TEAM FALLING APART! HELP!

[Grim Tuesday]

Originally Posted by nitneylion452

Striking is often the way that a majority can overcome a minority that either has power or delusions of it. By striking, the team says that they aren't going to take any more of it. If a full-out strike isn't really what you want to do, you can do a sit in strike, where you come in, but do nothing; or you could do a slow down strike where you work at a much slower pace than usual. These are only suggestions. Naturally you want to compete, so moving to a mentor's garage may be your ultimate best bet, at least until the school administration takes action.

I feel like a strike only works on a commercial or industrial setting, where the management has opposing interests to the workers. In this case, you have the same goals, so working slowly compromises your goals as well as angers him.

[nitneylion452]

Originally Posted by Grim Tuesday

I feel like a strike only works on a commercial or industrial setting, where the management has opposing interests to the workers. In this case, you have the same goals, so working slowly compromises your goals as well as angers him.

This is true. In this case, we lack a conflict of interests, but we do have dissent among the workers. Like I said, the ultimate solution will be when the school administration takes action, but if all of their equipment is in this teacher's room, it will be awful hard to pack up and leave to go to a mentor's garage.

[EricH]

Couple of things:

First, I'd like to point you over towards FAHA, where all questions are anonymous by default. It's slower than the general forum, however, so I understand some urgency.

Second, the first thing I would have suggested is going to the administration. You've done that, so the only thing I can suggest is that the entire team (not just one segment), including the teacher if possible, take a couple days off. No work on the robot, no work on anything robotics related, aside from what I'm about to suggest. The team (including the teacher) should take the time to think about why they're doing FIRST Robotics Competition. What are the team's goals? What is the team's mentor agreement? (And is this teacher bound by that mentor agreement?)

Other than that time off and thinking, let the administration work. If need be, make sure they understand the need for an expedient solution to this problem--if they don't have a resolution in a matter of days, there's a distinct chance that the entire team disappears before competition, which does not reflect well upon the school.

[fox46]

Striking will not help in this situation. Your teacher has become frustrated that things are not being done his way- regardless of whether this is the right or wrong way. At this point it is clear that he blames the students for the problems you are experiencing and as such would LOVE to see you guys walk out to validate what he percieves to be the problem.

First of all, the shop is not *HIS*. He is merely an employee of the board- he does not own the equipment and resources in your school. Contacting your administration is the right way to go. What would *I* do next?

Work with your mentors and sponsors. Explain the situation if they are not already aware of it, then move everything - and I mean everything robotics related off-site to your mentor's garage. Have another teacher or the administration let you into the room and collect all your equipment. There is a magical key known as a cordless drill which can defeat nearly any lock! If it can't then it's friend- the bolt cutter, will. Your teacher will quickly get the message and he will then have to make the judgment call as to whether he's with you or against you. In any case, it doesn't matter- you will be free to work off-site as you please.

Keep in mind that (I am making an assumption here) he's not the one who paid the entry fee. You have sponsors who expect to see something for the money they have contributed. Explain to him that you have a duty to deliver a product and his actions have prevented you from doing so. Appologize for removing the equipment but explain that you felt it was necessary in order to continue with the project.

So your first step, contacing the admin is complete. Work with your mentors to see if you can find another place to work on it. Working off-site can be the best thing for a team- you can often work 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. One of my teams works exclusively out of a sponsor's shop which allows us to run work sessions any time of day, any day of the week. Last weekend we worked until 4am Sunday morning- try doing that at a school!

[RogerR]

I've been a team member, a technical mentor, and now a teacher. I've been a student, a college kid, and now a husband. I've been everything scout to Lead Mentor. With the exception of the position of principle/administration/school board, I've seen every side of this coin before. With all of that experience under my belt, Kim's advice is the best on this thread. It’s the most likely to quickly and successfully resolve the situation. Trying to turn this into some sort of 'you vs. him' conflict will only further slow any progress, and end up with someone walking away from the team insulted and uninspired.

Now that I'm a teacher, I realize how much work it is to make sure a team can exist. It takes a huge amount of time, effort, and personal money to keep it going. Very rarely will students (or even other mentors) see this. After the lights go out, I'm still here calling vendors, processing invoices, filling out POs, badgering FIRST HQ, firing emails to potential and current sponsors, filling out school board paperwork, defending the teams existence to the administration, and cleaning up the bits of flotsam that the team missed (not included: all the regular teaching duties). On the one day (or two, occasionally) a week I have off, I spend most of the afternoon picking up supplies and running errands.

My team this year has been great; they've been safe, clean, respectful, dedicated, thorough, and gracious. My family has been supportive, forgiving, and helpful. With the support of both team and family, I've been able to push a lot harder than in years past, however, it’s still unbelievably stressful. Based on the original post, I doubt the teacher has either of these, and that makes robotics season for him overwhelming and frustrating.

If you want to get him back on the same page, try and find out what he needs help with, and help him. Even if you don't agree with his methods, he wants you and the rest of the team to succeed. Talk to him, listen to him (as Kim said), and work with him. You're all on the same team, unless you make it otherwise.

Originally Posted by fox46

...First of all, the shop is not *HIS*. He is merely an employee of the board- he does not own the equipment and resources in your school. Contacting your administration is the right way to go. What would *I* do next?

Originally Posted by fox46

Work with your mentors and sponsors. Explain the situation if they are not already aware of it, then move everything - and I mean everything robotics related off-site to your mentor's garage. Have another teacher or the administration let you into the room and collect all your equipment. There is a magical key known as a cordless drill which can defeat nearly any lock! If it can't then it's friend- the bolt cutter, will. Your teacher will quickly get the message and he will then have to make the judgment call as to whether he's with you or against you. In any case, it doesn't matter- you will be free to work off-site as you please...

