Scoutmasters and the Merit Badge Process

[John-in-KC 311]

I may get very unpopular with regional MB programs, like the Aviation MB "counseled" at the SAC Museum.

 

I'm now the guy in my District, working for the District Advancement Chairman, who trains MB Counselors. I've started emphasizing this particular point from the National Council:

 

http://www.scouting.org/BoyScouts/AdvancementandAwards/MeritBadges.aspx

"Pick a Subject. Talk to your Scoutmaster about your interests. Read the requirements of the merit badges you think might interest you. Pick one to earn. Your Scoutmaster will give you the name of a person from a list of counselors. These counselors have special knowledge in their merit badge subjects and are interested in helping you."

 

In fact, here is very similar verbiage from the Guide for Merit Badge Counselors:

http://www.scouting.org/en/BoyScouts/GuideforMeritBadgeCounselors.aspx

"A Scout first expresses an interest in a particular merit badge by letting his unit leader know. To get him started, the leader may give him a signed Application for Merit Badge (blue card) along with the name and telephone number of a district/council approved merit badge counselor. The Scout then contacts the merit badge counselor and makes an appointment. The merit badge counselor sets a date and time to meet with the Scout and his buddy, and may suggest the Scout bring the merit badge pamphlet along with the blue card."

 

Not only that, here are the words in the Supplemental Training Module syllabus, 18-125:

http://old.scouting.org/boyscouts/supplemental/18-125/18-125.pdf

"When a Scout has decided on a merit badge he would like to earn, he obtains from his Scoutmaster the name and phone number of the district/council-approved merit badge counselor. At this time, the Scoutmaster also can issue the Scout a signed Application for Merit Badge (blue card)."

 

The Scoutmaster is the gatekeeper. Yes, the PLC can say "We want to go to USS Whateveritusedtobe for an overnight activity and earn Whichever MB there." By my read of ACP&PP as well as BSA requirements, as well as other BSA literature, the Scoutmaster can say NO. He can make his own assessment of a program and decide the Counselor is not following procedures. Yes, the Troop can go there, and can get the learning, but then the SM may decide (and perhaps should decide) to send youth members to local Counselors in the District and Council?

 

Thoughts?(This message has been edited by John-in-KC)

[Gunny2862 11]

IMHO, part of the reason a Scoutmaster might be a gatekeeper is to:

 

A) Discourage attempts by some to circumvent the growth process of the Scout by steering their child exclusively to MBU style opportunities(while cutting out Individual work) to "rush" them thru so they can "get" their Eagle and be "done" with Scouting as quickly as possible.

 

B.1) Encourage Scouts to participate in MB opportunities that reflect the interests the Scout reveals to them that may be counter to other beliefs the family may have about their direction. "My son is going to be a Musician, why would he ever want to take an Engineering MB?"

 

B.2) Similar to(but my own take on) John's comment,"He can make his own assessment of a program and decide the Counselor is not following procedures", there are MB programs out there that exist to get the Scout the MB and have no concern as to whether or not there is any value to the (small) time spent walking after it(vs. pursuing it). In some cases you aren't only cheating the scout of the Value of the MB itself but may actually being doing him a huge disservice by keeping him from examining something that might become his career and change his whole life.

 

C) Allow the Scoutmaster additional insight in to whom the Scout is becoming so that he can aid in his development. If the SM has no idea what the Scout is involved in - especially/even in Scouting then how can he place the right opportunities for that Scout in his path?

[Buffalo Skipper 13]

You bring up some great points; ones which I have reviewed carefully. I am working hard to foster in our troop a MB program as is implied by the quotes you have posted. And yes, this all must go through the Scoutmaster.

 

As an example, next month, the PLC has chosen the theme of "Pioneering." Does this mean that at our campout all of our scouts will earn Pioneering MB? Not likely, as none of the scouts have come to me to get a blue card, nor have they met with a MBC. If the scouts were in touch with a MBC, there are certain things which could signed off for this MB. In fact, this MB (unlike most others) states that a scout may do some of these projects at at troop outing (rather than individually). But I do not want to digress too much on this particular one.

 

In the past, there have been parents (who chose to register as MBCs) who have run MB classes after meetings, especially for the 3 Citizenship MBs. I do not really like this idea--at all! These MBs require research and learning on behalf of the scout, not a lecture to hand feed them what they are suposed to learn. Besides one purpose behind the Merit Badge program is to have the scouts reach out, often beyond their normal troop leadership and to "strangers," to meet and learn about various topics. If "scouts" was a bunch of classrooms, then we would have very few scouts. In fact, I did not promote the district's MB day this year, because I did could not in good conscience approve this as an acceptable method in which to learn badges about which the scouts had no interest.

 

I do not want to go off the deep end on this, though. I might (or maybe not) be run out of the forum on a rail if I objected to classes at summer camp; but let's be reasonable about what is being offered at camp. Keep it camp or outdoor related. Waterfront, Orienteering, Wilderness Survival, Fishing, Handicraft, Climbing, Shooing Sports, Nature, environmental and the like? Sure. The 3 Citizenships, Communications, Personal Management? Hogwash! What a waste of good outdoor time!

