[Shawn60]

Bono

Most of our students don't worry about it too much. They like what we do and aren't too worried about all the political garbage. They just worry about making our team better than it was in the past.

I have a theory. It is only mine so take it for what it is worth. I have seen it both ways. This is my second team to be an adviser for.

Why can't some teams get enough adult help? Why do they have a ton of dedicated engineers/teachers/machinists? I know why we do and why I did at my last team. It is because we do not DEMAND that the robot be 100% student built.

With team 60 we work with the machinists and teachers on our team as PARTNERS. We give up some of the control to learn from some 50+ years of "real life" engineering/machining experience. We allow the adults to have fun, to be challenged, to feel frustrated, sad, happy, angry, and every other feeling that goes into building a FIRST robot. We ALLOW the adults to have as much fun as the students. Not too many adults want to give up their free time to sit and watch students "play". They want to "play" also.

When my students (at my previous team) and I were able to let go of some of the control we were able to attract more adults (engineers, machinists, teachers, and parents) to the team. Everyone wants to feel needed for their expertise and not their "baby sitting skills". We all want to feel that we are valued, important, and we wan to have fun. I think that when you let the adults have fun you will attract more adults than you know what to do with.

If you let go... they will come.

This leads to the next problem. Where is the balance between the adults having too much fun and taking away from the students? That is the topic for another thread.

Ahh...Now I feel better.

See ya at the competitions

Shawn

p.s. You can take others only as far as you have gone yourself.

My job as team adviser is to find people who are smarter, more talented, and who have more experience than me to help my team. Then I am wise enough to shut up, to listen, and to learn.