*sigh*
Let me first say that everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
That being said, I do think that the goal of FIRST is not to win at Nationals or even build really good robots. Rather, it is to educate students about STEM, give them some hands-on practice, and encourage cooperation and good sportsmanship.
This goal can be achieved with mentors. It can also be achieved without mentors.
Mentors seem to make a team more likely to win.
But that isn't the goal of FIRST! If mentors are capable of helping students learn, though, then they may be invaluable in achieving the real goal of FIRST. This is the true value of mentors.
Just as long as the mentors don't do all the work while the students play Ping-Pong in the corner, which is defeating the whole purpose of FIRST. But I don't see that happen very often.
Dang. We're
still beating this dead horse?
