{"id":2580,"date":"2020-03-10T10:09:30","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T14:09:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/?p=2580"},"modified":"2020-03-10T10:09:32","modified_gmt":"2020-03-10T14:09:32","slug":"issue-632-march-10-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/2020\/03\/issue-632-march-10-2020\/","title":{"rendered":"Issue 632 \u2013 March 10, 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"

________________________________________
\nI believe I\u2019ve got the sharpest gang of readers on the planet! Thank you! Here\u2019s some solid information that came in only a few hours after last week\u2019s column was published\u2026<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Hi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Always enjoy reading your articles and advice. You weren\u2019t wrong, but I have a little bit I\u2019d like to add to your answer on Scuba Merit Badge.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, for Scuba BSA the counselor must hold an instructor rating from an approved agency (including the ones you named), but it\u2019s different for Scuba merit badge. The person providing the certification for req. 4 must hold an instructor rating or higher, but the actual merit badge counselor doesn\u2019t need to. He or she must meet the usual requirements for all merit badge counselors, including being \u201cproficient in the merit badge subject by vocation or avocation,\u201d but that\u2019s it. BTEW, asking the dive shop to become a counselor is a great idea\u2014probably the best one\u2014but not the only one. Keep up the good work Sir! (Cory Buckalew, Michigan Crossroads Council)<\/strong>
\n==========
\nHere\u2019s another Scouter\u2019s view on \u201cdiscipline\u201d that\u2019s worth a read\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Hi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

Every time I hear (or read) discussions about \u201cdiscipline\u201d my eyes start rolling to the back of my head. I don’t get how we can be about instilling values when we\u2019re wrapped up in some \u201crule book.\u201d My Scouts hear the same things that I learned as a Scout back in the 80\u2019s\u2014and they still work! It\u2019s simple. It always comes back to the Scout Oath and Law. If a Scout\u2019s picking on another, just ask him or her “And just how is that Friendly, Courteous, and Kind?” or if a Scout is just doing something dumb, it\u2019s “Which part of the Oath or Law are you demonstrating right now?”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Yes, I\u2019ve had to deal with Scouts who sometimes didn’t quite catch on. But the key I found is to deal with them right on the spot\u2014none of that \u201cRemember when you were on the campout last weekend, and you\u2026?\u201d That\u2019s far too late! If it\u2019s something that just can\u2019t be handled on the spot, get in consultation with the Scout\u2019s parent or guardian as soon as you get back home. But, if you really think about it, it\u2019s going to be pretty rare for that to happen. (Kirk Wood)<\/strong>
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

I just attended our council’s University of Scouting. An interesting question was posed by our council\u2019s Merit Badge Dean: Is there any limit on how many merit badges a person can register as a merit badge counselor for? This arose because somebody did actually submit his Application to counsel one hundred of the BSA\u2019s merit badges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now I personally don’t think there is or should be a limit; after all, the application we use in our council has four columns, where the first column is the name of the merit badge and the other three are for listing that person\u2019s qualifications under the categories vocation, avocation, and special education or training. I myself am signed up for about fifty merit badges, since I earned 36 as a Scout and I\u2019m already a counselor for most of those, plus\u2014by virtue of my BS in Chemistry with a minor in Electrical Engineering and a Masters in Safety Sciences with registration as a Professional Engineer\u2014I’m signed up for most of the STEM merit badges. Then, from my 30-year career in public service, I counsel all of the Citizenship merit badges.<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m sensitive to the Dean\u2019s concern, but someone with broad interests and experience could indeed be qualified for dozens of merit badges. What do you think? (Name & Council Withheld)<\/strong><\/p>\n

The BSA policies on this aspect of counseling appear to be silent\u2014I\u2019ve not found anything published by the BSA National Office that states a maximum for merit badge counseling. However, if you check out the GUIDE TO ADVANCEMENT, you\u2019ll find that it\u2019s up to each council’s advancement committee to determine the level of subject matter expertise expected of a counselor for each merit badge he or she wishes to be listed for. And you\u2019re correct that one\u2019s qualifications are expected to be the result of one\u2019s education, career or profession, or hobby\/avocation, with the provision that having counseled a merit badge is not in itself a qualification. Moreover, simply being able to “stay a page or so ahead of the Scout\u201d isn’t a qualification either. Similarly, having earned the merit badge as a Scout doesn’t make one an expert in the subject matter, because meri8t badges aren\u2019t (and never have been) designed to make young people experts in any field of interest. They\u2019re designed to be solid introductions to subject matter, as a way to encourage youth to discover areas of personal interest for future careers or avocations.<\/p>\n

