Mentor Respect

[Eric Bareiss]

Something I have been noticing a lot of lately is students getting on here and proclaiming that they run their own teams and they do everything and they are awesome and they don’t even need mentors. I have given it some serious thought and I finally decided to post about it.

There are two big issues that I want to address about this subject.

For all of the students who believe that you run your own teams: You have no idea what it means to run a team. You can say whatever you want, tell me all of the things you do, all the responsibilities you have, I still don’t believe you. I am talking to you as a former snot nosed kid who thought he knew everything. Until you graduate high school and join a team as an actual “Mentor” you have no place to say you run your team. For every hour you spend screwing pieces of your robot together, 20 hours of important stuff goes on behind your back.

Did you call the travel agency and arrange the travel plans, make sure they got the check, type up the permission slips, make sure everyone turned them in, find the teacher chaperones, order all the parts for the robot, register your team for events, order the t-shirts, get all of the students released from school, arrange transportation to and from the airport? Did you do ALL of those things? Well, someone did.

The bigger issue I have: What would your mentor say if you told them you do all of the work on the team? Do you think it makes your mentors feel respected when you say that? If I heard my kids saying that, I would leave them high and dry. I would take a year off and see how they did without me.

Someone made a simple post about how we should have a competition where the student and mentors roles were reversed and ten students wrote that nothing would change for them if we did that. For those ten people, let me tell you. You obviously have no idea what your mentors do for you!! It wasn’t until after I graduated that I realized what my mentors did for me. Honestly, you get more out of it than they do, I don’t know why they stay. They only do it to watch you grow.

Start respecting your mentors more or they might just leave.

[ngreen]

On that note I want to think my mentors from my team. They all put in a ton of effort for 2004 and I personally appreciate all the hard work that goes into making our team successful.

I was a college mentor this year but still learned so much and was able to see what my teams mentors go through for us. Our mentors are extraordinary people who are team wouldn't survive without their dedication to the FIRST program.

Thank you.


As a side note several of our mentors were putting 40+ hours a week for our team without pay on top of 40+ hour jobs. That is impressive. If we aren't nice they might start charging and I could only afford about 2 hours of robotics if that happened.

[Eric Brummer]

I agree fully. Not wanting to sound like a jerk, but some of the things you list, our team does do, but the only reason we do any of it, is because our mentor is amazing enough to allow us to. It's part of the entire FIRST program. We operate as a business, and therefor more and more jobs are granted to the students. Those that say they run their own teams without help from their mentors should consider the fact that they have the best mentors in the world. The only reason you are doing those things is because your mentor feels you can and is allowing you to learn and grow. I'm sure there are some teams that have "below par" mentors because thats how life works. The mentors job is to teach you to a point where they aren't needed. There are always things that are over looked by us, since we are still in the learning process, so thats what the mentors are for, to double check things, and teach us when we do mess up. Just because you are doing a job doesn't mean you are replacing the mentor.
I respect our mentors far beyond any regular school teacher, because not only have they taught us far beyond normal and typical school requirements, they give us the freedom to go even farther, all in the name of learning and maturing; what FIRST is all about. Thats my opinion, and I hope it doesn't clash with that of the origional poster to much.

[Matt Adams]

Eric, and all of those that are underappreciated-

I think that one of the important things that I learned is that you can't make high school students appreciate how much goes on behind the scenes. There's just too much. You just don't know the vastness of the behind the scenes work until you do it yourself.

It sounds like you're suffering from something that's very common: being underappreciated. I know of very few advisors that are truly praised enough for all that they do.

I don't think I realized until this year that as an advisor or mentor, my job is basically that of a servent. I take my job as an advisor as the chance to make sure that the high school students get the most possible from FIRST by providing them the most opportunities. I'm here to serve them, not to be praised and have a ticker tape parade for my efforts. I'm sure it's the same for you.

Honestly, you won't ever be thanked enough. This is something you just need to overcome, and the best way is through the support of other mentors on your team. When you break down because you're overworked and drastically underpaid, you need someone to encourage you to keep going. You're not a mentor because you wanted to be thanked every day for all the hard work you do, you choose to volunteer because these high school kids need a chance to succeed in something, and you want to provide that.

