[Ansteorra] Cookies and merit badges

[Lee Lemons]

Kind of a long rant about to happen:
   
  In all fairness to merit badges, if they are offered/taught/given with the correct values and reasons, they can be very effective.  I would want the kids to learn, through the use of merit badges, more of the intrinsic value/reward rather the extrinsic value/reward of just having received another badge, which sometimes comes with the competitiveness of the Scouts and other like organizations.  
   
  What has kept me, albeit at times lurking, in the SCA, over the long haul, are the intrinsic values and rewards.  What ever cookies or merit badges offered would really have to delve into those aspects for them to work.  Extrinsic values, for the most part, as they are usually handled, don't pull from within the person to help them grow.
   
   I do think there needs to be something for the kids - their first real award is, what, a Rising Star perhaps?  I've liked what several of the Crowns, Knights, Dons, Laurels, etc. have done - give recognition personally to kids who are really striving to learn and grow in the SCA.  Whether it is a small token as in a pearl, bead, or something to hang on a belt or basket, those bits of recognition really help a kid want to learn and hang in there.  I saw a Don, one time, watch a little kid pretend to fight with a twig.  He really made his day when he knelt beside him, placed his epee in the boy's hand (with his own hand wrapped around the little boy's hand), and and show him the proper way to do a simple block and parry.  It literally took all of a minute, but you know that kid ate it up!  A merit badge could do the same for such a kid, if there was true value behind it.
   
  I would want some one from Scouts work with an elementary teacher on such a project as merit badges.  Also, I would like to suggest this isn't just the domain of the MoC - we all are teachers in our own way, and doesn't the village basically raise the child? Let's not turn to the MoC and say,"Do merit badges" and not give any help.
   
  

Jean Paul de Sens <jeanpauldesens at gmail.com> wrote:
  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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