Problems Facing Rookie Teams

[Matthew.Pateman]

As a rookie team just entering our first off-season we have several issues that need sorting out. First off we did very well, our robot performed well going to the semis at waterloo and averaging 40 points a game. (Not bad for a rookie team ) But now that we are in the offseason issues arise. The main one being our teacher mentors have lost interest in FIRST. They see no need in meeting for fundraising, teaching skills to younger members, recruiting, and outreach. The students on the team are very interested in accomplishing these goals. As a team we want to have better team organisation, a better program, more funds for next year, and overall put out a robot that the team can be proud of again.

The other issue is the school board. At first we thought that we could avoid the issue by just meeting without the teachers as we have several parent mentors that are willing to help us out, but the school board says that we can not have a school club or team meet in the school without a teacher running it.

So now I come to my main question, what can we do to resolve this issue; where the kids want more out of the teacher mentors than they are willing to put into the program?

[Zuelu562]

I feel for you. I can't say I've been in that situation, but your best chance is to plead the case to the school teachers (and maybe the school board). The program isn't just about the competition (as the name implies), it's about the skills you learn working with a team on a very complex mechanical and electrical project. Make it a point of pride. "Your school has a FIRST Robotics team. That's quite an honor. Do you know how many High Schools in the US have FIRST Robotics teams?" Demo the robot. Do whatever you can to change minds.

[Matthew.Pateman]

The funny thing is we are not allowed to demo the robot because it is once again "school property" and we need a teacher present to use it. We really are in a sticky situation.

[rsisk]

Can you find another teacher?

[CENTURION]

Originally Posted by Matthew.Pateman

The funny thing is we are not allowed to demo the robot because it is once again "school property" and we need a teacher present to use it. We really are in a sticky situation.

How did that end up happening?

Can you find a teacher mentor who can attend meetings just to satisfy the boards requirement?

[Matthew.Pateman]

We have been unable to find other teachers due to the fact that no one really wants to put in the effort to run a full FRC team. We do have parents that are willing to though

[CENTURION]

Originally Posted by Matthew.Pateman

We have been unable to find other teachers due to the fact that no one really wants to put in the effort to run a full FRC team. We do have parents that are willing to though

Right, so let the parents handle the running of the team, but see if you can get a teacher to sit in the corner and grade papers or something during meetings. We have an FTC team who did just that for a year.

[Akash Rastogi]

Does your school allow adjunct teachers? Might want to look into something like that. If a few mentors can get approved as adjuncts it might solve some issues.

[EricH]

See if the school board can designate parents or mentors as something that will allow the team to keep meeting, use the robot, etc. without the teacher mentor actually being there. Maybe "Teacher's Aide" or something like that.


The other option might be to work independently of the school for the summer at an offsite location (maybe somebody's garage?). Pool resources and build a demonstration robot--it doesn't have to be FIRST-legal, just cool.


If you were really desperate, and you had a sponsor or two who gave a lot of money to the team, asking them to put some pressure on the school board/teachers might also cause things to happen. ("We gave you some money for X, and we'd like a demo of X at our place during the summer," would be one way for a sponsor of just about any school activity to put a little pressure on a school board. It's just barely hinted at... but it can be there.)

[vhcook]

Is it possible your teacher/mentors are just burned out from the build/competition season and need a break but will be ok in the fall, or are they done-done? Can you meet off-campus for some of your intended off-season activities? Can you recruit other teachers to help?

[Matthew.Pateman]

Thanks for the suggestions i will definitely be looking into these

[Matthew.Pateman]

They are done done

[RyanCahoon]

You could maybe see if there is a coach or mentors from a nearby veteran team or somebody from FIRST Canada that can come to the school to talk to either the school administration or the teachers. Maybe somebody like that would be better equipped to discuss with your teachers any problems that they have developed with the FIRST experience and resolve them or maybe find a compromise. Do you know why your teachers have lost interest?

If you end up in the last-ditch situation of having to re-found the team separate from the school like EricH suggests, nearby teams may also be able to lend you some parts to make a demo bot with until you get your KoP next year.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by RyanCahoon

If you end up in the last-ditch situation of having to re-found the team separate from the school like EricH suggests, nearby teams may also be able to lend you some parts to make a demo bot with until you get your KoP next year.

That was NOT my suggestion. My suggestion was to operate independently ONLY for the summer, building a demo robot with non-school-related parts/funds possibly, until next competition season rolls around. Remember, it's not an official school/team activity--it's just that everybody doing it happens to be on the team, somehow.

[Tristan Lall]

Talk with 2056 (who are from your area). They may have suggestions.