Quote:
Originally Posted by Littleswimmer14
Does anyone have other ideas for HOW to ... build up their confidence...?
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Competence is the foundation of confidence, and when girls achieve a certain level of proficiency, it's much easier for them to be heard. Training in how to present ideas with concrete reasoning is a skill that will improve both their confidence and their effectiveness.
A person (guy or girl) who says, "I think a scissor lift would be more effective than a 6-bar this year, because the density of the objects in this year's game exacerbates the torque requirement of the longer 6-bar" will get more listeners than, "I think we should use a scissor lift." Someone who can present their idea with a CAD rendering, photo of another team's similar design, a built prototype of their mechanism using simple parts, or even a hand-drawn sketch also has an edge.
I've had girls who are very well-respected, because they were willing to do the work to get good. They came in humbly as learners, and after reaching a certain level of competence, they shared opinions, which were embraced and used. These girls have taken on heavily technical roles, like head programmer and builder.
Other girls came in as newbies with the attitude, "I'm as good as everyone else here, and we should all be treated as equals." Their ideas were ignored, and rather than saying, "I was ignored as a newcomer" they reported, "I was ignored because I'm a girl."
The LAST thing I want to give my girls is a sense of entitlement -- "We deserve to be listened to because we're girls." In these days and times, girls sometimes get passed over for being girls, but sometimes also get special treatment for the same, and getting in the habit of expecting that special treatment as a "given" does not serve anyone well.
P.S. Thanks, Katie, for starting this thread. I've really enjoyed it and hope my responses haven't been overly strident.