Quote:
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Originally Posted by M. Krass
Mike Aubry (forgive me if I've forgotten how to spell your name correctly) wrote:
I don't, however, believe the problem is that the chit-chat threads exist. I believe the "problem" is that FIRST is a lot bigger than it used to be and that accessibility has lowered the caliber of its participants.
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While this is slightly off-topic (pro chitchat, but that may be because I cannot experience the inner workings of being a moderator having to monitor and be the balance of a code of conduct), I must disagree with the opinion that the accessibility of FIRST has brought a lower caliber of participants. While in terms of the cold reality of grades, SAT scores and public testing, yes some people may be of a "higher caliber" than others, one of the main points of the FIRST competition is the experience. If working on a robotics team means that you are inspired to be an engineer, or a trades worker, if you don't have the grades, it doesn't mean that you are a lower caliber. I don't believe this is what M was commenting on, but I had to make sure to point that out. Accessibility is a huge problem when dealing with education as a whole. If a private school has huge resources and a number of dedicated and caring teachers that are able to dote on students all hours of the day, does that make the students themselves a higher caliber than students that attend a public high school in an urban-density area? Accessibility is not a bad thing! FIRST is being spread to more people around the world with a greater diversity of attitudes, ideas and messages. While they may not always be mindful of the rules while posting in a forum, there is no question that FIRST wouldn't be better off without them. It can mean giving a person the idea to pursue an opportunity or an area they would never have though existed before. "Caliber" isn't something that students should be defined by, especially in FIRST. There is enough pressure on everyday students now, FIRST should be an academic escape, with a level playing field and equal treatment and expectations of everyone. (as much of a pipe dream as it sounds, thats how I believe it should be).