How to manage unruly student who is ruining team

[BulldozerChick]

We are a rookie FTC team and two of the three planned mentors backed out after we started (one had other commitments crop up; one turned out to be a flake). So trying to figure FTC out as one coach and a young rookie team has been stressful (ie losing sleep) enough. However, we recently took on a new student who "has no working memory" is how his mom put it. At the time, I hadn't understood it as a warning. I accept and embrace neurological diversity. But this kid has been SUCH a disruption that it was all I could do not to cry last night. He won't stop talking and only talks louder if one of the kids doesn't immediately respond. I'm ready to call it quits because I don't know what to do. Kids in another room get along great but the kids trying to build near him couldn't get anything done. The stress is too much for me, let alone the other kids. What can I do??? (And I have asked everyone I know involved in FIRST locally if they know of someone who would help mentor, with no luck). I can't do this alone.

[Seth Mallory]

I am going to ask some questions that you must not answer on this forum. You should arrange a meeting with the parents and the school counselor. Does the student have an IEP or a 501 plan? Don't answer. If the answer is yes you may have services that can help. If not get the parents involved. Does the student have a diagnosed disability? Don't answer. If yes you can run into ADA issues. With this student you need the help of school staff and that may include the Principal. The student has the right to privacy and discussing it in a public forum or email can cause you a world of problems. I would take this offline until you have talked to staff.

[Alan Anderson]

Originally Posted by BulldozerChick

... we recently took on a new student who "has no working memory" is how his mom put it. At the time, I hadn't understood it as a warning. I accept and embrace neurological diversity. But this kid has been SUCH a disruption...

Ask the mom how she deals with him. See if she can give you hints on how to redirect him into something less disruptive.

Maybe you can find him a "buddy" who doesn't mind the chatter and can give him constant reminders on what the immediate task is and how to get it done. That would probably result in the two of them together doing much less work than any other single person, but it might be preferable to throwing the kid off the team.

[snoman]

As with any other sports students who are not "able" to perform and or work in a team setting get cut from that team. that being said i am in favor of including all students. we have had many students with a lot of acronyms attached to their names and they have done very well. is your team a class in school, a school club, or is it not school related?

[MamaSpoldi]

Originally Posted by Alan Anderson

Ask the mom how she deals with him. See if she can give you hints on how to redirect him into something less disruptive.

Maybe you can find him a "buddy" who doesn't mind the chatter and can give him constant reminders on what the immediate task is and how to get it done. That would probably result in the two of them together doing much less work than any other single person, but it might be preferable to throwing the kid off the team.

Although it may be difficult to find the right person, this is a really good suggestion. We have had similar experiences and have not yet found a very good solution.

Unfortunately the parents are often at a loss and are hoping that you will be the perfect solution for their child who is really interested technology. We of course hope we can find something that holds their interest. Enlisting the help of the parents to even stay at meetings (maybe not all the time but at least on occasion or in the beginning) to help provide insight can also be helpful. But it can be very difficult if parents are just looking for a babysitting service, ie. a place to drop them off for a few hours at a time.

Teachers can be great resources if your team is associated with a school. You definitely have to be aware of the potential issues and options noted by Seth. Teachers and other school officials can really help in that capacity but you should also know that sometimes their hands are tied with regards to providing information as well.

Good Luck.

[Rosiebotboss]

You don't mention if you are or are not affiliated with a school. If you are, then see the responses above. All good ideas.

If not, your options open up a little. I, personnally, had to deal with a student like this a few years ago. I asked for help from the school and did not get it. I asked for help from the parents and did not get it.

I cannot, and will not, hold back 25 kids for the sake of 1.

[Speeder]

Involvement in the FIRST program has the ability to make remarkable changes to a student’s attitude and behavior. Meet with the parent/guardian and explain the difficulty you’re having managing the Team when their student is present. Insist, for the time being, that they remain at meetings and help direct the student until he ‘settles in’ to the Team’s expectations.

[ehochstein]

Many of the other comments address what to do with the student at issue but also as a rookie FTC team, reach out to other teams around you. Plan a skype session with the closest team to you if you're rural or meet with the closest team if you're urban/suburban. Other FIRST teams are always willing to give you a few pointers. If you don't know the contact information for nearby teams, contact your Senior Mentor or VISTA.

[JesseK]

Along the lines of Evan, if you need help managing the team, I can hook you up online. My FRC team is running 10 teams this year, and potentially an 11th with 2 teachers managing the day-to-day and mentors guiding the kids through the shop 1 day a week. We've run everything from bots on $100 (after registration) to bots pushing the budgets. With this many it's really the veteran kids on the FRC team guiding the technical side of the FTC teams.

Tweet @Team1885 to ask the kids questions directly, or I can provide you email addresses for myself or the teachers. Ask the kids anything

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by BulldozerChick

I can't do this alone.

No, you cannot. And should not.

Enlist help: School, teacher, parent(s).
If the member does not attend your school, or you are not a school team, still ask a counselor (at your school) for ideas and help, at least in getting help.

This is beyond even what a large majority of mentors can handle (never mind students): It requires professional training and considerable insight.

I wish you good luck and perseverance.

[Deke]

We had a kid with the football team I help with have some social issues you might say. We had to set him down and set clear guidelines that clarified rules in place already. There were two warnings and the third warning was suspension from the team, the fourth was removal from the team. These were also explained to the parents with their agreement. Unfortunately he did not make it through the season, but it's not fair to the rest of the kids that are listening and following instructions when one is undermining the operation. There must be consequences to unruly actions.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Chick,
You list your location as Midwest, by chance are you in the Chicago area. If so, can you contact me off line (PM) and see if we can talk sometime. It may be time to have the parents get involved by being present at meetings this student attends. They may have developed a way to work with the student that you need to observe.

[Taylor]

Sometimes the team really needs the kid, and sometimes the kid really needs the team.
It seems to me that you recognize this - you really want to find a role for this young person. Good for you.
Some things I might suggest are research-based. Put him in charge of important, somewhat independent tasks. Have him organize/design the pit space. If the pit design requires the purchase of new components, have him make a bill of materials.
Have him research game strategies and other teams' designs. Hours can be spent on youtube looking at and being inspired by robot videos - have him compile a list of the best teams out there, designs your team may want to emulate, strategies that are effective. Look across years and robot platforms; there may be a very similar game in a different competition (I'm thinking FVC Elevation or VRC Toss-Up) that has applicable methods.
It sounds like this kid thrives on structure and clarity. So whatever task you give him, write it down, clearly and thoroughly, so if he does get confused, forgets where he is, or gets offtrack, he can refer to it and realign himself.
Everybody has the opportunity to be a valuable member of a team.
A quote from a recent FIRST panel discussion that has stuck with me is "Identifying people on the fringes, and bringing them in, is beneficial to the team as a whole." This kid can shine, and shine brightly; it's up to us as mentors to direct the light correctly.
One person who is a master of this is Jane Young. She is not as active as she used to be, but I bet she's still lurking around these parts.

[FrankJ]

Lots of good advice. I am all for inclusion. But. You can only do what your resources allow. Most of us are volunteers & not professional therapists. If you get to the end of your rope, don't be afraid to let it go.

[RunawayEngineer]

I think all of the troubles that you are having are solid reasons that should be explained to the parents for why you can't handle the student right now. If they warned you about the problem, then this won't come as a surprise to them.
The team won't be any help to anyone - including him - if you burn out or if students can't get to their potential because they are distracted.