Quote:
Originally Posted by Cory
It was clearly a troll because he ended the message by saying "I'm trying to build the robot for these students, but they just need to stay away from the tools", clearly a "mentor built robot dig" when combined with the 254 team number.
I'm certainly sensitive to the challenges of having a blind student, it just seemed like that post was about taking shots at us, not about a blind student.
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I can see how you could read it that way, personally I read it a little differently. First, I didn't actually see what team number was indicated on the account - I thought the intent with a name like "mentor_4281" was that he/she was a mentor for team 4281 (whom I don't know and pass no judgement on whatsoever). Second, when I read that I read it from the perspective of a struggling mentor trying to do their best for the team. Not necessarily saying they literally build the robot for the team, but that they feel the obligation to ensure the team presents a functional robot at the end of the build season and they're having trouble doing that with a student that poses a danger to himself and others in their shop.
As a more general comment to all of CD, every team, at one point or another, is going to encounter a problem student. They may have a disability of one sort or another that imposes limits they're attempting to overcome. They may be blind or deaf, or bound to a wheel chair. They may have a learning impediment, or have difficulty with social situations. When someone comes on here seeking advice, they may not feel comfortable posting under their own name/team - for one, they may not want to be caught publicly "complaining" about one of their students, and may be afraid of the blow-back that may happen if a public discussion like that was attributed to their team (parents get upset, school may think it sends the wrong image, etc). In that case, leaving the team number blank is better than picking a high-profile number you happen to remember (and hey, if you see someone impersonating your team, better to handle it with a friendly PM than getting all upset). We should try to be more accepting, offer up useful advice and suggestions. I strongly believe that anyone, regardless of handicap, can be a productive and happy member of a team if you can find the right niche for them to fill. Sometimes, though, it takes the advice of others to help you find that niche, and that is a purpose that CD should help fill!