Hang in there buddy,

Matt

[Lisa Rodriguez]

Mentors being respected is a very BIG issue. Mentors do more than many can ever imagine for our teams, even most take time off of work! The few of our kids that can truly appreciate (mostly, i don't think i will ever fully appreciate, until i become a mentor) had to sit our team down and give them a reality check of what our adults do for us! Many of them were astonished, they don't realize how much goes on behind the scenes to make everything happen for them. Making mentors feel appreciated is often not very complicated (correct me if i'm wrong) a card, a HUGE hug and thank-you-for-everything-you-do is often enough to put a huge smile on their face, personal things are often best. Pleases and thank-yous are often great for adults. Many students don't realize this, little things make a big difference. All adults are underappreciated in my opinion, which is wrong, they work thier BUTTS off for us, and many people don't think twice, well my team certainly does now ( :D ) but any adults have ANY idea of what we can do to make them feel more appreciated? I know i can't hug my mentors enough.
Again.....correct me if i'm wrong about any of this, i'd like to know what other people think

[Redhead Jokes]

For every hour you spend screwing pieces of your robot together, 20 hours of important stuff goes on behind your back.


God bless Eric!

[Kevin Sevcik]

Speaking as a former student and current part-time college mentor.... If the fact that high-school students don't bow down and worship you for being a mentor makes you this angry, then perhaps you should consider a different line of work. Most mentors I know are in it because they enjoy working with the kids and helping them learn about engineering. Yes, they don't know how much time you put in, but bear in mind that they're putting in a large amount of effort as well, and giving up an awful lot of their free time too. You do realize that they have school and homework and long nights spent building the robot, don't you?

Also, being a mentor doesn't instantly qualify you for the respect of the kids. Just like anything else, this respect must be earned. Just spending time around the shop isn't going to do a lot to get you that respect. You have to be there often, working with the kids, and actually making a connection with them. Otherwise you're wasting your time and theirs. I know. My team has had more than one "mentor" blow through, spend time working on the bot and bossing the kids around and generally totally missing the point of the endeavour.

When you get right down to it, it's a team thing. Everyone contributes and no one's more important than anyone else. Those who can't understand that need to take a step back and re-evaluate their priorities.

[indieFan]

I do realize that the students have school where they have to be at school earlier than I have to wake up to be at my college classes. I do realize that they have homework to do since I was once a middle school teacher. I do realize that the long nights spent building the robot have been cut down to just a few times a year since the adults realized that they did not serve us very well.

(Note that I am speaking as the college student here.)
That said, do you realize that some of us mentors attend the meetings with more regularity than some of our students? Do you realize that some of us give up valuable study time (or, in my case, tv viewing time ;-) to attend the meetings? Do you realize that college professors often schedule projects and exams for the same week or two not because they are callous, but simply because it is what is most convenient for them? Do you realize that some mentors have work on top of all of this?

I am lucky because my students do seem, for the most part, to know a lot of what I do for them. I do hear them say "hello" or "thank you" to me periodically.

I, in turn, am lucky enough to have a great mentor myself due to having worked on the teams I have. I also realize that I am getting a great deal out of mentoring others. Sometimes to the point that I think I am getting more than I am giving!

Keiko, I think that you have the right idea with a card or a hug or simply saying "thank you". The big thing is to just know the personalities of your mentors. For example, I need to hear "thank you" from time to time to know that I am of value to the team. Another coach on the team can take it or leave it. If you're unsure, err on the side of doing something that you've already mentioned. If you're referring to showing appreciation at the end of the year, let me know and I'll let you know what my teams have done over the years.

indieFan

[Eric Bareiss]

To clarify:

I am not underappreciated. Mentors in general are. I've never had a problem with my kids, they are great!

