The FRC Program and Its Effect On High School Students (x-post from r/FRC)

[jajabinx124]

Originally Posted by ThaddeusMaximus

Ok so... Maybe it's the un/home-schooler (and farmer) is just shocked ; I disagree with improvement point number 2.

Those books are distracting from the real learnin' that's taking place in front of your very hands! Put them books away. Unless they've got something useful like maths or physics, then read them so you can work on your design work. You learn more and universities and employers and such much rather know you can think clearly than if you can find the root of a second degree polynomial. Just... focus on the task at hand.

Then again, the un/homeschooler in me was able to optimize the heck out of his daily routine (though mom would disagree). You guys spend 11+ hours a day in those meatlockers you call schools? Was that really the time I was wasting back in the public elementary education system? Jeez, no wonder I learned more in high school...

During junior/senior years of high school I spent like... 2 hours a day on average doing school-related activities. Maybe 3. Most was community college lecture.

While I disgaree with the second point as well and agree with your points, it isn't really contributing to solving it. Not all folks in FIRST are homeschooled, etc. and can optimize their time like you did your junior/senior year. Many students spend 8-11 hours a day in the meatlockers we call school, but because of that and because of other responsibilities they have they have trouble time managing and in order to keep up some lose sleep. It isn't impossible for students and I know I time managed okay myself (while losing sleep of course) but at least option 2 contributes to try to solve it.

I disagree with option 2 on a entirely different reason. I think we should focus on teaching kids how to time manage and stay motivated to finishing schoolwork rather than allocating them time during meetings which I think just is an awkward way to try to fix the issue. If we can motivate them to finish it outside of school and influence them in that direction I think it will have more of an impact than allocating time to force them to work on homework during meetings, although that option isn't bad either.. I know some teams that have effectively implemented it.