The 6 Week Build Season and 'Mentor Burnout'

[Steve W]

Mentor burnout is a big problem. Making the build season longer will enhance the problem. I may be wrong about what I am about to say but I doubt it. The longer we make the season, the longer people will take to do exactly what they do now. Procrastination is the biggest issue I see with so many people. How many students do you know that are given 6 weeks to do an essay or project and they don't start until the last minute. As an inspector I can see how much thought and time has been put into most robots. A few minutes talking to mentors, students and parents will usually confirm my suspicions.

The idea of pre inspections is a great one to help fix problems before events. It also helps to find teams that are in trouble and hopefully time to find a remedy. Problem is will teams allow inspectors (usually from another team) to see their robot. I have volunteered, visited, helped and inspected before seasons end teams that have requested and it has proved to be a benefit.

Quick build for rookies could also be quick build for any team. This year we had one in our area. I believe that there was 17 teams that came and over half had a moving robot when they left. That was Saturday right after kickoff. Those teams all had a big head start and what I saw at events were improved teams. I believe that after our success that there will be a quick build in Montreal next season.

There are many ways to improve the process but I firmly believe that extending the build season is not one of them. Having a due date is both sensible, realistic and meets the demands that we see in the "real world" .