[RoboMom]

As a "factotum" these are the things that matter:
a quick thanks from a student, a quick thanks from a parent, a quick thanks from a teacher. Sometimes it comes with a hug, sometimes it's just in passing, sometimes it's an email. A returning college student said this year "now I realize why you thought ____ was important." That meant a lot to me. I could write a lot more, but what it boils down to is a thank you. The rest is gravy.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Eric,
Speaking from the mentor side, I am not expecting thanks but it is great when it comes. There is no big, tangible payoff being a volunteer in any group but there is a payoff just the same. In Eagle Scout ceremonies there is usually a referenece to "today being payday". That reference means that as adult volunteers we see a young man reach a goal he set for himself sometimes years earlier. In FIRST, my payoff comes when a student tells me she has picked out a college to attend or he is returning to the team next year. There is payoff in something as little as a student picking up a soldering iron or drill and use it for the first time. Payday occurs for me almost every day, whether it is just that little glimmer of understanding starting to pop through or a parent staring in wonder as their child wields a pop rivet tool like a pro. Big paydays occur at regionals and nationals when pit crew has become so confidant in what they are able to do, mentors can walk away and meet other teams and help where needed. It is that beaming smile when students from a different team come and present a special team award to our students. Payday comes when a mentored student can discuss in technical terms, robot function with members of other teams or when a student asks me to go look at team XXX because they have such a great looking robot.

[MikeDubreuil]

I believe you don't really understand what it's like to be a mentor until you become one yourself. When robotics stops being fun and you're doing it like a second job. The most important thing is to keep a fun atmosphere between the mentors. They are the support structure you need to keep running when your batteries get low. Kids come and go, but the mentors usually stick with it. Don't let the kids get the best of you, they'll thank you a couple years from now. The students may think they can do it themselves, but every mentor knows it's just the teenager superman effect coming into play.

This looks like a good time to thank my high school mentors, #175 Buzz Robotics, thanks :D

[KenWittlief]

I'd like to say that there are mentor positions that are very difficult, very stressfull, extreemly important

and these are the people who NEVER get any award, there is no joy in the job they do

but if something goes wrong, WhoooBoy! everyone is miserable!

Im talking about the people who arrange the transportation, the meals, and the lodging for the team - FIRST teams tend to go through these people like paper through a shredder - they seldom last more than one year, and very often it ends up being someones mom or dad who takes on this thankless responsibility.

We call ours the 'Empress of Nourishment and Lodging' (its been students mom's for the last two years).

Imagine what it would be like if you are all at your HS on Wed afternoon, all your stuff and suitcases piled up in the parking lot, 40 students and mentors waiting for the bus - and a 20 passenger window van shows up instead of a tourist coach?

or you get to your hotel at 10:30 that night, and the clerk says "the computer shows you have 12 rooms reserved in Cleveland New Mexico, not Cleveland Ohio! :ahh:

(Im not saying these things have happened, I saying these are the kinds of disasters that could happen if these jobs are not done 100% right).

with all the other magic that has to happen for a team to be a part of FIRST - without basic things like FOOD and a good place to sleep at night, your team would be miserable - it takes a lot of work to coordinate all that, and to get the best prices, and to haggle with the school over how many students you MUST stuff into each room

a heartfelt thanks to all the invisible FIRST heros who make it happen behind the scenes!

[Steve W]

Why do I mentor? Not because of thanks I get. Not because of the awards I get. Not for finacial gain. Why then you ask? I was a leader in a boys group for many years. I continued plugging along and sometimes asked myself the same questions without any answers. About 10 years after I passed my responsibilities along to a younger, more energetic, in touch guy, I found out. It semed as on queue different kids that had gone through our program came up to me and told me how much I influenced their lives. I was deeply touched. They didn't have to and I wasn't looking for it. Sometimes the seeds that we sow take time to grow. By the time some of the seeds start to sprout we are not around. That does mean that they haven't been nourished and fed.

I find that now I mentor because I know that somewhere, sometime that the time I spend will help one to ? kids change their outlook on life and that the time spent will multiply to the rest of society as these kids grow. Do I need a thanks now? No but yes it is nice. Do I expect that what I do will be noticed? No but when it is I know that the kids are growing. If I have a problem with serving then all I need to do is look back on what others did for me. To sum it all up I will resort to a movie title that says it all - Pay It Forward

[TD78]

Im talking about the people who arrange the transportation, the meals, and the lodging for the team - FIRST teams tend to go through these people like paper through a shredder - they seldom last more than one year, and very often it ends up being someones mom or dad who takes on this thankless responsibility.

We call our the 'Empress of Nourishment and Lodging' (its been students mom's for the last two years).

