Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Line
If I were ever on a team who pushed the mentors into the background and didn't let them work just as hard as the students, I'd quit and not go back.
I don't plan on spending half a year every year in an activity where I'm expected to sit back and watch, or simply help out every now and then.
I stay in FIRST because I enjoy the competition, and I enjoy working with the team.
I think that any student who believes that team should be 100% run by students with a robot built by students should take a step back and consider that. Most of the mentors are here because it's fun for them too.
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Hi Tom. I recently made an account specifically to reply to posts like these in light of the current controversy. I choose to not include any specific team information because I have noticed alot of rage against the OP.
Anyway, I would like to reply to the underlined statement.
I am on a team which has highly capable mentors who have admitted that at times they have had a strong urge to jump in and become super involved in building the robot but have had enough self control to understand that students lose interest really, really quickly when left alone to sit on the sidelines and watch the critical design and fabrication process.
To reply to Dean Kamen's analogy that relates FIRST kids to being little league'rs looking up to mentors and the complicated build process, the FRC, I'd like to say this: those students becomes interested because they saw how cool robotics and technology can be, I can say on behalf of the majority of students in FIRST because I am a STUDENT, that if left to watch mentors do that which we were so interested in, namely building a robot while leaving us to watch, we progressively lose interest and are inwardly disappointed because we are not allowed to freely engage in the activity.
Kids playing baseball all have a coach which teach them at a young age HOW to play, but as those members mature they are the only ones PLAYING and actively developing skill.
Mentors should sit on the sidelines, guide, and not feel dejected because they are not receiving the action the actual students should be getting.
Any team that does not let a student fully realize and develop their potential is hindering the student and that is not in the spirit of FIRST.