Connecticut Yankee Council
Boy Scouts of America
2014 Merit Badge College
New Instructor Invitation
The Merit Badge College committee is looking for additional instructors for 2013. Instructors must be available for all
four sessions, or make arrangements for a substitute if they must miss a session. 2014 MBC dates are 1/25, 2/1, 2/8,
2/22 with 3/1 as the snow date. Instructors must be registered Merit Badge Councilors and have completed Youth
Protection Training.
We could use instructors for the following badges:
American Cultures
Electricity
Oceanography
American Heritage
Electronics
Personal Management
Architecture
Energy
Pets
Art
Family Life
Photography
Astronomy
Fingerprinting
Public Health
Aviation
Fire Safety
Public Speaking
Cit in Community
Genealogy
Radio
Cit in Nation
Indian Lore
Railroading
Cit in World
Inventing
Safety
Coin Collecting
Journalism
Salesmanship
Communications
American Labor
Space Exploration
Crime Prevention
Landscape Architecture
Stamp Collecting
Disabilities Awareness
Law
Surveying
Dog Care
Model Design & Bldg
Traffic Safety
Drafting
Nuclear Science
Weather
Additional badges may be considered if there are instructors available and if the badge lends itself to the group
instruction format. We do not offer badges that are camping / outdoors oriented.
Please return this form before October 31, 2013.
If interested please contact Karen Andersen at H(203)264-2408 or W(203)205-8684, or e-mail your information to
Karen.Andersen@cartus.com or fax to 203-749-5660. Forms can be turned into the Council office attn: Council
Advancement Committee.
Name ____________________________________________________________________________________
Address __________________________________________________________________________________
Town _____________________________________________________________ Zip ___________________
Phone ___________________________________ E-mail __________________________________________
Badges you are available to instruct ___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
How many classes per each Saturday session can you teach (1, 2, or 3) ________________________________
Merit Badge College:
Tips for new instructors
1) Class rosters will be sent out to all instructors around the middle of January with the names of the
boys assigned to your class. This may change the first and second Saturdays as boys switch merit
badges. Please keep attendance on this roster and mark off the requirements that each boy has
completed. On the last Saturday, you will turn in a copy of this roster with the blue cards to the Merit
Badge College committee (a copier will be on hand). We use this roster to answer any questions
that come to the committee after Merit Badge College is over.
2) During the first and second week of Merit Badge College, boys are allowed to change merit badges.
Changes are always made through the Registrar, Ernie Boehm. Any new boy to your class will have
a slip from Ernie, along with a blue card and merit badge book. No merit badge changes are allowed
after the second Saturday.
3) Due to the fact that we do not order the merit badge books until after the classes have been
assigned, we do not have time to mail merit badge books to the instructors. If we see that there has
been a change in requirements we will attempt to notify the instructors, but can give no guarantees.
4) The maximum number of boys in each session is 25. Use this as a guide to prepare any handouts
ahead of Merit Badge College.
5) If you are unable to attend a session it is your responsibility to provide a substitute instructor. Please
let Karen Andersen or Ernie Boehm know who the substitute will be.
6) Blue cards do not need to be signed by the various Scoutmasters. The registration process for Merit
Badge College checks with the Scoutmaster for permission for the boys to take any of the badges
the boys have signed up for.
7) Many instructors use computers to print their name, address and phone number on labels to use on
the blue cards. Some instructors save those free address labels that come in the mail with charity
solicitations, and use those on the blue cards. Either way saves a lot of time when filling your
information in on 25 to 75 blue cards.
8) Some instructors find it helpful to have a handout showing the lesson plans and the students’
responsibility for each week; this could include home work assignments, reading, etc that need to be
done.
9) Pass around a sign up sheet every week, that way you know who has attended and needs to receive
credit for any requirements you are covering in that session.
10) Blue cards and attendance rosters are expected to be turned in the last Saturday. We provide a
luncheon for all instructors that day and have the room until 2:00pm for instructors to finish filling out
blue cards and rosters. Many instructors have found it beneficial to assign most of the homework the
first two sessions rather than waiting for the third week so as to avoid having massive amounts of
paperwork to sort through the last day.
11) Some instructors make up preprinted forms that they staple to the blue cards where they can note
the requirements not completed. This can include the instructor’s contact information for finishing the
badge.
12) It is your choice if you want to offer to complete badges with the boys after MBC. Many instructors
will use email to accept reports, homework assignments, etc. However the blue cards are still
expected to be turned in on the last day. The cards are sorted and returned to the units within a few
weeks. The boys can retrieve their partially completed cards from their unit to mail to you if they
elect to complete the badge with you.
13) In group teaching of merit badges, requirements that state “have a discussion with…” can be
handled by written assignments followed by group discussion. For example, you could have the
boys do a homework assignment or class quiz where one question is about career opportunities in
the merit badge field and after the test/homework/quiz the subject can be discussed as a group.
14) Should you at any time have difficulty with a boy in your class don’t hesitate to send that boy to the
Faculty Room. Our volunteer instructors are not expected to be disciplinarians or to take
harassment from the boys.
15) Do not be discouraged if all of the boys do not complete the badge within the four weeks of Merit
Badge College. Merit Badge College has had a fairly consistent completion rate of 50% within the
four week period over the past six or seven years. We do not track how many boys complete their
badges through follow-up work with the instructors.