We have several mom's in particular who have been involved since nearly our beginning back in 1996 and do so without complaint. Every year at Nationals they wake up early in the AM to make all the lunches for everyone on the team. I saw them at work early Saturday morning in one of the hotel rooms and there was an assembly like no other. They handle all the travel and lodging for all our trips and deal with chaos that is collecting money from team members (both students and mentors). This year they arranged for the charter bus down to Atlanta. Without them...well I don't want to think what that might be.

[dan 322]

All I really hope to get from being a mentor is that I possibly changed someones life for the better and that someday they will think back and realize what the mentors did and do the same when they grow older. I never really had any kids personally thank me this year either, but I know how kids are and it doesn't really bother me, I was a kid once to. I put in over 400 hours of my own time, hours and hours away from my own kids, my job suffered from phone and emails arranging hotels, meetings, travel, payments, spent my own money on things and stressed my whole family, not to mention my knees and feet hurt for a week after the championship..........but you know what, I'm already itching to go for next year. It's just something about FIRST. I love it. :)

[petek]

Since this has turned into a "why I am a mentor" thread:

My "payday" is how their eyes light up when of one of the students I work with do something they didn't think they could - and the occasional bonus of a parent coming up to tell me how much their student valued the help I gave. No one could pay me as much in money as that is worth to me.

Respect is nice, too, but optional. I'd rather be convinced by a student that their way is better!

[Allison K]

I couldn't even comprehend the ammount of work that goes into running a team until I started one this year (They tried to tell me, but it didn't sink in), especially since I'm the only mentor on our team (of course I don't regret a minute of it). And it's really cool because I can go back home to 226, and technically I'm a mentor, but I'm still learning too. I can't put into words how much respect I have for the teachers and engineers on 226 (well, all teams really, but 226 I see firsthand) for working a full 40 hour week and then spending at least that much time working for the team.

Allison

[LauraN]

I think, as students, we have a (very very small) idea of the committment our mentors give us. I obviously don't know first-hand and don't claim to, but you slowly begin to realize just how much of a time committment a FIRST team really is. Our faculty advisor needs to be with us in the shop every day until 5:00. And the further we get from kick-off, the later that time becomes. I won't do the math, but that is a LOT of time. This same faculty member is a teacher of mine who just recently organized a class trip- he has been trying to get all the permission and logistics worked out with the district for weeks now, and just yesterday he was able to give out the permission slips.

Our mentors love what they do. The college kids who come back to our school on weekends just love FIRST and really like mentoring their underclassmen friends from previous years. The adults are even more amazing. Not that college students don't have lives :D, but the adult mentors are taking time away from jobs and family. It's amazing that they have the patience to sit there and explain to me the most basic things.

From a student point of view, I think mentors do far more than teach us. They give us such an amazing sense of self. Our students and mentors have friendly relationships, and it's great to know that these professional adults treat you as an equal. It's great to know that you can have inside jokes with them. (OK, even if they are geeky inside jokes about hammers and quality control. :p) But even more importantly, it's great to know that the guy helping you wire your robot's RC or trace the pneumatic circuits is in many cases an expert in his field. Who is not only willing to devote time and energy to teaching you what he knows, but who respects and values you and your opinion. There's nothing better to boost your ego than to make some comment or suggestion that your mentor greets with, "Oh! Good idea." That kind of thing has happened to me several times and it feels great.

So yes I respect my mentors, but it's not in a very direct and forward, "Wow you must do a lot of work for us" kind of way. It's a much more subtle admiration that probably can't be expressed in words. (But we do try. :))

[tiffany34990]

i don't think i can every thank our mentor on my team enough--they do sooo much for us-- get us food, place to stay--teach us everything they know--and always want to help us in any way--- they are really cool people--- dillard, warren, james, gary jones, mr. higgin, mrs. carey-- well the list goes on and on-- we have many adults-- and well they are gonna be givign us soem of the responsiliblity next year--so the team won't be run on only students or mentors--- pretty evened out--well it's suppose to sort of work that way-- all well-- but to all the mentors out there you guys are soooo awesome and keep up the good work-- don't leave FIRST!!!

[xxmaddjxx]

There is an interesting policy that we have on our team that might interest some of you guys.

