Issue 616 – September 17, 2019

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Hi Andy,

In last week’s column you said to Scouts: “For each merit badge you’d like to earn, go to your Scoutmaster first, and tell him of your interest. After a brief chat with you, your Scoutmaster will give you a signed Blue Card along with the name and contact information for at least one registered Merit Badge Counselor. Now some Scoutmasters may think they can “approve” your interest in earning a particular merit badge, but that’s not how it works. The BSA specifically tells us that any Scout can work on any merit badge that the Scout wants to…”

I understand and agree with your statement that a Scoutmaster can’t “approve” a Scout going for any merit badges, but isn’t it the Scoutmaster’s job to at least guide the Scout towards certain merit badges and maybe waiting on others? For instance, if a new Scout came to me and wanted to work on Cooking merit badge, while I wouldn’t say no, I’d highly suggest that they work on the cooking elements of their rank requirements first, before they go for the whole merit badge. Now if they’re gung ho and are phenomenal cooks, I’m not going to say no, but I’d want them to at least get their feet wet, learn about camp cooking, cooking as a patrol, the difference between “car camping” and low-impact backpacking cooking first.

Just like certain skills building upon one another as the Scouts advance in rank, so do skills like this (similar with First Aid, Camping, Fitness, Personal Management, and so on). Again, I know every Scout is different and their abilities vary, but since my job is to guide them and help them succeed, I’d prefer to see them progress in a logical order that teaches them along the way, so that when they do go for a merit badge, they already have at least the basic skills to earn it.

To be clear, I’m not saying I’d deny a Scout any merit badge or outright say they can’t, but I’d want to guide them so that they make the decision themselves, too. (Joe Sefcik, SM, Connecticut Rivers Council)

I know from our previous conversations that your heart’s in the right place, so let’s talk a little about your “agreement” with what I stated. Let’s start here: That statement was “straight from the book” and describes the process the BSA wants to see from Scoutmasters like you. It’s easy, straightforward, and Scout-centered.

On the other hand, let’s suppose for a moment that you happened, for whatever reason, to “disagree” with that BSA procedure. In that case, you really don’t have the option of doing something other than what’s prescribed. But you do have a pathway, if you choose to take it. Anytime you disagree with a BSA procedure, policy, rule, or regulation, you’d follow the same process we coach our Scouts to follow (see “Obedient” in the Scout Law): If you think something is unfair, you’d seek to have it changed in an orderly way… Simple as that! (But, in the meanwhile, you’d follow what’s prescribed until it’s officially changed, just like we advise our Scouts.)

Moving on, yes, you’d by all means want to have a conversation with any Scout interested in any merit badge. After all, these conversations, when coupled with what you learn about each Scout through your Scoutmaster conferences (which by no means need to be limited to one-per-rank!) will give you improved insights into what makes each Scout “tick.”

Now let’s talk a bit about “logic”… When you sit down with a Scout to talk about a merit badge he’s interested in, it’s probably not a great idea to presume that a Scout’s choices will be “logical” (unless that Scout’s name happens to be “Spock,” of course ). After all, let’s think about how “logical” you or I were at their ages! So yes, definitely guide. But do it with a feather and leave your Louisville Slugger home.

And also keep in mind that a Scout’s merit badge choices don’t necessarily need to be advancement-focused. If, for instance, a Scout expresses interest in Art, or Bird Study, or Game Design, or Music, or Veterinary Medicine, encourage him. Just because a merit badge may be “Eagle-required” doesn’t mean that’s the “best” reason to pursue earning it. Sure, Scouts should be encouraged to go for Eagle-required merit badges because these give that Scout a whole bunch of positive life-skills and knowledge, which is a lot more important than simply “You need them for rank advancement.”

As a Merit Badge Counselor, I’ll always ask a Scout, on our first meeting, “What is it that interests you in this one?” And it saddens me to sometimes hear, “It’s required,” with not a word about personal interest in the subject matter or how it’s going to give him or her better skills or more knowledge.

The Merit Badge Program is one of the most important ways that Scouting at its finest shows through! Scouts have some 135 subject areas they can explore. As one Scout said to me, “It’s like a big buffet with all kinds of stuff to try, and guide to help us choose and then taste!” I know that none of these will make a Scout an “expert,” but each one will offer a taste of a subject that could become a life-interest or even career!

Speaking of life-interests and careers emerging from merit badge activities, I’ve personally seen this happen. One Scout I knew well became a Forest Ranger after discovering and earning Forestry, Environmental Science, and Fish & Wildlife Management merit badges. Another, who happens to be in the Asperger’s spectrum, is now about to graduate from Bucknell University with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Computer Science. His entry into this field began with merit badges. He began with Communication (I was his counselor), moved on to Electronics and then to Computers (precursor to Digital Technology), and then became a CS major in college. (By the way, both of these fine young men earned the Eagle Scout rank as well!)

Also, using your “Cooking merit badge” example, keep in mind that for a Scout to be interested in earning this doesn’t by any stretch mean he or she needs to be a “phenomenal cook” first! All they need is their own personal curiosity and a willingness to learn!

And here’s more: Merit badges are a great way both to let Scouts know they have a friend and to find interesting ways for them to stay involved in Scouting…even after Eagle (yes, there’s “life after Eagle, too!). For instance, through Scoutmaster conferences you’ve learned that Jack or Jane and their family is really into family history. Maybe Mom’s a DAR member, or Dad an SAR, or they’re tracking a great-great-great grandparent who came to America on the Mayflower. What a wonderful opportunity to mention that there’s a Genealogy merit badge! Or, while you’re on a campout, you encounter a Scout who figured out how to actually make a “bacon-stretcher” (more on bacon-stretchers next week!). So have a chat with that Scout and mention that there’s an Inventing merit badge that might be worth checking out, and provide a counselor’s name.

Well, that’s enough for now, except to mention that all of this is based on my own experiences as a Scout, back when “Dinosaur Spotting” was a merit badge…

As a Scout, I earned Swimming and Life Saving merit badges, but these weren’t to capture Eagle rank; they were to have fun at summer camp! As it turned out, these experiences led me to later become an accredited high school swim meet official, a BSA Aquatics Director (a summer job I held for three consecutive years in my early 20’s), and life guard for my college’s faculty pool; and then a private swimming instructor; and later (in my 50’s) a BSA Lifeguard and BSA Lifeguard Counselor, and Merit Badge Counselor for all aquatics merit badges, whose worked with over two hundred Scouts in the past 20 years…and still counseling!

Happy Scouting!

Andy

Have a question? Facing a dilemma? Wondering where to find a BSA policy or guideline? Write to askandybsa@yahoo.com. Please include your name and council. (If you’d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that’s what we’ll do.)

NOTE: Although these columns are copyrighted, any reader has my permission to quote or reproduce any columns or parts of columns so long as you attribute authorship: “Ask Andy” by Andy McCommish.

[No. 616 – 9/17/2019 – Copyright © Andy McCommish 2019]