school work for merit badge requirements?

One of my jobs on the troop committe is to be merit badge coordinator. It''s a big troop, so someone has to do it. This week I had a new problem. A boy had gone to a merit badge university last winter. He came back with a partial for one requirement. This week I got an essay for the requirement that was clearly a school assignment. It doesn''t really fit the reuirment anyway, so in this case I think it will be an easy call for the Scoutmaster to tell him that he needs to meet the requirement with new work (I''m so glad that I am the receiver of materials but not the decision-maker or enforcer).

What about in general? Is it OK for school projects to be applied to meeting merit badge requirements? I can see it in the case of needing to show participation on a team or maybe taking some work done in school and then transmuting it or otherwise applying it to a requirement, but just submitting something done as a school requirement in order to be able to check off a merit badge requirement doesn''t seem quite right.

I don''t see a problem with it as long as what they did for the school assignment covers the MB requirement. They learned about it and did the work, you can not add to the MB requirement.

Of course the FINAL decision on weather or not to accept work (any work) on a Merit Badge lies with the Merit Badge Counselor. Not the SM or the Troop MB Coordinator. To complete partials from Summer Camp or a MB University, the Scout must contact a MB Counselor for each Merit Badge he needs to finish.

In general yes the work done for school can be applied to a merit badge and if the school permits be more tightly focused on the MB requirements. Some are specifically tied to school activities view the requirements for Scholarship. Books are required to be read for Reading but are not disallowed because you were assigned it by your Language Arts teacher. Have you ever seen the essays turned in for summer camp MB''s. Dread full hand written on questionable paper having got wet a few times and food spilled on it during lunch at the dining hall.

If I came across a MB counselor who would not accept work done in school that also fit an MB requirement just because it was also schoolwork, I would be sure to never send another boy to that counselor again!

Why would it have to be done twice?

Why WOULDN''T it be acceptable (assuming it fulfills the MB requirements)?

We homeschool and teach directly to the badge. It''s not too much different for a 10th grader in government school who is working on the US Constitution. If the work is being done to a satisfactory level, does it matter where it''s completed?

I moved this here from its original location

Have to agree.

Think about Music merit badge for a moment. How can you motivate a kid starting middle school band? If he''s a Scout, most of the MB is available on the trail for him!

Selected from:

http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/resources/32215/mb/mb-MUSC.html

1) Sing or play a simple song or hymn chosen by your counselor, using good technique, phrasing, tone, rhythm, and dynamics. Read all the signs and terms of the score.

Uhh... Play song or hymn... what are school band kids learning to do? PLAY INSTRUMENTS

3)Do TWO of the following:

a) Attend a live performance, or listen to three hours of recordings from any two of the following musical styles: blues, jazz, classical, country, bluegrass, ethnic, gospel, musical theater, opera. Describe the sound of the music and the instruments used. Identify the composers or songwriters, the performers, and the titles of the pieces you heard. If it was a live performance, describe the setting and the reaction of the audience. Discuss your thoughts about the music.

Uhhh... BAND CONCERT ANYONE?

c) Serve for six months as a member of a school band, choir, or other local musical group, or perform as a soloist in public six times.

Uhhh... RIGHT HERE... SCHOOLWORK IS A PART OF THE REQUIREMENT!

So, you clear the major performance requirements of the badge with SCHOOLWORK.

As long as the schoolwork is task-appropriate, why not let a Counselor accept it.

Now, I do agree with ScoutNut: The decision belongs to the counselor only, not the SM or a TC "merit badge coordinator."

We have actually registered some teachers as merit badge counselors (e.g., band director for music)

Let me clarify. of course participation in school band, etc. What i''m talking about is a Scout who would say, for Communications, "Oh, I wrote a letter to the editor last year for science class" or "Two years ago I gave a speech in class".

The particular instance that prompted me to ask the quesiton is a little stickier since it came from an MBU that was done far away. We have two counselors for the particular badge in the troop, so I can direct the boy to one of them. That has not been done before in the troop, just the SM or an ASM has signed off when the boy brings in his completions. Thewre is new leadership now, so I can bring up the "must follow with counselor" plan.

pinkflame,

 Welcome to the forum. I am a little confused as to the duties and responsibilities of a Merit Badge Coordinator but am most concerned with your statement >>That has not been done before in the troop, just the SM or an ASM has signed off when the boy brings in his completions.<<. Are you saying that the practice has been that the SM or ASM has signed off in place of a MBC? Which Council is this? In Chicago if a registered MBC doesn''t sign off there will be problems if this boy applies for Eagle. LongHaul

I''m referring to MB''s done at MBU''s. I guess the Council''s belief is that the Counselor was at the MBU and sent the list of partials back with the boy, just like from summer camp. (Like when the boy has to take care of a reptile or amphibian for a specified amount of time after doing the rest of Reptiles and Amphibians at summer camp.) This troop has usually discouraged boys from going to MBU''s, and particularly from taking Eagle required MB''s at MBU''s, but last winter made an exception for a boy who was going to a week-long winter camp with another troop.

