Reading MB Req 1

[mommatoodle]

ok, i'm a math teacher and the of in a math equation means multiply so the original question:
does 6 of 4 different would "translate" to 6 x 4 = 24.....
but having two sons do the badge, their mc only had them read 6 in 4 different groups.\\

[FrankJ]

So here is the danger of mixing math & English. (and why I am an engineer) You have a set of six books. The books must be of 4 different sub sets. What to do if a book crosses into two different sub sets? Shakespeare was guilty of mixing drama & poetry. Is that double dipping? What about Beowulf? Can you go watch the movie?

[cballman]

OH CRAP Maybe we need to call the Lawyers of late night TV to get an answer or since it is an election year then maybe we can call the people who are running for President and Vice to give an answer

This post was meant to be a joke not to be taken seriously. This is a disclaimer not to be confused with reality.

[ThunderingWind]

Interesting thread.

Since we have had a few different people with professional backgrounds read the requirements and get different answers, maybe it is time this august group
contact National and request an official update so that the Lawyer, English Teacher, Engineer and Math Teacher would read the requirement and get the
same answer.

I sent the requirement to my mother-in-law who has a degree in English. Grammer rules would dictate that it reads 6 x 4. However, she did note that lower level,
common use language could allow 6 books.

So there is legitimate cause for a clarification to be made.

[FrankJ]

Just received word from Mr National (or was it Mr. Natural?). He said go ask your merit badge councilor.

[kwildman]

If you are a reading merit badge counselor and you want to make your kids read 24 books for a non eagle required badge then go for it. However, dont be surprised if they decide that they would rather take an easier non-required merit badge like nuclear engery.

[smtroop168]

My proposal is that the requirement to earn the Reading MB is that the Scout must read the BSA handbook and any MB pamphlets for the MBs he's working on.

[alex gregory]

My proposal is that the requirement to earn the Reading MB is that the Scout must read the BSA handbook and any MB pamphlets for the MBs he's working on.

Great suggestion. Unfortunately a merit badge pamphlet is only a guide. The specific language of the merit badge is controlling, which is why it's important for that language to be absolutely clear.

[evmori]

So here is the danger of mixing math & English. (and why I am an engineer) You have a set of six books. The books must be of 4 different sub sets. What to do if a book crosses into two different sub sets? Shakespeare was guilty of mixing drama & poetry. Is that double dipping? What about Beowulf? Can you go watch the movie?

Ahh! The different sub sets are the style of writing, not the author. One could use Shakespeare for drama, poetry & comedy!

[LSR]

"Can't all be science fiction." I'm sure that's what you meant. Had my mother typed it 40 years ago she might have meant it the way you wrote it.

My son read a book of Shel Silverstein's poetry for this. They are light and fluffy. He asked me if I could recommend something a little meatier in the poetry genre. The only other poet I could think of was Emily Dickinson. Most of her work is about death and dying. His MB counselor asked me not to recommend any more books to scouts.

I'd recommend some of the WWI poets (Wilfred Owen, Sigfried Sassoon, and A.E. Houseman come to mind.) They're ideal for catching the interest of a young man in poetry. They're also a useful "hook" for everything from the classics to history to changing social mores. (Houseman's Epitaph on an Army of Mercenaries is a deceptively short poem. A full understanding of it would require some knowledge of the race to the sea in the First World War and the role of the small professional colonial era British army in stopping the German advance (and that precious few of them lived until 1918.) Owen's Dulce et Decorum Est and Sassoon's Base Details are likewise much deeper than they first appear. (as for Base Details...

"IF I were fierce, and bald, and short of breath,
I’d live with scarlet Majors at the Base, .......
You’d see me with my puffy petulant face,
Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel....."

I'd like to think I'm not the only Scouter that is reminded of some of his more....difficult.... colleagues by that poem.

[smtroop168]

LSR: You're killing me! I just got through "Sam I Am" and you want me to read WWI poetry??