[rpaulsen]

Are these teacher/coaches, or professionals volunteering their time as a mentor?

If they are teachers, your executive board may want to ask them to sit down as a small group to talk about your concerns. Be sure to thank them for their time because most teachers get paid very little to coach these teams, and teaching is a lot of work. Focus your conversation on the idea that you feel like things are getting in the way of your learning and that you would enjoy a more discovery based way of learning about robotics rather than teacher driven. Most teachers should respond to this in a thoughtful way.

If it is professionals volunteering their time, then the best way to address the situation is through your teacher/coach. Your teacher/coach should really be the person in charge of all adults involved with the team in general. Sit down with your teacher/coach and explain your concerns about the mentors. Your teacher can then go to the mentor in a way that is respectful but serious.

Overall, it is amazing when people whether teachers or mentors with professional backgrounds volunteer their time, but the goal of FIRST is for the students to learn these STEM skills. The adult members have to remember that this is the primary goal.