"I'm not that smart"

[AndyB]

This is a really good question to ask. How is one suppose to reply to this? "You don't need to be smart." doesn't really do the program justice.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by AndyB

This is a really good question to ask. How is one suppose to reply to this? "You don't need to be smart." doesn't really do the program justice.

I like the word, potential.

Teenagers and adults all discover hidden potential, hidden talents, hidden reserves, hidden interests when given the opportunity. To discover them on a FIRST team can lead to scholarships, applying to schools one never thought about or only dreamed about, exploring new career options, innovations, ideas. To be a member on a FIRST team opens many doors to the world around us and to the world within us. That is too much to say during recruitment, obviously, but it is something to think about when talking with these young people who have self-doubts. You can say, 'come to a few meetings and see what you think'. It would be fun to have a business card for moments like this that says, try it - you'll like it. That nudges the person to think in a can-do fashion. Glass 1/2 full.

Obviously, I come from the 'leave no leaf unturned, no potential member behind' school.

[Cynette]

Originally Posted by tennispro9911

On a seperate note, what would you do if someone who really wasn't smart was thinking about joining? I don't mean someone who is average in school, I mean someone who say is having serious trouble understanding remedial classes in school?

Originally Posted by SafetyGracie

We kind of have that situation. There is a kid on our team with a mental disability(it's mild) but we still find things for him to do. He deburs and rivets and some other stuff. He enjoys it, and he's still putting something in for the team, so no one minds really.

Good answer! I think this fits in with Jane's comment on potential as well. During my time on our team, I've learned that some of our most dedicated members don't necessarily do well in school. With the variety of activities and tasks needed for robot design and build and all of the team stuff that goes around it, every student seems to be able to find something they are good at. A lot of it is in the attitude, though. You have to get the students (and sometimes the mentors) past the "I can't do that" into the "I'll give it a try!"

[klrswift]

Joining a FIRST team is the beginning of "smart," not the culmination. You can walk in to the room not knowing a screwdriver from a hacksaw, and walk out knowing how to build a robot. Sometimes you just have to show them the robot and how it works, and hopefully they will see that they are smarter than they think.

[EricVanWyk]

"I'm not that smart."
"Maybe not yet, that is why we run training in the fall."

Pretend like s/he used the word "knowledgeable" instead of "smart", and gloss over the semantics. I use this trick quite often, with decent success.

For whatever reason, "smarts" and "knowledge" seem to have swapped roles in our culture and our egos. Being smart holds more weight in our egos and socially, but knowledge is what actually matters. Convince the potential team member that they will become smarter by joining, and they'll likely come.

It isn't quite lying, because both of you are using the word wrong in the same manner... or something.