I feel this needs to be said...(Grades & FIRST Dedication)

[Matt Krass]

Hi Everyone,
Me on the podium again, try to stay awake

Lately I’ve been noticing a trend. People are bragging about dedicating so much time to FIRST that they’re failing classes, or being denied credit for absences. I don’t understand this. Why are you proud to be surrendering your education? It angers me because it gives off an image to parents and schools that FIRST is going to hurt your education. This is not the image we want. It also makes me wonder if FIRST is losing its integrity, because while FIRST’s mission statement may not always seem clear, it never was or will be to work against education. It also bothers me because I try very hard to balance FIRST and school work. Not just for my grades, but for the school boards of the teams I work with, and for my parents and friends. It bothers me that I’m working so hard to present it as something educational, when people are writing it off and presenting the exact opposite image. I don’t understand, finally, why you would want that?

Folks, honestly, FIRST is great, but your education is more important. That diploma, and the degree you can get from college is going to go a lot further when you need a job than being able to drive a robot, or shoot a Poof ball in to a goal. You can be the best CAD modeler on your team, but you’re not going to get a job on that. Getting a degree for it by taking CAD classes in college will get you that job.

Please, get your priorities straight. School, then FIRST. Not the other way around.

Thank you,
Matt