[Ansteorra] Cookies and merit badges

[Richard Threlkeld]

Having been a Boy Scout and then an adult leader for 17 years, I have some
insight into the Merit Badge. It is designed as a more or less objective
measure of basic achievement. The merit badges requirements themselves are
not made to measure expertise. In some cases, like the First Aid  or
Swimming or Hiking merit badge, they should basic competence. But for most
of them, they show you have become familiar with the areas covered in a
specific merit badge. The computer merit badge introduces you to the
concepts, for instance. Many of these are to show you areas where you might
choose a career. Others are to help make a Scout more well rounded. 
 
Moving along the Merit Badge trail gives them a concrete and visible way to
measure their progress. But along the way, they learn to be punctual when
meeting with the MB councilor. They learn to keep at it until they succeed.
They learn they are responsible for their results, not their parents, not
their Scoutmaster, and not the MB councilor. Other aspects of Scouting teach
leadership. They must take offices to advance. They must plan the activities
for the Troop at periodic leadership meetings. The adults attend to make
sure they don't get out of hand, but they allow the boys to plan what they
will within that constraint. And they learn to live with the consequences of
their planning. 
 
Eagle candidates must do a major project. In the end, the project itself is
just a vehicle for demonstrating planning, leadership, and maturity. For
instance, a boy decided to paint an elderly couple's home that needed
painting. He had to recruit other boys to do the work. He had to find
funding/donations for the paint and supplies (and not from his parents). He
had to recruit one or more professional painters to train the boys and make
sure a good job was done. He needed to think about things like: where are
the workers going to find restrooms (the elderly couple might not want 30
boys using theirs)? How are the boys to get to the site? If it rains, how
are the boys getting back home early? If it starts to rain, how do you
protect the home? Do you have an alternate date to finish the work if it
takes longer than expected or rains? What is plan B, C, and D?
 
They start working on rank and merit badges to show their accomplishments
and along the way they become a better and more capable person, often
without realizing it.
 
Ansteorra has the Thistles which show a basic competence in an area - an SCA
merit badge. Most other awards are more subjective. An AoA is for some body
of service that gets noticed. How much service? Whatever it takes to get
people asking nobles to give it to you. A Crane is for more service and
usually for a higher level of service than an AoA. A Star of Merit adds in
the (at least in my opinion) the need for leadership in service. And a
peerage is like the Eagle Scout. 
 
We expect much more work than the Scouts do, but we are capable adults and
have more time to accomplish our goals. Just like the Scout, we learn to
*become* a better, more capable person as we move along this path. The path
is not goal, it is the pat on the head that tells us we are developing in
the right direction. An Eagle Scout often moves on to other things, because
he has accomplished the top goal in Scouting (BSA has been working on that
for some time with additional awards, high adventure programs, and other
incentives to keep Eagles). Hopefully, our peers see the achievement of that
milestone as a marker on their continuing path with more leadership and
continuing development.
 
In service,
Caelin on Andrede

  _____  

From: ansteorra-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org
[mailto:ansteorra-bounces at lists.ansteorra.org] On Behalf Of Jean Paul de
Sens
Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2006 22:22 PM
To: Ansteorra List
Subject: [Ansteorra] Cookies and merit badges


Due to the long drive home this afternoon, Gilyan and I landed upon the
subject of "cookies and merit badges" and wondered at the negative
connotation associated with such things.  So we're wondering:

What's wrong with merit badges?  What about the system is offensive and/or
wrong?  

Jean Paul

P.S., please try to keep the "I like chocolate chip" responses to a minimum
as I'm genuinely curious about this question.


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