DON'T DO THIS!

The morning after you do this, your team would cease to exist, and in all likelihood, you might be facing criminal charges. And while he might not "own" the tools, materials, or workspace (though he probably does own or has paid for some of it), it is his responsibility. Theft and destruction of property do not bode well for a team’s future.

TL,DR: You're all on the same team. Don't fight with him, listen to him, and then try to figure out where your differences lie. And don't break into the school and steal stuff.

[rsegrest]

RodgerR and Kim hit it right on the head. Please try to find out what changed for this mentor.

Depending on what state you are in the educational system is going through some major upheavals right now. I am a tech-ed teacher and in my state our jobs are under fire every day. We are having to justify our existence and what we teach. It may be that behind the scenes your coach/mentor is facing the same issues. Pile on top of that any family issues you may not be aware of and things just continue to stack on top of each other until your mentor is overwhelmed and feels the need to have absolute control over just one area of his life.

I am the only coach for a 25 person team that has limited funding and only one mentor. Last spring (right at the beginning of build season) my mother-in-law was diagnosed with cancer and I can tell you that there was a definate difference in how I felt and as much as I tried not to let everything bleed together I know that it did. The kids knew and were extremely supportive (as best as teenagers who are in the midst of robot season can be).

Definately reach out to other teams in your area for help. Especially if there are established teams with long-time coaches/mentors. Maybe they can help give guidance or talk to your coach.

Good luck and keep your heads held high. Even if things don't go well at competition you are learning extremely valuable lessons about interpersonal communication and how to solve on-the-job problems.

[Mr. Van]

FOLLOW KIM'S ADVICE!!!

Follow Rodger's advice to FOLLOW KIM'S ADVICE!!!

If you can find out what is motivating your coach, you will almost certainly be able to improve the situation.

-Mr. Van
Coach, Robodox

[Brandon Holley]

Kim and Roger have this pretty locked down.

One thing I would also advise is not to approach the administration until you've reached a stalemate with all other solutions. Going above someones head often leads to a very abrupt change which could create even more tension.

Good luck.

-Brando

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Brandon Holley

One thing I would also advise is not to approach the administration until you've reached a stalemate with all other solutions. Going above someones head often leads to a very abrupt change which could create even more tension.

A little late for that advice, Brandon. The administration is already involved. Hopefully they can simply act as a mediator/moderator (which can help facilitate talking).

[Brandon Holley]

Originally Posted by EricH

A little late for that advice, Brandon. The administration is already involved. Hopefully they can simply act as a mediator/moderator (which can help facilitate talking).

I indeed did see that. What I was referring to was to take the approach Kim proposed involving a direct discussion between the two parties before having to interact through a mediator/moderator (administration).

[pyroslev]

Like everyone, I've seen what one person can do to lead to the downfall of a team. I think you guys are in a position that if you act properly and most importantly, fast, you can still pull the situation out of the fire. Everyone's advice thus far is mostly spot on. General strike won't work given the time you got left and the situation. Kims and Roger are pretty much on the mark. Here is how I'd handle it.

Go up to the highest school level supporter you have. Principal up to the School Board.
Take as many people as you can but insure that they are level headed. Those that are not, get their feelings and grievances in writing. (Bad timing in an outburst of emotion is a nail in the coffin.)
Bring the mentors, those still with you and those that have walked, into it similarly. (adults listen to adults)
Another avenue would be to bring the state/district level FIRST group in. Example would be if you were in Virginia to get in touch with someone in VirginiaFIRST. (Help from people in FIRST isn't a bad thing.)
Another local, parent or child team's support too would be great. (teamwork.)

I hope that you can get this issue resolved soon. I've seen to many good teams fall victim to politics, be it from one individual or a group. Good Luck and stay strong.

[2544HCRC]

I saw this post this morning and now that I have a chance to respond I can only wish that my response would have been as good as Kim and Rogers advice. In my experience in schools you will not get ahead by stirring the pot with administration. If you become a problem, what don't they solve by making you go away? Understand that everyone wants the same thing, you just need to figure out how to get there together. It isn't easy to be the bigger person sometimes, that's why it's called being the bigger person.

[Conor Ryan]

I have been in a similar situation and honestly, it is terrible. I completely feel for you.

Do your best to keep your team together, keep their heads high, I have been through a very similar situation and they get fixed, it just takes a lot of time and people.

My best advice I can give you is find a way to do some team bonding outside of the team meetings, I know its build season and people are all wound up around that, but get a movie night at someone's house on a Saturday night will keep the team together. Show some leadership and rally the troops around this adversity.

Some of my best friends I have ever made came out of some of the worst team situations I have ever been in as a student.

[aeniug2]

My team has been in a very similar situation for the last two years, and it sucked. We were cutting c-channel holding hack saw blades with our bare hands because we weren't allowed to use "dangerous" tools, and it was all we could sneak in...

We just kept on trying to have a positive outlook, we kept doing whatever we could to have a positive presence in the school. And eventually, the principal found out that we existed!

We met with various teachers, and eventually one agreed to help out.
He's the graphics design and the wood shop teacher, which means we have gone from using broken hand tools that we smuggled in, to using CNC machines and drill presses.

The best thing you can do is just keep trying to make it better, bit by bit, just keep showing everyone that you'r still alive and kicking... If you can hang in there things can always get better.

Now, I don't personally know your teacher person, so this might not work for you... But I would recommend just standing up to him and letting him know what FIRST is really about.

Like many others have asked, where are you located? I'm sure my team would be more than willing to lend a helping hand.

Also, Kim's advice is great.

[roveout]

I hope things work out, but if they don't.... is there another FIRST team nearby? It's not unheard of to have a 2 school Team. You might be happier and better served by combining with another team and working in their space. It's not good to work in a toxic environment.

Jeff