As to my responsibility, mainly it is to get the blue cards after the SM signs his part of them, put that data into a spreadsheet for Troopmaster entry, shop for MB''s and put together the cards for the SM''s signature before Court of Honor, Arrange a troop schedule for Eagle-required MB''s and recruit counselors for them, keep track of who is signed up for what, work with boys who need to find a counselor for an MB they are interested in and whatever else seems like it needs to be done. It is a big troop, so there is a lot of recordkeepiing and it makes it one less tedious thing for the SM and ASM''s to have to do.

Until recently there was little boy initiative in terms of earning MB''s. An adult would decide they wanted to offer a "class" and announce it and then boys would sign up. There is new leadership in the troop that is trying to steer it toward boy-run and boy-initiative. It''s going to be a long haul, but at least most people, including the CC, are on board.

My son and I came form another troop that was strongly boy led but just too far away to keep making the commute, particularly when he got experienced enough to need to be there early all the time for PLC. Little did we know that the new troop didn''t even have a real PLC! We''ve been here about 2 years now and things are changing slowly. He likes the boys and if there ever is a real PLC he will at least know what it is. I have not wanted to be too pushy or spend all my time saying "that''s not how we did it at ____", so I''ve tried to be helpful, cheerful, courteous and do what I can to help out. This responsibility seemed a good way to contribute to the troop and try to offer little changes on the route to boy-run-ness

That''s a different situation altogether. Our MBCs don''t accept work done before the badge is officially opened (we make exceptions -- like the kid who didn''t think about opening his camping badge until the 6th campout he''d been on).

In that case, I''d probably tell the kid, "Great! You already have experience and it shouldn''t be any problem the second time around."

Scout comes to SM a little perplexed. Scout to SM: Mr Smith, I didn''t get everything done for Citizenship in the Nation at Merit Badge Day.

SM to Scout: That''s OK, Billy, why don''t you call Mr Jackson, his number is xxx-xxxx, ask him for an appointment, and have him call me. Here''s a merit badge blue card, (scribble signature), do you still have your application from MB Day?

Scout: Yes, Mr Smith.

SM: That''s great Billy, take both of those to your first appointment with him. OK?

Scout: OK... goes away smiling...

Just like starting a MB from scratch, the selection of a Counselor and the initiation of a MB app (blue card or whatever) is the right and proper end of unit involvement. In the case above, the SM, being a stout fellow, is glad to call his friend, share a couple of laughs and war stories, and alert the MBC that Billy is working a partial from an MB day...

As an advancement person, I shouldn''t see that app until there''s a final card for the Advancement Report to Council. That''s my long and short, folks.

Troop Merit badge Coordinator?

When did merit badges become part of the Troop program?

Surely the way things are set up a Troop Merit badge Coordinator is not only unnecessary, but in my view goes against how merit badges are supposed to work.

" He came back with a partial for one requirement. This week I got an essay for the requirement that was clearly a school assignment. It doesn''''t really fit the requirement anyway, so in this case I think it will be an easy call for the Scoutmaster to tell him that he needs to meet the requirement with new work (I''''m so glad that I am the receiver of materials but not the decision-maker or enforcer)."

This should have nothing to do with anyone other than the Merit Badge Counselor. So unless you are the Scoutmaster are the counselor for this badge? You both have no say in what happens.

If someone thinks a Counselor is being a little too easy or is adding requirements, they need to contact the District Advancement Committee as this is the Committee that appoints counselors.

Many District Advancement Committees have allowed teachers to become MB Counselors.

But if the teacher isn''t on the approved list, he or she isn''t a counselor and the badge should not be approved.

Scouts should only be allowed to go to counselors who are on the list.

So if an approved counselor is happy to accept school work that meets the requirements it is his or her call and other than going to another approved counselor, there is nothing that can be done.

This list should be available from the Dean of Merit Badges or the District Advancement Chair.

Eamonn.

As long as the school work fits the requirement, no problem!

Ed Mori

1 Peter 4:10