Quote:
Originally Posted by nileshp87
I think we can all agree that there exists some teams where the mentors do all or most of the work on the robot.
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I've been a FRC mentor for 9 years now and have never seen one. There are many philosophies to be sure but none, that I am aware of, where the mentors do ALL the work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by nileshp87
To me personally, as a student, FIRST is FRC is a competition that takes place in high school. Having a robot be built almost entirely by mentors feels akin to cheating (or maybe bad sportsmanship).
Think of it as a spelling bee with little kids in it, then some adult comes and spells all the words for his\her kid in their place. Then tries to play it off as some kind of educational experience.
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No offense intended but perhaps a competition that is totally student-designed and student-built is a better environment for you. There are numerous such fun and awesome events.
FRC is orders of magnitude more complex than spelling, or any sport played with a ball (most of which I also love to play). It is a rare group of high school students that could build a first-tier FRC bot in 6 weeks. It just can't be done - the league would have to change fundamentally or die. And before we mention the many very talented seniors on most teams, remember where they learned their skills.
I started mentoring a team 9 years ago, not to re-live my youth but to influence my son's decision to become an engineer. He graduated with an EE degree 4 years ago. My daughter will graduate in May with an EE degree. Both won design competitions at school and credit their FRC experience. I continue as a mentor because the teacher/coach and I became good friends. My experience is typical, not extraordinary. FRC mentors participate with an outward-focus and a heart and mind for service.