[EricH]

I think that FIRST is one of a number of organizations like that, as Jane pointed out. They treat the kids as adults (albeit younger adults) unless other behavior warrants other treatment.

There have been a number of comments about the number of Eagle Scouts in FIRST, or for that matter, Scouts in general. Scouting teaches maturity and leadership as well as outdoor skills. In fact, you have to have had a position of responsibility for a certain period of time before you can advance past the First Class rank (when you've learned all your skills). To advance, you must be responsible, serve others, and lead.

The same holds true in FIRST. While they teach a different set of skills, you still need maturity. You need professionalism, tempered with grace (or is it the other way around?). Professionals treat you as almost-equals, with the almost portion being the knowledge that you don't have yet that they have and share. Because they share their knowledge, you gain that knowledge from them.

FIRST kids tend to be treated as adults, with the responsibility level appropriate to where they are. As they meet the challenge, they get another, slightly harder one. And they meet it. Their responsibility level grows. They take the initiative to learn.

That is why they tend to behave better: they are assumed to be responsible, professional young adults and not irresponsible, unprofessional teenagers until proven otherwise. And because of the human nature not to back down from a challenge, they generally don't prove that they should be treated like typical teenagers. (There are exceptions, don't get me wrong, but in general, this holds true.)