From regionals and nats i noticed that there are a lot of teams where its mostly the montors working on the robot. I've seen pits where there were 4 45 yr old men aroudn the robot and the kids doing absolutely nothing.

Our mentors agreed when we were forming this team that they would not touch the robot unless we asked for their help. Our mentors are here for advice, cutting with power tools (were not allowed), and making sure we are safe.

There is one mentor we have who handles all the paperwork and i deeply respect her because i came to realize what paperwork really means. Deadlines, phone calls, travel arrangements, dealing with school staff, emails, faxes, and that is just some of it!

[Spaztik Duck]

As a student on my team and also in my first year with the robotics program, I am not in a position to say whether or not mentors on our team get the amount of respect and gratitude they deserve. I believe saying that mentors in general dont [meaning never] get that respect is a generalization and a personal opinion, However....
I feel that the mentors on any team could never fully get the respect and gratitude that they deserve, because what the mentors do goes way beyond just setting up food, rooms, etrc. [tho that is still VERY important]. What the mentors do for us [as students] goes way beyond that. The mentors impact us on a much greater level, they help shape our future, and guide us in the right directions. They shape us and mold us. They make us feel important and useful and part of something big. They give us the tools to work with and teach us how to do things for ourselves therefore preparing us for our futures. We as students are just the ingredients... the mentors are the master chefs. kudos to them all.
Also, I believe that when becoming a mentor, most are aware of this and that is why they do it. I want to become a mentor after high school, because, I want to follow in my mentors footsteps. I want to give to the students following in the grades under mine what my mentors have given to me. If I were a mentor I think that my motivation wouldn't be the direct thanks that I would get as much as it would be the improvements or appreciation that I saw. That being, when a student is excited that they have done something right, or watching the smiles on a teams face when they win a match [knowing that they put something into that robot], every time that I saw a student get anything positive, or learn any lesson from the FIRST program that would be my reward, knowing that as a mentor I helped to make that happen. [please note; i am still a student this is just if I were a mentor]



[editing side note; i spent so much time typing this that people already posted effectively what i said before me... oh well]

[Ian W.]

I'm sorry, but I have to entirely disagree with you, at least for my (former?) team.

This year, our mentor who usually did everything left us a week before kickoff, in debt, with nothing planned out except that we were going to three competitions.

While I personally did not do much of the work, one student, a senior, doing all of her stuff for college at the same time, basically ran the team. She did pretty much everything, fundraise, book hotels, flights, transporation, managed our books, pretty much everything save for a few things that I was able to help with, or that our other mentors were able to do.

Another friend designed our t-shirts, and even had to front the money for them because our mentor wouldn't. He also picked them up, right before our first competition.

I personally, along with the help of a friend, made up permission slips, and in one event, actually had to collect all of them, as a high school senior (a BIG no-no in my school) because our mentor was no where to be found, 3 hours after we were supposed to leave for one of our competitions.

So say what you want, you're lucky that your team has mentors that do all of the nitty gritty stuff for the students, and the students just worry about making money to make a robot. Many teams don't have mentors that care to do, or even know how to do, all of the "behind the scenes" stuff, and on those teams, high school students have to step up and do it, and I have a feeling that it's those teams' students who are complaining, and they have every right to. I shouldn't be worrying about if we have a bus picking us up at the airport in Atlanta, it should just be there "magically" through a mentor's work, not students' work.

That's only some of the problems my team had this past year, we had plenty more, but because of the amazing dedication of a few students, my team was able to get through this year. So don't bash the students, because on plenty of teams, they're doing just as much, if not more, work than the mentors.

[JoshJ]

Well, now that Nationals has passed, and my robotics career as a student slows and ends, I would like to thank the mentors on 316 who have given me the opportunities I have had for the past two years on FIRST. Coming from a smaller team, we get a good chance to see what everyone is doing and what still needs to be done. Even with everything that we see going on, our mentors have done huge loads of behind-the-scenes stuff. As said before, we only see the outcome of their work-- not the sweat and time and dedication that it took to get it done.

I think back to when i was maybe 12 and saw Robot Wars for the first time. I thought that was awesome, and I wanted to a part of that in the worst way. And here I am now, 5 years later, having been through 12 weeks of "crunch time", 3 regionals, 4 off season comps, and an event with close to 300 teams of people. Did I ever picture myself as part of something this huge? Never. After the excitement, when you get a chance to sit down and realize what you have been a part of, it is definitely awe-inspiring, and it really makes you wonder HOW, and then WHY.

