FIRST is not all about the students. It's also not all about the mentors. On a successful FIRST team, both students and mentors work together, side by side, 50-50. The point of FIRST is to teach students about STEM, and spread STEM awareness. This is not possible without the work of mentors and engineers working with the students.

In the scenario where the mentors do more than the students, the students will not learn as much as they should. In the scenario where the students do more than the mentors, the students won't learn any of the knowledge the mentors have to offer them.

In conclusion, mentors are part of FIRST to teach STEM. Without them, this whole operation would not be possible. Yet, they do need to be limited. Not too much, not too little.