[Amanda M]

You can't just shut them out of everything.

Our team has had its share of problems with this in the past. We've had people in the pit that knew nothing about our robot or anything it can do. And they were talking to scouts from other teams! (and I can say, from personal experience, that there are two sides you can look at this from)

1. Your side. The kid's a nuisance. Trying to get into everything, and only making a mess. What you could do is talk to him, make him feel a little more involved with the team. Educate him. Teach him how not to be a pest. Chances are, he's just trying to fit in, to live up to your (and everyone else's) expectations.

2. His side. He's in the middle of a place that he honestly knows nothing about. He's blown away. I mean, seriously, how often to kids get to see a robot that they can play with. People in my school don't even know anything about the robotics team. They have no idea what we do. He'll want to get hands on experience. Maybe he's a little too stubborn to admit when he's wrong, but that's when you step in and tell him how to fix the problem.

I think that you should just try to help him out. I've been in this position, and I know what it's like to be isolated from the team.

You never know, some day he might start working his butt off, knowing what he's doing, and prove to be very helpful.


Amanda M
Team60