HOW- well, because, for me, two people, Mr. Hinde and Ms. Halter, have had the inspiration to run a team for the past 6 years. Not only them, but also all the mentors that worked with them. They know who they are and they are appreciated in a huge way.

WHY- From an outsiders point of view, it borders on insanity. It takes one heck of a person to voluntarily give up 3 months, and more, of their life each year to deal with 10 teenagers. After two years, though, I think I see their vision. I have been inspired, taught, fed, moved around, and organized by all of these mentors on 316. Their impact has been huge.

Basically, all I have left to say is this:
To the peole who have helped make both the team and myself what we are today, if you are reading this, THANKS

[Amanda M]

First of all, I want to say thanks to Eric for starting this thread.

And for all of those students that think they can reverse roles with mentors and still be okay, I just want to say shame on them. I am a high school student. I can say that I do a whole lot for my team. I work at least two hours a day making phone calls to bring in money.

but I can GUARANTEE you that for every two hours I work a day, each of my mentors is working at least twice as hard.

As a team captain, I have been included in some of this work. I have seen them trying to make deadlines. And I can admit, that a few times when it comes down to crunch time and they're not finished, I have not stepped up to help them. Why? Because I don't want to admit that what they do for me is enough. I want them to work as hard as I do. I am selfish. I know that what they do is a huge amount more than I do, but I still sit on the sidelines.
It's wrong, and I shouldn't do it. I know that, but it doesn't stop me. (Maybe I should work on that one... eep..)

I hope that when I become a mentor that my kids do that and I get a slap in the face. I deserve it.

So, this is what our team does to show our thanks to our mentors and advisors. Every year at the Awards Banquet, we offer them Awards and gift certificates for dinner.

We're just a bunch of snot-nosed high school kids. It's compensation for them having to deal with us for the season.


I LOVE YOU GUYS! I'VE GOT ONE MORE YEAR OF BEING IN YOUR HAIR!

Amanda

[srjjs]

So say what you want, you're lucky that your team has mentors that do all of the nitty gritty stuff for the students, and the students just worry about making money to make a robot. Many teams don't have mentors that care to do, or even know how to do, all of the "behind the scenes" stuff, and on those teams, high school students have to step up and do it, and I have a feeling that it's those teams' students who are complaining, and they have every right to. I shouldn't be worrying about if we have a bus picking us up at the airport in Atlanta, it should just be there "magically" through a mentor's work, not students' work.

As a member of one of those teams where students do virtually everything, even at the administrative level, I still have to disagree with Ian. I don't think it matters whether you feel you're putting more work into the robot than someone else is, or that you're working harder than they are. If someone else is taking time out of their own busy life to come help you and your team, they deserve your respect and appreciation, no matter what the size of that contribution may be.

Maybe the person who usually does all the administrative work left a week before kickoff. That may have been a breach of faith, it may not, I don't know the circumstances. However, it still stands that that person has been helping your team to take care of all this work has done it for several years. If it weren't for this person, you might have had to do all this every year. Being bitter when someone who has taken so much out of their own life to help you is very ungrateful, and makes me wonder whether underappreciation was one of the reasons this mentor left in the first place.

With that said, I think that your team has done well in being able to handle all the behind-the-scenes work that goes into running a team. I think that far from "bashing the students," most people would look up to a team like this as a wonderful example of dedication and committment on the part of the students. You just need to keep in mind that just because it may feel like you're doing more work than the mentors, whether that is true or not, they still deserve your respect and gratitude.

[preussrobotics]

To clarify:

I am not underappreciated. Mentors in general are. I've never had a problem with my kids, they are great!


I am in the unique position in that I was Eric's mentor several years ago on Team 64. Sometimes appreciation comes immediately, sometimes never, and sometimes (as in Eric's case) years later when he had his own team. I don't think any of us (mentors) do it because we want the appreciation--though, to be sure, it's always great to hear. We do it because we believe that our kids will be better for it. We do it because our kids will become better world citizens because of it.

