[Steve W]

Why go to school at all? We all know how smart we are. School is another way to put down the brightest of young people. Force them to follow our standards. Why you ask? Just because we want all students to be miserable.

Really, that is the farthest thing from the truth that I could come up with at this time. Here I sit, almost 54 years old, taking a brake from studying. I HATE school but I must do it to stay employed. I dropped out of school after grade 12 (we had a grade 13 then) and did dead end jobs for a few years. Back in 1974 I got lucky and got hired by my present employer. I was thankful that they trained me and taught me how to work. I now make a good wage but I still need to improve myself.

What have I learned over the last 33 years? The first thing is that I should have stayed in school. I could have been so much more. I am not a stupid person (this is not a question) except for the fact that I thought that I knew best. I did not listen to my parents, teachers or friends. I knew I was good and any company that snapped me up was getting a deal. After 3 years of dead ends I started to realize that MAYBE I wasn't as smart as I thought. I quit the job I had and started working for less at the company I am with now. I took the opportunities as they came and pushed to make myself better. It took many years of long hours and hard work to struggle to be where I am now. The point is, that was then, this is now. I could never get my foot in the door now. No matter how good I am I could ot even get a second look. Companies look at your education. The reason is not always for the marks. They want a person that will meet the demands put on them, whether right or wrong. They want someone with perseverance that will finish the job put in front of them. I have dealt with a lot of university grads that are really not that bright. I have learned more in the school of hard knocks than they will ever know. They are hired because of the fact that when they were told to do something, like it or not, they did it.

As a mentor I would really question what I was doing if I took a student, worked with them in FIRST and didn't care about them getting good grades. Some students can get 90+ without trying and are capable of more. They should be expected to do better. Those that can only get 60 may be trying their hardest to achieve that mark. I am fine with that and would welcome them on my team. Those that are not passing need help not more distraction. If having them on the team would allow other members to help them and tutor them and their marks could improve then we are inspiring and again I am OK with that. I am not OK if a student comes and doesn't want to do better at school. This student will not be a good influence on the team and other students. FIRST is meant to make people better and show them what they are capable of. To do that we really need a base. SCHOOL. It may not be perfect but it is there and it is proven. You not only learn subjects but also disciplines. You learn how to study, memorize, prioritize and other important traits. You may not understand why now but as was said earlier, come back in 5 years and reread.

As the old saying goes " when I was 14 my parents were so dumb. It is amazing how much they learned in the last 7 years"