 

Outside of summer camp and these "troop classes," I cannot see where a scout in our troop has independently earned a single Merit Badge in years. That is the true legacy of this failed process, that scouts do not learn what they want to learn, when they want to learn it. I am trying to change this culture, but it is not easy. I also want to get these parent-counselors to training, but our troop's worst offender could not go in the fall because it was the training was offered the same day asher (oldest) son's ELSP. What a shock.

 

Sorry about the rant. Bet you couldn't guess that I feel strongly about this.

[Twocubdad 665]

That's been one of the big changes in our troop since I became SM four years ago. We had one LONG-time mom who was a registered counselor for multiple MBs, including 8-10 Eagle required. Her routine was to show up unannounced at troop meetings and announce, "anyone who wants XYZ MB meet me in the back room." A heard of Scouts would then abandon the troop program and their patrols to line up at the trough. It was fairly ugly before she left.

 

The Scoutmaster is absolutely the gatekeeper of merit badges for all reasons Gunny lists. I would add that one of the primary ones is to guide the boys toward appropriate MBs. A Scout Scout doesn't need to be working on Environmental Science or Personal Management before completing Tenderfoot. My counsel would be to focus on Tenderfoot, but if you really want to tackle a MB, how about Pet Care or Reading?

[highcountry 13]

One of my ASM's and I had discussions on these MB topics. We have one MB councelour that keeps wanting to try and put merit badge minin class sessions in during troop meetings which make chaos of teh evening program as others already noted. I at least now schedule some program nights to accomodate this and have this focused on completing partial badges that many scouts have open in stead of starting more.

ASM and I discussed the concept of the scout wanting the badge, getting the book, reaching out etc but I have learned that it will be tough to impossible to change teh parent and scout mindset on this, it is like fighting the tide and our energies can be used to more benefit on countless other things in teh troop. I have had scouts approach me (I counsel a bunch of badges) and a few other counselors on occasion (Pretty rare but it happens). One problem is the counslor having time to do the badge. Even though it may not be the right way, it is more efficient for a counslor to plan and gear up for a WEL RUN badge and offer it to a number of scouts. We do make sure teh badge is done 100%, not glossed over and teh individual scouts must put in theri own work, not sit in a circle and get spoon fed information and a checkoff. I have run (with 2 ASM's assisting) Fire Safety and E Prep as an all day deal with pre owrk and some post work individual by scout. We THroughly cover the material and even add to it. We do it at our fire hall. We add lots of real training movies on requirement related topics, pull out some of the apparatus, they have even had a chance to handle an inch and three quarter and run a ventilation fan. We cover the badge completely, the individual scouts are checked for completing and understanding the work and we add enough related stuff to make the badge fun. LAst time we ran the badge half the troop attended. We cover first aid teh same way, our troop MB Counselour works with one of the Paramedics on the department, the scouts end up with a complete First aid education and we make it a fun experience.

I have been to MB colleges and seen material glossed over and some pretty thin MB classes at summer camp, yes this is where most of our scouts get most of their badges. I see a few individual effort badges a year, most are something like pet care or Music to be honest.

I'd love to go back to individual motivation but without MB classes, Summer camp and MB colleges our advancement would fall off the map. Despite our efforts at boy led and individual responsibility, it is still hard to break teh mind set of scouts and parents about this. They still beleive that BSA is an outdoor entertainment club and it is taking half a year to ingrain teh idea campouts are their to plan and set up and we only drive them there and make sure tehy are safe. We have been asking for new fund raisinf ideas and all I get aredeer in the headlight stares. We remind the scouts over and over to check teh sign up and get on the campouts, yet year after year even with proding from patrol leaders, they forget and the parents call me (the SM) 2 days before to see if their kid can make this weekends event. I don't see this mindset as something we are or are not doing, it is the way many kids and adults are these days. To expect scouts to earn rank without the colleges etc with the lack of drive, awareness and self motivation is arecipe for kids dropping by age 14 having stagnated and become bored.

I'd love to see things doen the right way, I have come to beleive it is a battle I can't win.

[John-in-KC 311]

Pick your battles wisely . As a SM, you have some small degree of influence over how the PLC elects to use the time of Troop meetings. Choose to use that time wisely! There's nothing wrong with the PLC saying "In October, we want to do a 50 mile bike ride together with a weekend campout", which gets the long ride in for Cycling. There's also, imo, nothing wrong with a spring or summer troop meeting being one of the training rides against the 50 miler. Young people in the outdoors reinforces our Fitness Aim.

 

With that said, you as SM, mentoring the PLC, help regulate how much of that a Troop does or does not do.

 

As far as the Committeewoman who wants to disrupt your meeting plans by teaching MB School? A quiet, friendly cup of coffee with your CC is in order. Get on the same sheet of music, and then quietly, calmly, without fuss or furor, put a practice in place which says MBs are pre-pre-opening time, if at all...

 

I'd not fight the war over camp... just yet. I would fight the war over Mills... after you've assessed the quality of each Mill. Again, quietly talk with the event organizer about your impressions and your decision as a program officer.