Quote:
Originally Posted by gblake
Some of this is ridiculous, and until it is refuted, infuriating.
There is no need for state educational systems to alter FIRST event rules.
Even if FRC were the greatest thing since pre-sliced bread, there is no need to force it on people, or to deny them alternatives.
School systems are welcome to dictate to their schools what those institutions must do, but there is no need for FIRST, or VRC, or BEST, or ... to convert a large state's surface area into a place where the state dictates what independent teams may do in FIRST.
A state is welcome to give grants to its schools and/or to event organizers. However, those grants should not be accepted if they come with strings that tell independent teams the FIRST rules that allow them to participate are going to be nullified.
Should (school or) non-school teams that happen to occupy a patch of dirt in one state be told by FIRST, and by FIRST's local agent, that they are forbidden to participate in their home state ,and that they are forbidden to compete elsewhere?
None of this was necessary.
And I'm still curious to see any figures that show what's been described so far is getting more bang for the buck than alternatives that start with a clean sheet of paper.
Blake
|
The Michigan education system has nothing to do with altering the rules. FiM, First In Michigan, is not affiliated with the school districts.
I think many people have missed asking why FiM has done this. I'll take a stab at it. FiM has always focused on spreading FIRST. From the district system to the State Championship that was supposed to be free, FiM has drastically increased the impact, reach, accessibility, and number of Michigan teams.
Dean's vision is to have FIRST in every school. FiM is working toward that, and I think they have decided that one of the steps to having that happen is to set clear break points that coincide with school grades.
It may not be perfect for all kids, and some districts have different definitions of middle school, etc. But I can see the logic behind the move. This is going to create a boom of FTC teams in middle schools as the FLL members move upwards. And with middle schools providing some financial support it will probably be a lot more successful. Right now our local middle school does nothing to support FIRST because their kids go back to FLL and continue competing there. But as a parent you can bet I'll be pushing for an FTC team for my middle schoolers to compete in since they loved FLL so much.
Change is painful, but I can definitely see where this is going. FiM has been offering grants that make starting FLL and FTC teams nearly free. (Not the governmental grants from Lansing).