multitasking

[Daddy_O]

At the risk of angering some of my fellow posters - I know some of you are not going to like this... Sorry

 

The answer may be obvious, but not to me...

 

Can a scout multitask?

 

What I'm asking is can a scout (T-2-1) knock out requirements for these three simultaneously? Or, must he complete T before he pencils in the first requirement for 2 and 2 before 1 etc.?

 

I am aware this is like asking a teacher how many pages an assigned paper must be, but please humour me.

 

Thanks to all--

 

--D_O

[Lisabob]

It is perfectly acceptable for a scout to work on requirements for all three ranks at the same time. No harm in that.

 

What you shouldn't expect, though, is the same level of proficiency on all three levels. Most troops will want to see a better grasp of skill at the 1st Cl. level than they'd expect of a tenderfoot. So, while the scout doesn't necessarily have to work on the requirements in order, it isn't necessarily going to happen that he gets similar-sounding requirements for all three ranks "knocked out" together, unless he really knows his stuff. Hope that makes sense.

[GKlose]

How about a "for instance" --

 

Say you have a new scout just coming into the troop, and he goes off to summer camp with the troop this summer. First day of camp, he's faced with a swim test. If he passes and is labeled "swimmer" hasn't he met parts of both 2nd Class and 1st Class swimming (other than the "other stuff", of course, such as safe swim defense, simple rescues, etc)?

 

Through suggestions here in this forum, I've caught on to the idea that several rank requirements are "graduated". For example, first aid requirements begin with "how do you treat a minor cut?" as a Cub Scout, all the way up to First Aid Merit Badge being required for Eagle. Similar treatment for swimming skills, camping skills, cooking skills, map/compass/orienteering skills. It's pretty comprehensive, it seems.

 

Anyway, so graduated requirements -- I can envision several scenarios where one scout becomes proficient with a certain depth that encompasses T-2-1. Of course, if he is signed off "early and often", then simultaneously completing requirements may not figure so much into it.

 

Guy

[Beavah]

Yah, Daddy_O, scouts work on everything simultaneously. Typically, when a lad earns Tenderfoot, he already has half of the requirements done for Second Class and maybe a quarter of da requirements for First Class. Plus a merit badge or two toward Star!

 

It's not like school, eh, where yeh have to do everything in order according to the curriculum. It's more like play and fun, where yeh go out canoeing and playin' in the lake so yeh naturally work on water rescues (Second Class and First Class), Safety Afloat (First Class), Canoeing MB, first aid for sunburn (Tenderfoot), etc. all in the course of the event.

 

Beavah

 

[Eamonn]

I have never been the sort of leader that "Pushes" or makes a big deal about advancement.

I prefer what I call the "Stealth Style".

By offering a program that does include or cover the stuff that Scouts need to advance, they meet the requirements while maybe (Not always!!) Knowing that they are meeting them.

Much as I hate to! Takes knotting.

Scouts at a Scout meeting trying to tie a knot does work! The sad thing is that the knot doesn't have any real meaning to the Scout and is just something he has to get done to get that bit signed off and move on to the next knot.

Have the Scout participate in a Pioneering project or go out on a boat and learn to tie the knot. All of a sudden the knot means something and I like to think that there is a better chance of him remembering it.

Of course this might mean that the adults need to keep good records? (I do)

But most of the time a Scout will work out what he thinks he has done and will come up to me and say "Hey! Ea, I think that I've done such and such" I'll ask him when and where he thinks he did it? to which he might say "I cooked the main meal at the last couple of Campouts" Or I might ask him to show me that he has indeed mastered the skill.

I know that at times I can be a little hard to deal with.This is because I see the skills learned on the way to First Class Scout as being the key that unlocks the road to new and exciting adventures and challenges.

It's the adventures and challenges that hold the interest of the Scouts as they get older.

Eamonn.

[OldGreyEagle]

as sometimes happens, everyone has the same answer which is great. Note we are talking about Tenderfoot to First Class, once at First Class things change a bit, to get Star you must be in a position of Responsibility for 4 months and earn the prescribed merit badges. Now, the merit badges may have been earned as a T-1rst class scout but the 4 months position of responsibility has to be while a First Class scout. Then when Star, the scout has to earn another set of merit badges which could have been earned before he became Star but now he must have a position of responsibility for 6 months. Then when Life, earn more merit badges and be in a position of responsibilty for 6 months and leader an Eagle Project which was developed as a Life Scout.

 

So, while T-1 ranks may be worked together and merit badhes may be applied to a rank regardless of when earned, some things can only be done while a specific rank

[Beavah]

as sometimes happens, everyone has the same answer which is great.

 

Dang! Where's Kudu to jump in and say, no, no, all this talk of multi-tasking is just newfangled management woodbadge BS. It should be like da good old days where yeh couldn't work on First Class until you completed Second Class, etc.

 

Sorry.

[John-in-KC]

BACK IN THE DAY!!!!

 

This was 1968, long before WB21C Managerial Art 225

 

Yes, in 1968-73 or so, rank was truly sequential. Skills learned were truly sequential.

 

Now, Tenderfoot, 2d Class, and 1st Class skills may be learned concurrently. That said, the only thing I know of that closes the loop instantly is if a young man completes the BSA Swim Test for First Class, he has instantly (if not already done so) completed the 2d Class swimming requirement.

 

There, B... that's as Rick-like as I can get.

[Eamonn]

Be nice.

Ea.

[asm 411]

I have seen several Scouts in our troop put of the 30 days of fitness for Tenderfoot until last. Not that they were not encouraged but for what every reason that one ended up being last. So they get three Scoutmaster Conferences and three BOR almost simultaneously. So there is really no order to them.

 

One other requirement might be tough for your son in particular. That would be the one where he has to be the patrol cook. In another thread you mentioned that he may not be camping much because of allergies. Well it would be in his best interest to volunteer to be the patrol cook as soon as possible.

[Daddy_O]

ASM,

 

You suggest, "Well it would be in his best interest to volunteer to be the patrol cook as soon as possible."

 

Thanks ASM; I would not have thought of that. You understand our challenges and goals. I appreciate it! Any other "two birds - one stone" type things you can think of will be appreciated.

 

Best--

 

--D_O

[Eagle92]

Daddy-O,

Please do not confuse working on multiple requirements simultaneously with doing one item counting towards multiple requirements. teh swimming example may be one of the very few exceptions in that goal of it is to make sufre the scout has some basis of swimming, which many consider a survival skill. there are some who want the same activity count for more than one MB, i.e. backpacking trips for backpacking MB, and camping MB. That doesn't work. it's an either or situation.

[evmori]

Sure they can multi-task! But are they able to?

[wolfmama500]

I am interested in this very subject, more than you can imagine. My son just crossover in February with a group of 4 others and already earned the Scout badge as we worked on that while on Webelos 2. They have being part of the Troop only 2 months and I will like to know because my "know it all" ASM said you can't, he was their CM. That has made the situation uncomfortable as I have being told I shouldn't push my son too hard and this is not Cub Scouts. I understand the difference between BS and CS, just trying to get a straight answer. They are going to a First aid MB class next month, my question is, if they earn the First Aid MB can we count all they learn for the T-2-1 badges?

[gwd-scouter]

Wolfmama: The first requirement for First Aid merit badge is satisfy your counselor that you have current knowledge of all first aid requirements for Tenderfoot Rank, Second Class Rank, and First Class Rank.

 

The Scouts should have all that completed BEFORE they take first aid merit badge.