[nlknauss]

Experienced mentors are huge assets to any FRC team, but student ideas fuel team investment and success. FIRST students are constantly in brainstorming mode and asking questions in order to better themselves and their team. Mentors do need to help students evaluate their ideas in a logical manner, it is a part of FIRST learning. Our team built 3 different elevator lifts this build season before making a final decision on the one that would ultimately be used. Through each iteration, the students asked if we could do it and together we weighed resources like time, money, weight, and the intended function before deciding to move forward. Getting mentors to ask students these questions (or any) can be tough, especially when a mentor knows what the answer will be before asking the student the question. The students may provide an answer the mentor didn't consider. Remembering to ask questions may be enough to rejuvenate the way mentors work with students.

Nate