Local newspaper Staff editorial ,Please Read!

[dcarr]

One of the points in this article that really irks me is the idea that STEM programs are creating workers whose skillset is outdated in 10-15 years because technology changes so quickly. The author implies that we need more doctors, lawyers, etc. whose skills somehow magically never become outdated.

You know what also changes constantly? Medicine, law, and many other fields. Physicians are constantly undergoing training and learning new things. To suggest that STEM fields are unique in that they are fast-paced and require constant evolution is ridiculous. Plus, that's hardly a negative. I can't imagine working in an industry that would remain stagnant for the entirety of a 50 year career. "The day you stop learning is the day you die. "

[ebarker]

The irony. Students in robotics programs learn hardcore critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills sounds like a prerequisite for writing opinion articles. Maybe the author should join a team and get some.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by ebarker

The irony. Students in robotics programs learn hardcore critical thinking skills. Critical thinking skills sounds like a prerequisite for writing opinion articles. Maybe the author should join a team and get some.

You should have mentioned that in the letter.

[IKE]

As others have stated, it might be best to invite the individual to some workshops or events.

Remember folks, the goal is to "change the culture". A lot of great advancement towards the goal has been accomplished, but letters like this are proof that there is still room for improvement.

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by IKE

As others have stated, it might be best to invite the individual to some workshops or events.

Remember folks, the goal is to "change the culture". A lot of great advancement towards the goal has been accomplished, but letters like this are proof that there is still room for improvement.

The nearest events are BAE, Boston, WPI, NYC, Long Island and FLR.

[Billfred]

I sent my two cents:

L.D. Davidson's Sunday op-ed says sarcastically "Likewise, it is wonderful that students in Amsterdam are building 'robots' that play basketball. It must be great fun, especially if it substitutes for class time better spent on reading, writing, math and learning to think clearly."

Having mentored students in the same FIRST Robotics Competition as Amsterdam for nearly a decade now, I invite Mr. Davidson to visit with a FIRST team when the season begins next month--almost all meet outside school hours. I extend this invitation because I believe he is misinformed about the program and what results from a student's participation in it.

When a student has READ the competition manual to avoid creating an overweight, out-of-spec machine, WRITTEN sponsors from the local hardware store on up to NASA (which sponsors 11 teams in New York this year) to pay for expenses, done the MATH to ensure the motors will hold the load and won't blow every breaker on the robot, and LEARNED TO THINK CLEARLY when troubleshooting a custom-built 120-pound machine (and its software) in 10 minutes before the next match, the result is not merely a student with specific vocational training. The result is a student prepared to work through tough problems in any business, including those that don't exist yet.

This is why colleges and universities offer over $16 million in scholarships to graduates of the program, why names from George H.W. Bush to the founders of Google and YouTube have spoken at our championship event, and why companies as diverse as Xerox, Motorola, Bausch & Lomb, Lockheed Martin, L3 Communications, Con Edison, jcpenney, Time Warner Cable, and even the New York Yankees are supporting FIRST teams in the state of New York this year.

And yes, it IS great fun.

Sincerely,

William "Billfred" Leverette
Columbia, South Carolina

[ebarker]

from the article

• 13 counties
• 20 local chambers of commerce
• 111 school districts
• 345 schools

have signed up for the initiative.

It seems like this is a gold mine of interested contacts. Seems to me like the relevant STEM/FIRST/VEX parties in the area need to get to work and get these people to the regional events. Or I guess the real answer is maybe they already got to work and already got them there in the past and this is all good news.

Good luck NY !!

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by Billfred

I sent my two cents:

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Billfred again.

Excellent letter.

[Ian Curtis]

Originally Posted by JRuegsegger

As a high school student on a FIRST team and in a journalism class, I can say that this is one of the worst articles I have ever read.

Bias and an obvious lack of research are both slathered thoroughly over that article. I won't even get into AP writing style.

Editorials don't have to be researched or unbiased... they are by definition opinion based.

As others have said, the best way to deal with the kind of person that writes crochety letters to the editor is to be incredibly nice. They are quite glad to get into a shouting match, as they know they are right in the very core of their being. Invite the author to team meetings & an event! If they don't change their mind, certainly they are invited to their own opinions. After all, I do not recall the last time my opinions about something were drastically altered by an Oped...

I had a particularly nasty one written about me in 2009. Last time I checked, I'm having a great time designing airplanes and living life. I'm sure the author is still in his house reading local news and writing nasty letters, but that doesn't affect my life in the least.

[BJC]

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” -Dr. Seuss

We all do this because we enjoy it and it we want others to enjoy it as much as we do. Billfred has sent his letter, maybe the author will see we're all not as bad as he thinks, maybe he won't. Either way, we'll all continue to inspire and be inspired by the amazing people that are a part of this organization.

Take it in stride.
Regards, Bryan

[dcarr]

Originally Posted by BJC

“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.” -Dr. Seuss

We all do this because we enjoy it and it we want others to enjoy it as much as we do. Billfred has sent his letter, maybe the author will see we're all not as bad as he thinks, maybe he won't. Either way, we'll all continue to inspire and be inspired by the amazing people that are a part of this organization.

Take it in stride.
Regards, Bryan

Agreed. The general response to FIRST is so fantastic that something like this is but a small blip on the radar and doesn't impact what we do in the slightest. We'll all keep doing our best to promote our teams and FIRST in the best way possible.

I have tried to contact Mr. Davidson in order to offer him an invitation to one of our meetings.

I am also preparing an op-ed for next Sunday's paper that in my opinion the world is flat ,we are on the brink of being taken over by machines and LED Christmas lights are responsible for global warming.

[pfreivald]

As a high school science teacher and a school board member, I can only say this: There isn't a minute or dollar invested in education better than that which goes to FIRST. I extend an open invitation to the author to visit my FRC program to better inform his opinion on what it's all about.

[XaulZan11]

Before we slam the author for their opinion (or worse yet, laugh at them ), we, as a community, should look at why what we have done/haven't done to give them their (perhaps incorrect) opinion. For example, many (most?) people think corportations should be kept out of public school for various reasons. On the surface, FIRST appears to not only allowing corportations to interact with students but encourges it! The entire purpose of FIRST is to get inspired by mentors who work for these corporations. As a community, we are very proud of all the corporate relationship we have, including them on our team name and t-shirts.

Of course I do not agree with the author, but I can see how we contributed to their beliefs. The best way to change their beliefs is to continue to promote and educate about FIRST.

[pfreivald]

Originally Posted by XaulZan11

For example, many (most?) people think corportations should be kept out of public school for various reasons.

When confronted by people who think that something utterly impossible and (very!) debatable in terms of value such as keeping "corporations" out of public school, we should do when confronted with anything else: educate!

"Corporations" aren't soulless, money-sucking greed machines. Corporations are PTC, Deka, Bausch + Lomb, IFI, AndyMark... They're groups of people united in a common purpose to bring a product or service that betters both their own lives and those who use their product/service.

And many of these corporations seek to help people by participating in programs like FIRST, not because it gives them some sort of benefit, but because it's the right thing to do.

I'm as cynical as the best of them, but even I can see the value in more active corporate-school relationships--and this is true even when the corporate relationship is fundamentally self-serving. (Apple, for example, doesn't discount Apple products in schools solely out of the goodness of their hearts... They want people to prefer Apple products by the time they're able to buy their own and/or influence what their business/school/etc. buys... But their desire for Apple-preferring adults benefits schools and school children in very real and tangible ways.) That said, it's worth noting that many corporations support FIRST even though the long-term projections on their bottom line don't justify it -- they do so because helping awesome kids become ever more awesome is just awesome, and they want to help.