Quote:
I like everthing I have read here except this part of the Dean 1998 speech...
"What this organization is about is not education per se." For me it is about the "education".
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When I first heard Dean say something like this at the 2001 Kick-Off, I just about jumped out of my seat and charged the stage. Since then, I have thought about what he said and meant, and I now tend to agree with him.
One of the dangers that FIRST has to avoid is getting high-jacked by the educational system. Therefore, it must distance its mission from being another educational activity.
FIRST's mechanism for achieving change is to provide motivated students who have a context in which to place their academic pursuits, to the existing educational system.
It is the responsibility of other entities to integrate FIRST into their existing processes to take advantage of educational benefits. Sort of like the commercials, "FIRST doesn't make students. FIRST makes students better."
Most of us provide some kind of off-season training for our students so that they can jump in and be effective during the six week build phase and during the competitions. It's up to us (not FIRST) to learn and teach.
BTW, Dean made an excellent speech at the 2001 Closing Ceremonies (FIRST 10th anniversary). We did not video tape that speech and it predated the broadcast and archives (I think). However, if someone has that one on videotape, it would be a super thing to transcribe.