Re: School Shop Policy
 

When I had "shop" back in High School they emphazied safety to the fullest extreme. I'm glad they did, I still have a full set of 7 fingers........

Re: School Shop Policy
 

our school is very lucky, we have a woodshop as well as a machine shop, though our school requires there be an adult in the room, and this year, we were lucky enough to get all the mech team "certified" so they know what everthing is and how to operate it. :eek: yeah, mech team loose in the room? :eek

Team 772
Mohsin
We got some INCENTIVE do you?

Re: School Shop Policy
 

We have to have a non-student around. Doesn't matter who. Anyone. We usually just grab someone old-looking until they wander off, then grab another. Lather, rinse, repeat. All these complex saftey rules are a bit melodramatic. As long as you have some common sense, and you think before you act, you'll be find. Honestly, how bloody hard is it to operate a mill without hurting yourself? It's a rapidly spinning sharp peice of metal, and as long as your mindful of this very complex situation before you, I think you'll make it out alive.

We received our mill very recently, and no one knew how to use it, mentors included. But it's really just like an Etch-A-Sketch, but with metal and danger. A few trips to the library later (early seventies milling textbooks seem to be written by the most bitter and unpleasent people ever) and we're having a blast covered in (cutting) oil, like baby seals around the Exxon Valdez. Bada bing baby!

Re: School Shop Policy
 

Our students all must go threw a shop safety training after school to be on the team. The only power tools we have are a drill press, cordless drills and a dremel. Our robot is built by hand with hand tools. Its hard to cut you fingers off with a hand hack saw. It's very easy to do with a chop saw.

Re: School Shop Policy
 

Risk of debilitating injury is the spice of life!

Re: School Shop Policy
 

We have something similar, though without the dremel. We also have a rule: Safety glasses are a must around power equipment. (Definition of "around equipment": at the same table.) We work in an old machine shop, so there are some tools like threaders, but we can't use them (even if they were in operating condition).

Re: School Shop Policy
 

Isn't it crazy that every student has the wisdom to see that we need our shops, BUT they are being cut out at every turn. SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS, CAN YOU HEAR THIS???
I have been an Industrial Arts/Technology teacher here in NJ for 27 years, and have watched shop after shop close down, and for no good reason. We are a relatively young team (3rd year), and got involved because, among other things, saw it as a way to emphasize the importance of our shop programs (while we still had a few left!).
All of you students, mentors, and advisors need to become proponents for shop programs in your communities. Attend a board of Ed. meeting in your town, and let them know how you feel. It's way more important than doing it here, where you are essentially "preaching to the choir".
Best of Luck this year from Team 1228- A-MERCK-IN-Indians

Re: School Shop Policy
 

Well Ryan,

I would investiage in finding a Technology Education teacher to throw in sometime to help his school team out. I'm a Tech Teacher, but I am also a co-team leader to my team, but I do understand your problem. The bigger machines can give you more than a small cut.


Leis

Re: School Shop Policy
 

TOTALLY AGREE....

Technology Teacher here as well. On my hand, I'm lucky we still have 4 functioning shops along with a Photography lab. I saw First Robotics as a chance to show people why our field is so important. How things are handled with our specific discipline is wrong and will have an effect for years to come. My name is Vincent J. Leis - Membership Secretary of the Nassau Technology Educators Association on Long Island as well as Co-Team leader of Rookie Team 1546...... CHAOS INC.

Nice talking

Re: School Shop Policy
 

My school has a policy of requiring a teacher in our lab to just be in the lab. So we can't even touch a screwdriver if our teacher isn't in the room. Now in theory I think this is a good policy, but the obvious caveat is that if we can't find a teacher to be in the lab we can't work at all. We have a teacher but, he's unreliable and often busy. Other teachers can help out sometimes when he can't. I just think its kinda sad that there are kids that really, really want to work on their robot and make it as good as it can be but aren't given the opportunity because of a lack of interest from teachers. Ah well its the way it goes.

Re: School Shop Policy
 

I completely agree - I'd do almost anything to go to a school with a shop.

The most hands-on our school gets is using a computer mouse on a virus infested dell. Our district spends millions (yes, millions) on computers every other year and most of them aren't even usable. We have class sets of 30 laptops at our school that are only used twice a year for CIM testing. At least 40% of the computers avalible in the library have so much spyware on them that you can't even use word or surf the net.

The worst part is there's no other option - last summer i TRIED to switch districts just so i could go to a school with wood shops, metal shops, welding classes, and actual hands-on courses but because of district policy (and not wanting to release the state money granted to them for me attending) they wouldn't let me go. The only way is if i pay the state's $5000+ to switch, OR move to the other district (which I still might do)

Our team is lucky enough to have multiple mentors from the local Xerox, so we are able to meet there and our mentors are able to use the shop tools in the model shop to make parts we need.

Anyways, thats our situation

Re: School Shop Policy
 

in our district you have to have a teacher sponsor(last year math teacheR) this year it is the tech teacher so we actualy get to use the shop(we used a classroom last year...)

ther has to be an adult ther for us too, but there is around 3 of us that they trust enough to use the large tools alone. We showed ourselves last year, thus we are trusted :D

Re: School Shop Policy
 

we are a little stuck with shops. nearly all of the parts are manufactured by a 2/3 students who have dads who are buliders / engineers etc. We have nothing in college, except a few bits and bobs of hte physics department (one of our mentors is a physics teacher) and there is not much more than basic hand tools and a small pillar drill. As such, everyone who makes things at home is used to the machinery and has used it before a lot... so we havn't had any accidents as far as i remember ... The college is very strict on insurance, and i wasn't even allowed to use my battery drill once in college, because i hadn't signed some stuff saying if i drill my hand , its my fault...

Re: School Shop Policy
 

Our team is lucky to have a school with a machine shop, and after reading this thread I think that we have probably one of the more lenient approaches to allowing students to use the machines. We only have to have a school representative there to accompany us, i.e a teacher. Its not bad because our leader happens to be a teacher at the school so it really hasn't been a big problem. However our team has a rule that any student must be accompanied by an adult mentor when in the machine shop.

Re: School Shop Policy
 

I'll follow up on Ryan's complaint, as I'm one of the mentors on the team. Since the inception of the team, a shop teacher was the main driving force behind everything, from leading the team through preseason, to designing, building, and competing with the robot. He taught the students how to safely use the machines, and they took a lot of pride in having a 100% student built robot.

Since then, the shop teacher has retired, and we have not been able to find a replacement. We are a small team (<5 mentors, <10 students) and are having a difficult time balancing our time together as a group. The adults are forced to do a majority of the work, and students are only allowed to stand by and watch. While this is a great opportunity to teach the students, it's not the best use of our resources, especially during build season. We finally found a certified teacher to help us out, but he can only donate a day or two of his time, total. While it's hardly a blip in our schedule, we'll certainly welcome him with open arms.

I will say this... Ryan has always wanted to "build the robot." He wasn't all that interested in the brainstorming, prototyping, or even designing many of the parts. This year, he's been forced to sit by our sides and watch a bit of what the mentors do, in regards to designing the mechanisms. I think Ryan is getting more of an education than he expected, as he's become more involved in the other aspects of the team. As some old quote goes, "One closed doors leads you to an open one." Maybe this will spark him to do a little more than just "build the robot." Great thread Ryan, see you this weekend.

Bengineer
Team 228