Cooking MB - For Star or Life

[CherokeeScouter]

I understand fully the Cooking MB situation with Eagle candidates. My question is whether Cooking MB can be used as one of Eagle-required MB before January 2014 for Star or Life. Say we have a Star candidate up for a BOR in November or December who has three Eagle-required MB, plus Cooking, which would be the fourth. Is that four Eagle MBs? Doesn't seem covered in any of the BSA literature I went over.

 

BTW, I posted earlier about some problems with the advancement chair and you guys were a big help. She resigned over the summer, partly over the turmoil, and she has been replaced, but they are pretty much her protégés. They still consult her on a regular basis and we have some of the same problems - people interpreting things without having gone through training or without consulting the Advancement Guidelines - but the situation has quieted down somewhat.

 

I am still so tempted to call the District or Council Advancement Rep and try and talk him or her into doing a training session, but the more senior SM and ASMs would really be offended and probably not participate. As a I stated earlier, I am one of the junior ASMs and am pretty much persona non-grata among these guys for pushing the issues.

 

It's such a shame because as an Eagle raised on a farm who spent most of his youth outdoors hunting and camping, I really know my campcraft and could really help out. It was so funny today. I had gone to Home Depot and bought one of those foot lockers with wheels and a handle and was stocking it with the usual. One of the older ASMs comes in and goes "What's that?"

 

And I explained it was our patrol box. Next question was "What's that for?"

 

Wait 'till he sees the patrol leader's duty roster on this weekend's campout. Been on five campouts with this troop and have seen only one so far. That was when the three newly-trained ASMs, including me, chaperoned the group to Summer Camp and we made the provisional SPL do a roster for the whole week.

 

I do have to give the SM, who is in his second year in the job, credit for starting to re-introduce the Patrol method, utilizing the older Scouts to teach skills, etc. My one criticism is that the older Scouts' knowledge of campcraft is really thin, so I expect some of my camping this weekend will be spent "reinforcing" a couple of knots, maybe a little compass work and how to sharpen a knife with a stone and a strop.

 

I figure I will just continually go over those Second and First Class skills - just a skill or two on a campout - even when they are Star and Life scouts. The new ASMs are just as serious and we are lucky because they are all extremely talented outdoorsmen and good all-around people. I know the idea of using adults to teach all this stuff is counter to the Scout-taught way, but you gotta crawl before you can walk. Before I'm done, I will have a bevy of Star and Life Scouts who can teach any skill in that book.

 

BTW, my son is nearly 13, and has yet to sit for his Second Class BOR. Admittedly, he has done all the requirements for Second Class and most for First Class, but there is no rush to Eagle here. Just a desire on his part to go camping every chance he gets. He absolutely loves it. His choices of MBs are hilarious. The first four he did were Space Exploration, Astronomy, Cooking and a fourth that escapes me. When I tried to steer him toward an Eagle MB, he was like "No way. In Space Exploration you get to build a rocket and shoot it off. How cool is that?"

 

Couldn't argue with that. It is pretty cool. I hope he gets Eagle one day, but it will be his choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[skeptic]

It seems to me that it is covered by the actual official time it becomes "required" for Eagle, January 1, 2014. Until then it is simply another merit badge. On the other hand, if the Star or Life has not been completed by January 1st due to a missing Eagle badge, then it would fill that spot after the first. Just my own take on it of course. Right now I have a young man who has cooking, but he still needs another Eagle badge for Star because it is not yet required. So he is working on a citizenship badge.

[duckfoot]

Yeah, right now, it is not and Eagle badge and cannot be counted for Eagle. After Jan 1, it counts.

 

Good for your Scout. His journey will be better because it is his.

[Basementdweller]

It's only 2 months off.

 

I would continue to ask the difficult questions to the current Advancement chair....Get rid of the good old boys club.

[koolaidman]

What everyone above said.

[King Ding Dong]

Keep printing out pages from the GTA and highlighting the relevant sentences. They will catch on soon.