Nov. 9, 2008 - Poor Old Michael Finnegan Begin Again
 Except in this case, it's poor old Seijitsu. Earlier this year he went to a clinic where he took a Surveying class. Great class. TONS of homework afterward. Time slips away; everyone has a busy life including us. He's put in a substantial number of hours reading and researching, and filling in paperwork. Not substantial enough, apparently. He sent his stuff back, and the counselor says he is near completion of each requirement, but has not completed any requirement. What? Some of the requirements are the simple "research a potential job" and basic first aid stuff.
So the card comes back *blank*.
He has to completely redo the badge. Much of this, I think, is the counselor's frustration that none of the boys actually finished something that he has put a lot of work into setting up. That should be a clue :-). Great course, but these are children, not college students. Seiji learned quite a bit, and that's the real goal. But it's still frustrating to start over.
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Sep. 26, 2008 - More Problems with Partials
 So, I jumped the gun entering in Seijitsu's cooking badge into the finished column. It was an easy mistake. He came home from camp with all but two requirements signed off. Just cook three meals at home, and let me see your backpack menu. That's what the troop MBC said. He felt he didn't really complete one of the requirements signed off at camp, so redid that as well. Turned in his paperwork a month ago to the counselor. Earlier this week, she gives him back his worksheet, all marked up. Made him go through the whole badge over again, and decided she didn't like his menus.
In truth, they weren't very good menus. But the camp counselor had signed off on them, and Seiji prepared them as required. I can understand her wanting him to do them again. But the whole badge? "If I'm going to sign off on it, I want to make sure it's been done correctly." That was a waste of camp time. She's within her rights, but it's maddening.
S is so frustrated. He's had run-ins with her before. She just doesn't like him, and the feeling is mutual. She's told me more than once that he is disrespectful to her. I haven't seen it, and he's not the disrespectful type. I have a feeling that with her, disagreeing is considered disrespect. She is an "interesting" person, to say the least.
So, yet another partial that's going to remain so. Seiji wants to just forget it, and do it another time with someone else. As much as I hate partials, I think I'm going to agree with him on this one. |
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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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Jul. 26, 2008 - Archaeology: the Dig
 I love homeschooling for the opportunities it provides, and for the ability to teach our children as we see fit. Part of that is knowing when I'm out of my depth. Archaeology is one of those times. Seijitsu knows more about it than both parents combined. It's one of the reasons Scouting is such a great program. S & S are working on their Archaeology badges. Part of that is a dig at an archaeological site. Because they are a Scout troop, the local archaeologist was accommodating. I'm not sure that would have been possible as simply two boys interested in the dig.
Wow, oh wow! This was so much more than I could have anticipated. Nine of the older Scouts went to the dig. I had expected it mostly to be observing, but they were allowed to fully participate. The archaeologist was amiable and an excellent teacher. So were the students who were in the summer field study class. They were invited to come back to the lab to work on cataloging and preservation. This was a real treat!
I'm amazed at the knowledge they came away with. Seijitsu was so enthralled that he would like to sign up for next year's dig through the college -- they allow high schoolers to participate with dual enrollment. He will need to do quite a bit of fund-raising before then ;-).
They still have quite a bit of work to do before earning the badge. Finding a dig that would allow them to participate was the most difficult requirement. The others may be more time-consuming, but the hard part is actually over. Now comes the paperwork and the presentation to the troop. Then one "die-hard" badge will be finished!
Archaeological Digs in the USA
Archaeology Merit Badge requirements |
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Jun. 17, 2008 - Word for the Day: Zealot
 Zealot... as in "This merit badge counselor is a zealot!"
So, Seijitsu took a surveying course at a clinic two and a half months ago. Fantastic class! Four hours of hands-on practice with five professionals in the field overseeing three Scouts. What more could he ask for? Well, apparently another thirty or so hours of homework in order to complete this badge (S is up to 9 already). Not simply reading-type things, but "send away" for this, "shell out the money to get a certified deed for your house", "find this other professional because it's more advanced than I know", etc. I looked at the material, and can't figure most of it out, yet my 15-year old is supposed to.
He's at the point of frustration, but it's his nature to see it through. That's a good thing. When he finally finishes it, I'm sure he'll have a great sense of satisfaction. And a conclusion -- this is definitely NOT something he wants to do with his life. |
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