For example, I’m a counselor for Swimming and Lifesaving, based on the following: Red Cross Water Safety Instructor (commonly called WSI), Red Cross Senior Lifeguard, BSA National Aquatic School-NCS, BSA Lifeguard, BSA Lifeguard Counselor, former BSA Aquatics Director. But I’m not a counselor for Whitewater, even though I’ve counseled Canoeing and done whitewater myself. Same with skiing. Sure, I\u2019ve got mile and miles of both Alpine and Nordic under my skis, but I’ve never applied for counseling this merit badge\u2014just because I can ski doesn\u2019t make me a coach for this sport.<\/p>\n

If you can confidently counsel forty or more different subject areas, you\u2019ve got a much broader set of qualifications that I\u2019ll ever have. But here\u2019s my question\u2026 Since the whole idea of having counselors and not \u201cteachers\u201d or\u2014as one long-time Scouter put it to me (egad!)\u2014\u201cexaminers\u201d is for Scouts to \u201clearn beyond the requirements\u201d and to gain insights that aren\u2019t \u201cin the book,\u201d how does one do that when that demands sets of expertise and insights in the dozens and beyond?<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t about either of us. The buck stops at the desk of the council advancement committee. If the MBC candidate can provide enough information to demonstrate that he or she is indeed and expert in a subject, then of course he or she would be a sought-after counselor for that subject matter. It’s up to that committee to determine the criteria that would constitute expertise.
\n==========
\nHi Andy,<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have a Scout in our troop who has severe food allergies. His mom is on our troop\u2019s committee and has attended all of the campouts that her son attends, due to his allergies. She even attended summer camp with him for the past two years. She carries his Epi pen on all trips. He\u2019s now 13 years old.<\/strong><\/p>\n

We have a weekend camping trip coming up, and this Scout will be cooking his own food for the Cooking merit badge requirements. He\u2019ll be with his patrol from Friday evening to Sunday morning; his mom will be there all day on Saturday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our question is about his safety around food and having an Epi pen available while he\u2019s in camp without his mom. According to his mom, since he\u2019ll be cooking his own food, there wasn’t a need to have an Epi pen on site. But we feel that since his AHMR includes an Epi pen under \u201cmedication needed,\u201d and since we are well aware of his allergies, an Epi pen be available when he’s camping\u2014in fact, this is exactly why his mother has been along on every campout for the past two years.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Is there any BSA regulation that needs to be followed for a situation like this? Does a parent always need to be on camping trips? Is the Scout required to be able to self-administer an Epi pen if needed? What are the unit leaders\u2019 responsibilities and obligations beyond monitoring safe food handling procedures? Thanks! (Ron Rycharski)<\/strong><\/p>\n

I think there are two separate issues here: The EpiPen and the troop’s responsibilities. For the EpiPen, if the Scout’s parent says it’s not necessary on this trip, get that in writing from her, with her full signature. As for the troop’s responsibilities, your best resource is your home council’s risk management committee. This type of question is precisely what they’re for, so use your local resource to the maximum!<\/p>\n

Happy Scouting!<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Andy<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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\u2019d prefer to be anonymous, if published, let me know and that\u2019s what we\u2019ll do.)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although these columns are copyrighted, any reader has my permission to quote or reproduce any columns or column parts so long as you attribute authorship: \u201cAsk Andy\u201d by Andy McCommish.<\/strong><\/p>\n

[No. 632 \u2013 3\/10\/2020 \u2013 Copyright \u00a9 Andy McCommish 2020]<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

________________________________________ I believe I\u2019ve got the sharpest gang of readers on the planet! Thank you! Here\u2019s some solid information that came in only a few hours after last week\u2019s column was published\u2026 Hi Andy, Always enjoy reading your articles and advice. You weren\u2019t wrong, but I have a little bit I\u2019d like to add to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2580"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2584,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2580\/revisions\/2584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/netcommissioner.com\/askandy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}