Sep. 5, 2008 - The Problem with Partials
Ugh. It's one of the phrases that makes me cringe. "I got a partial for [x]."
It isn't that I want the boys to be handed badges they haven't earned. Quite the contrary. And there ARE some badges that just can't be completed in a day, even with pre-requisite work. But some CAN. We've learned the hard way not to assume that a merit badge counselor at a clinic has arranged for all the requirements to be met, even if there's no listing of prerequisites.
We're *trying* to get our Scouts to do the badges before clinics; to come prepared and ready to do the hands-on and discuss portions with the counselor. When the boys signed up for Genealogy at a clinic, we noticed that part of the requirements were an interview with a relative and a contact with a genealogical society or repository. We didn't know for sure whether the counselor had arranged an off-site visit or not, so we took a trip to our local courthouse the week before the class. And they had a great time interviewing Grandma. Although they learned a lot from the family history specialist who taught the class, they had already learned a lot filling out their worksheets in preparation. And they didn't get 'stuck' with a partial.
You may be wondering why it would be any more difficult to complete the worksheet after the class. I don't know why, but it is. Seijitsu & Soumei have a page in their notebook that's full of partials. Well, Soumei's is full; Seiji hates them as much as I do. The problem with partials is that they usually stay partials. That, or they stay open so long that the counselor moves away and the new counselor wants them to start all over again. Or the boys lose interest, or don't want to do the paperwork for something they've already covered.
Back at the end of July, more than a dozen of our troop's Scouts did the hard parts of the Archaeology badge. All that is left is paperwork. Granted, it's about four hours' worth, but it's all stuff out of a book or on the Internet. When Seiji finally finished his and turned it in a month after the dig, he was the only one who had done so. The rest of the boys are still sitting with partials. And most of them will probably sit there forever.
Other than having them do their requirements before clinics, does anyone have a good suggestion on keeping the 'partials' away? |
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Posted by Anonymous 
Nov. 7, 2008 - Dreaded partials
My son is pretty good about finishing up partials, although gardening looks to languish into the third summer :( However, what can you do when you plant seeds and they die before flowering!!
Have both your boys already gotten their Eagles and now are trying to finish all the MB's? My son toys around with the idea of trying for all 121, but has Eagle and all three Hornaday awards on his agenda ahead of the MB goal.
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Response: Neither of mine have earned Eagle yet. Seijitsu is 16, and still deciding. Soumei is 14 and has plenty of time yet. Seiji is planning on earning the Hornaday awards as well. That's a substantial goal. He'll probably finish the badges by 17, and have a full year to complete the Hornaday award. Soumei may stop at 100... or 50. Seiji is goal-oriented; for Soumei, it's about the journey. Both are good, just different approaches. Seiji had only 2 badges at 14 (and 2nd class), so he's been hitting them hard the last two years.
Edited by 121badges on Nov. 9, 2008 at 1:21 AM