EagleScout441

Now that I think the issue of my being allowed to teach the MB is settled, can we get back to my original question: Any group teaching advice? I think dcsimmons is the only one that has actually given an answer for my question, is there any further advice? The more the merrier.

"So what is happening is his SM is signing the cards on his behalf..........I hope." Basically, yes. I'm not sure which adult will be doing the signing, though. I'm the "middle man," Scouts give me the requirements that they have completed and I report to the adult(counselor) who signs them off.

"However, not to let him off the hook, but it seems that this is the kind of thing that has been modeled, and encouraged, by his Troop." Thank you, last year we had a youth teach Wilderness Survival MB, he was not the one putting down the signatures, but he informed the adult(counselor) about whether or not the scouts had completed the requirements: i.e. he checked everybody's survival kits, he made sure everyone started their fires without matches/lighters. This is the method by which my troop is allowing me to teach the Chess MB. "even an immature 15 year old Eagle" I take offence to

Here is how we did it for the Wilderness Survival class last year: A 16 year old scout who already had it and was highly experienced, taught the class, afterwards, he gave the Scoutmaster a list of who completed what requirements. I am simply doing the same thing he did. If youth leadership can sign off on rank requirements what is wrong with merit badges?

I'm the only one in my troop that actually has the knowledge regarding chess to teach this MB. I am teaching it, and if I say that a scout has completed the requirement than it gets signed off and put into the computer. "Requirement 2b: discuss sportsmanship: I define sportsmanship and then give/ask for examples." This is the basic form by which I would complete the "discuss" requirements. As far as requirement 3 goes almost every scout already knows how to play chess(except for en passant), requirement 3 is chess rules. Then they would one on one pretend to teach me the rules. The "demo

I know what it means to discuss, but if you look at all the summer camp merit badge classes do they really "discuss"? It's more like define. Requirement 2b: discuss sportsmanship: I define sportsmanship and then give/ask for examples.

What do you mean? Requirement 4e-f and 5c-d are the only ones like that. When it says discuss, our troop does it like this: The counselor teaches, the student takes notes, the notes are turned in and graded, the counselor decides whether or not the notes satisfy the requirement.

This November I will be teaching the Chess merit badge for my troop. I am the only one in my troop who has it. During free time at summer camp there is generally always somebody playing chess, so pretty much everybody knows how to play already. Having gone to tournaments and chess club before I joined scouts, I am familiar with tournament play, chess clocks, notation, and rules such as en passant. I'm not the first youth in my troop to teach a merit badge, we had a 16 year old teach the Wilderness Survival merit badge last year. Any advice on teaching? I've never done any group teaching before

How can it prove itself and possibly become an official organization if we don't support it and spread it? The OA started the same way.

Chill out, besides, how do you know that the new awards will be a train wreck? You're just speculating, all we know about them is the concept and the format. Right now the only thing that is a standard in the whole Venturing program is the award system, they are 1. Trying to reorganize part of the award system so that Venturers might actually earn the awards. 2. They trying to unify Venturers by at least having them wear the same Class A uniform, Venturers can design all the Class B's they want. From your first comment above I thought that you were saying that Venturers in your crew didn't

Hello from TN. I've been down to Florida several times, may I ask where in Florida you're from?

"My emergency plan is to roll over, fall through the screen and bounce on my face... " lol

You currently hold the same position that I did a few days ago. But why should Venturers be allowed into the OA when they have their own society that Boy Scouts/Varsity Scouts aren't allowed into? If Venturers are allowed into the OA then Boy Scouts will want to know why they aren't allowed into the Corps of Discovery? Then we would have 2 societies that let both Venturers and Boy Scouts join. Yes, one is an honor society and the other is a service society, but their main goal is still the same: to strengthen the Scouts and their units through service and leadership.

I have abandoned my argument in favor of Venturers joining the OA now that I have been informed of this: http://www.venturingcorps.com/

Above I posted this: "They need to set themselves apart, not emulate and adopt Boy Scout programs. Doing that will make them irrelevant." Well, since I know one of the Area Presidents, maybe I should attempt to create an honor society for Venturing." Since I have been informed by E92 about the Corps of Discovery I reject this comment and quote and replace it with this: Since I know one of the Venturing Area Presidents I will attempt to form a CoD group within the Middle Tennessee Council. Also, since I can find no trace of a VOA within the MTC I will attempt to form one of those as we

Well, what do ya know! I take it all back, Venturers don't need the OA when they have this. Thanks E92 for posting this.

If they don't like the Bronze awards why don't they get the awards they do like: Kayaking BSA, NOVA, LNT, Hornady--the list keeps going. The Bronze award required for the Quest award goes hand in hand with the Quest award, there isn't a Bronze award requirement for the Ranger award, and for the Silver award the Venturer gets to choose which one he/she earns. And when it comes to the new awards, the first "level" in each "pillar" will be very simple. But I'm sure that the upper levels will be just as or more complex than the current Gold and Silver awards.

And as far as SUSA goes, I'm talking about joining the BSA and the GSUSA organizations together. "They need to set themselves apart, not emulate and adopt Boy Scout programs. Doing that will make them irrelevant." Well, since I know one of the Area Presidents, maybe I should attempt to create an honor society for Venturing.

GSUSA is the female scouting organization of the USA, it is basically the same as the Boy Scouts other than the fact that it is all female. I have also heard of GSUSA troops going on trips/outing with BSA troops.

I've also seen GSUSA troops doing trips/outings with BSA troops.

They are already doing that, the OA helps them do it better. OA membership is recognition of the fact that a scout is "better serving his unit." Plus those OA weekend trips are extremely fun and the HA Base opportunities through the OA are extremely valuable. Venturers just want to have the same opportunities.

GSUSA is the female scouting organization of the USA, it is basically the same as the Boy Scouts other than the fact that it is all female.

I'd rather not climb to the top of a tree in order to get in my hammock.

Isn't being in the VOA more like a leadership position? Like the first step to area, regional, or national positions. And the Leadership Awards are just awards, not an honor society(or as you call them "a fairly elite club") like the OA or the NESA. BTW, I'm talking about the Venturing Class A uniform, the shirt by itself without the patches is $40.

While editing my post I accidentally deleted your vote some how. You'll have to vote again.