Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Andy Baker
Why do FIRST teams start with the intention of this being a "student design competition"?
|
Because some teams don't want to turn into the "our-engineers-build-99%-of-our-robot powerhouse" they've seen dominate the competition time and time again. But instead of asking for help from mentors who may have a better understanding of what's going on, these teams go from one extreme to the other. Personally, I was a little like that when I started in FIRST. I'd like to think that, in the past five years, I've grown a little wiser. After being involved for awhile and seeing teams on both ends of the spectrum, I don't think either extreme does anyone much good.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by sanddrag
But the mentors already know everything. The point is not always to get the robot done fastest, it is for you students to learn something.
|
I'm mentoring a team this year, and I sure don't know everything! Especially when it comes to engineering. I know enough to get by in a pinch, and I know what I learned from my years in FIRST. For me, part of the fun of FIRST is coming back and learning so much new
stuff year after year - not just from other mentors but from high school students as well! But math is, by far, my worst subject, and - though I think engineers are so awesome - engineering really isn't
my thing. The primary reason I'm joining this team to help with team organization and fund-raising (... raising funds - sorry, Schuff
) When the time comes, I'll help out with the robot but it won't be with my ability to do mind-boggling physics. It will be helping the students on the team figure out the best way to attach piece A to piece B. It'll be me saying, "hmm I'm not sure if we can do that - let me check the rules" when someone has a question about the legality of what they're about to do. No, I don't know everything and honestly, I don't want to.
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by RbtGal1351
One thing that's up to debate for me and my team is who should be running the organization and the managing of the team -- students or adults?
|
Both.
When I was on team 93, the mentors took care of travel arrangements, running some team meetings, issues with the high school and getting food to the team during the build and at competitions - they oversaw students taking care of the majority of everything else, organization-wise. Ordering shirts, picking out swappables, getting buttons made, setting up and running fundraisers, setting up meetings with potential new sponsors, doing demonstrations ... even ordering materials (with mentor approval!) was sometimes done by the students. The mentors were always there to make sure we didn't screw up too badly - but they did, occasionally, let us screw up and learn from our mistakes. One of the most important things Sean Schuff ever taught me was how to
fail forward. There's a great book by John C. Maxwell on the subject called
Failing Forward: How to Make the Most of Your Mistakes - check it out!
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by phrontist
I see absolutely no value in an entirely engineer built robot. Is that really so insulting? I mean, if the students just watch the engineer do brilliant things, they might as well read a book about great innovators.
|
Perhaps watching an engineer build a robot doesn't inspire you personally, but what if that's all the students on the team are looking for? What if they
are inspired by watching someone else?
Don't make the mistake of thinking everyone learns the same, thinks the same, and is inspired in the same ways as you.