[Al Skierkiewicz]

This will be my fifth season starting next month. We had seven teams from one school last year. I have tended to follow the teacher's I work with and add a little scout basics into the mix. So here is a few rules of thumb...

1. Students of this age group tend to work better with students their own age. There is a vast difference between a 7th grader and a sixth grader.

2. With so many student trying to get in, an entrance exam and a monetary deposit will trim the numbers down considerably. Parents who are looking for a baby sitter will not shell out $25-$50 to sign up with no refund. An exam will help you find students who can follow instructions without someone holding their hand.

3. Small groups work very well. Scouts do 5-8 and I would go along with that. If the group is too large, nothing can be accomplished (work divided) and too few can not handle the workload. 5-8 covers when everyone cannot meet.

4. A short session of everyone getting together each day allows you to give answers to questions only once or twice. It gives the other groups the chance to see that everyone is encountering the same problems. And it gives the adults a chance to take care of business items like attendance, handouts, etc. It is also during these combined sessions where "gracious professionalism" is taught and suggestions for action is given. We have tried letting each group give a short report.

5. Let groups pick a leader, a driver, etc. but watch them and rotate so everyone gets a chance to do what they want.

6. Learn to expect a team may come in one day and tear apart the robot and start over. It may be the best thing for them to do that. You can set goals and try to stick to them. FLL is a series of goals, so take the simplest one and make every team have a workable solution by week X then the second goal by week X+2, etc. Have a few mini competitions set as real times and challenges to give your teams the chance to compete under pressure.

7. Involve parents by asking for help early and invite parents to the minicompetitions. Take the opportunity to have a parent's meeting before the season jumps off and teach them about "gracious professionalism" and how to act in front of their students. Keep in touch with the adult mentors so they don't get too far behind.

8. Most important of all, remember you are not in this alone. There is almost as much help in FLL as in FIRST and e-mail and forums are the best place to look. The FLL site in Minnesota is a great help as well.

Any other questions, please PM me and I will try to help. Other teams also mentor FLL and our team is no exception with 15-20 last year plus helping with the state competition.


FLL is not very far off