2002-12-23 Teaching of SI is the job of the schools. However, teaching SI is not enough. There has to be a working knowledge that comes with hands on experience. I don't know, never having been a scout myself, how much measuring is done in the scouting world. But, if there is some, I think it would be a good place for a scout (boy or girl) to get practical experience in SI for what they may have learned in school.
Even though many of our schools teach may SI, the students forget it when they go into the real world and have to deal with FFU. The forgetfulness is even more pronounced if the teaching method was very poor. A teenage boy who gets his first car will deal with distances and speed in miles and miles per hour, gasoline purchases in gallons, and even speak of his car's engine displacement in cubic inches, even though litres are common. Without SI references to work with, the knowledge of SI fades and fades fast. Sporting events that are SI are most likely dumbed-down for the students. As we have read earlier in a posting, even SI races are FFU-ed. Maybe because the runners are trained to keep times in FFU. Not knowing how SI is taught in the schools, or if there is even a consistent method of teaching, I wonder how many students learn just conversion factors. To some people knowing SI means knowing how to convert SI back to FFU. If a teacher her/himself does not have a working knowledge of SI, how can they pass that knowledge on to the next generation? If the gym coach doesn't know SI, how can he/she pass that knowledge onto his/her students? Without an organised and planned teaching method, all we have is half-ass knowledge of SI among the students, which I feel does more damage then good. The moral of the story is, we need the schools to be consistent in their teaching of SI and we need the kids to have a real world feel for SI too. Without both, the next generation will despise SI just like the all the previous have done. John ----- Original Message ----- From: "Howard Ressel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, 2002-12-23 10:00 Subject: [USMA:24188] RE: Boy Scouts Merit Badge Do Girl Scouts allow boys? There are boy scout programs that do include girls. Explorers I believe are mixed gender. I say leave the politics out and don't loose the chance to hit millions of young impressionable boys about metric. Not teaching these boys metric is not going to change BSA's national policy's. (by the way, not all Council by the way subscribe to the same viewpoint). Howard Ressel, Metric Manger New York State Dept. of Transportation, Region 4 Howard Ressel Project Design Engineer, Region 4 (585) 272-3372 >>> "Matthew Zotter" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 12/22/02 04:12PM >>> 2002 DEC 22 SUN In response to kilopascal, The BSA practices discrimination in three ways: Gender discrimination: No girls allowed Religious discrimination: No atheist allowed Homosexual discrimination: No homosexuals allowed (mainly as the Scout Master) Because the BSA is a privite organization, the US Supreme Court allows the BSA to do this. I like the Girl Scout Merit Badge idea. It would also promote science and engineering to girls. V/R Matthew Zotter SC, USA ----- Original Message ----- From: "kilopascal" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2002 3:01 PM Subject: [USMA:24176] RE: Boy Scouts Merit Badge > 2002-12-22 > > The BSA practices discrimination? How? Could you be specific? > > John > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Bill Potts" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Sunday, 2002-12-22 14:30 > Subject: [USMA:24173] RE: Boy Scouts Merit Badge > > > > I would be opposed to that, not because it's not a good idea. In > principle, > > it is. > > > > However, Boy Scouts of America practices discrimination, which has caused > > them, for example, to lose much or possibly all of their United Way > support > > (39 United Way affiliates as of last March). Until they mend their ways, I > > would be opposed to USMA getting involved with them. > > > > What the USMA actually does, of course, is up to the USMA. I'm just one of > > many members. > > > > The Girl Scouts, on the other hand, do not practice discrimination. I > would > > encourage USMA to pursue your idea in their case. > > > > Bill Potts, CMS > > Roseville, CA > > http://metric1.org [SI Navigator] > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On Behalf > Of > > Matthew Zotter > > Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2002 11:04 > > To: U.S. Metric Association > > Subject: [USMA:24171] Boy Scouts Merit Badge > > > > > > 2002 DEC 22 SUN > > > > The American Society of Mechanical Engineers sponsors the Engineering > Merit > > Badge for the Boy Scouts of America. > > > > Other Scientific related merit badges are: > > Atomic Energy, Chemistry, Computers, Electricity, Electronics, Space > > Exploration. > > > > Do you think that the USMA would be interested in sponsoring and > developing > > some kind of SI or Metrication merit badge? I wonder if the Boy Scouts of > > America would be interested. Such a merit badge would influence young > > people and their parents. It would help get the word out. > > > > V/R > > Matthew Zotter > > SC, USA > > >