[oreocookeee]

last year ian and i were on the same team, and now i am one of the students that he mentioned were taking large amounts of responsibility. for our team, at least, ian and i can both guarantee that students do just as much, if not more (and it certainly is more), than the administrators. this, however, does not mean that we dont appreciate our mentors for their valuable contributions. i think its important to recognize the contributions that any person makes to the team, whether its a student, mentor, or anything else. our mentor understands the commitment that we all make, and we are all proud that we are given the responsibilities that are not normally given to students. i dont agree with everyone's description of "behind the scenes" activities that mentors deal with and that are never experience by students. student should at least be given a understanding of what is involved, if not the ability to participate in such activities. i dont mean any disrespect to mentors, but i think its just as important to recognize the contributions that students make to the team, whether that involves turning screws, or writing permission slips.

[Koko Ed]

You got to realize that teenagers more often than not are in their own world and are not going to fall over themselves in adulation of every adult who impacts thier lives (and there's alot from the parents, to the teachers to their advisors. This has been debated in our society for years). You got to remember were dealig with people in transistion from children to adults. It's a confusing frustratating and overwhelming time of their lives filled with alot of temptations and pressures from all sides. They're not prone to good decisions and they don't always appreciate everything that has been done to them. Chalk that up to immaturity. That's one great thing about FIRST is it actually teaches them alot of skills that go beyond technical skills. We actually have our kids have to communicate to other team members and speak before the team to reprot what their sub team had done that night. Our class valecdetorian (sp) from last year was part of my first animation team. She was a very smart and talented girl but she was also terribly shy. Over the years of being on the team she has grown alot as a person and I do think that being on FIRST has done alot for her. And thats our jobs as mentors to light the way for our kids. Our thanks does not have to come from their lips. It comes from the finished product that walks across the stage, gets their diploma and moves on to bigger and better things.

[RoboMom]

Welcome to our launch of NEMO!

FIRST NEMO (Non-Engineering Mentor Organization) was created by Jenny Beatty (Team 007), Kathie Kentfield (Team 173) and Cheryl Miller (Team 294) in May 2004 to provide a support forum for FIRST Adult Mentors on diverse non-technical subjects such as team organization, fundraising, parent involvement, and community relations.

NEMO will be open to adult mentors, including engineers, teachers and college students (who may be the only mentors on their teams) . But it is mainly a support group and information exchange for those non-engineering mentors who help with all the behind the scene glue that holds the teams together. Travel (hotels, endless meals), parent involvement, fundraising, business plans, dealing with the FIRST logistics. All the "unfun" stuff, as one of the students labeled it. We hope to seek out all the NEMO's who don't realize they are part of a large community. We announced NEMO at the team forums and continue to spread the word in the preseason.

We want a forum that will allow discussion to go on all year.

We want to start keeping statistics on NEMO's and how many there are and their skills and background. We want to make it easier for rookies, so they don't have to reinvent stuff that others already have learned, sometimes the hard way. We want to help FIRST get constructive comments from a group of NEMO's. We have met many NEMO's over the years. We have a lot to learn from each other.

Thanks to Chief Delphi for allowing us the meeting room. Spread the word.

For now, send Robomom a private message to sign up. This forum is private and will only be visible to members.

[KathieK]

Being a mentor is about coaching a group of teenagers (when preschoolers are your preferred age group :) ) for several months for a chairman's award presentation, waiting nervously in a hallway while they make their presentation and wishing you could be a fly on the wall, then having your heart drop through your stomach when your team name is NOT announced as having won the award... and then finding each and every one of them to give them a hug for the fantastic job they did because it's NOT about the winning, it's all about the process you go through together working towards the goal. It's not unlike being pregnant and giving birth to a child - as any parent will attest.

Being a mentor is about patience, frustrations, long days, and giving up your vacation to be a chaperone for a robotics team. Being a mentor is about watching an insecure 14 year old turn into a confident 17 year old, about watching a student who came to the team as someone who didn't have any friends suddenly discover there are other people like herself out there... And in the end I hope that when I die, someone from my team will be my age and reading the obituaries in the paper and say to his wife, "Wow, I remember Mrs. Kentfield, she was a mentor on my robotics team back in high school!" That's all I ask.