if they would pose a problem for a scout trying to finish a badge elsewhere.

 

BSA policy aside, I think that a six month time limit is simply unrealistic. Some of the badges I counsel take a significant amount of time to complete, especially given that scouts are supposedly working on several badges concurrently. Six month is a nice leisurely pace to finish a badge, but scouts shouldn't be penalized for taking a break and resuming later, especially with something that is supposed to be a possible lifetime hobby. Environmental Science and Insect Study are two examples, Insect Study especially. The insect collection and mounting requirement is a substantial accomplishment. To do it within six months is a time trial. I believe the numbers are 50 species from 15 orders. The scouts must not only locate these specimens, but catch them, mount them, label them, and identify them down to the species level. It isn't really the 50 specimens, but the 15 orders that poses a problem. Once the scout hits about the first seven common orders, it's going to get difficult. Most adult collections I've seen have about six orders with half of them being Lepidopterans. Six months is just crazy, especially given seasonal concerns. A scout who starts this badge at summer camp really has only a few months until the specimens become freeze dried mouse food. By the time spring comes, he has missed the deadline.

[dsteele]

There is a national policy on the expiration of merit badge partials. It is the boy's 18th birthday.

 

It's in the Advancement policies and procedures manual, which I don't have in front of me, but it is in there. I believe there's also something in there that enables a counselor to re-test or bring the boy up to speed on requirements met a while ago, but starting over isn't in the language.

 

DS

[evmori]

I think I posted this before but I'll post it again.

 

How long does a Scout have to finish a merit badge?

 

Until he does or turns 18 years of age, whichever comes 1st.

 

Ed Mori

Scoutmaster

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10

[packsaddle]

Fat Old Guy, I think Adrianvs gave you the information needed to answer your question. Here's a view from the other side. The camp for this council essentially uses the same system he mentions (save for the colors). The scoutmaster is then aware of what the boys are supposed to be doing and is informed enough to counsel anyone who is not sure if they are prepared. Then at the end of camp, the scoutmaster is given all the forms, both completes and partials. When I do this part, I make copies for the boys and keep copies for the troop records. Invariably, some of the boys lose their copies. Keeping these records, then, helps avoid needless problems later. No one HAS to do this but I do. And I keep them until they are 18 if necessary.

BTW, Adrianvs, it sounds like you do an outstanding job with your counseling. I wish we had some of that dedication for those particular badges at our camp. Thanks!

[LauraT7]

in addition to having til age 18 to finish, if a boy starts a badge and they change the requirements before he finishes it - he has the choice of finishing under the old requirements OR the new requirements.

[Adrianvs]

Thanks, packsaddle. I appreciate that, but if you want to talk about dedication I'd have to tell you about the scoutmasters who came forward when I needed them this summer. But I suppose that's the topic for another thread.. I'll wait until another 'good camp stories' thread comes along.

 

BTW, the requirement in question is 6 orders and 18 families. I was thinking that 15 orders sounded a little off. It's still a huge accomplishment for a scout of any age. Although one is unlikely to stay within 18 families if they collect a group of 50 species, I have to admit that I would sign the requirement if a scout did. At that point, the number of families is irrelevant (and it would probably take all but a few uberspecialists quite a while to verify all 50 families). If the collection seems representative, I consider it so. I have no defense other than at that point, I consider the scout more than meritorious.