Denying Students into class

[Koko Ed]

Originally Posted by Torboticsmember

First off I want to thank everyone for the feed back i have gotten on this.

And I will try to clear up any miss information I had in the first post
1. It hasn't been the students decision to either let them in the class or not. The students have given their opinion on whether or not they would think the applicants would be good for the class or not. But it will be the teachers who make the final decision.

2. The teachers have taken the opinions of the other students in the class (obviously trying to decide whether the opinions are because of bias or not) and we have also asked the student's various teachers to fill out a report on the students based on the traits we think will be good for the class.(All students had to go through this process, even the already existing members)

3. We aren't basing the decision on grades because we have had students on the team who did not do so well in class, but were driven, and did extremely well in robotics, and after joining they improved their grades.

4. I can't stress this point enough we do not want to deny them from being on the team, but only the class. They would still be able to help design and build the robot.

So I can give you a picture of the team there are three sections of the team. We have the "club" part of the team. This includes people who are interested in the team but have expressed that they do not wish to actually work on the robot. This will be used for fundraising, events, awards, and other very important tasks. The second section are those who will come after school during build season and work on the robot, and when we have other attractions that we will attend. These people will also be in the club. This section is for students that apply (an open application, with an essay explaining why they want to be on the team) before the build season starts, but after the school year has begun. Finally we have the class, these students are usually at least second year students or have shown a deep interest and an understanding of the commitment needed to be in the class. As part of being in the class you also have to work at least x number of hours during the build season that is decided by the teachers of the team during the first semester of school. And also you are in the club and help with fundraising and other projects.

5. Normally the second section of the team is used as a stepping stone into the class. If they show a dedication and a strong interest during the build season, which most do, and are a freshmen, sophomore, or junior we will invite them to join the class the next year. Unfortunately the students in question were not on the team last year and have not shown an interest to one of the teachers or the leaders of the team before they signed onto the class, or the understanding of the dedication needed to be in the class.

And I did make a mistake, we haven't decided to not let them in yet the teachers are still trying to decide. The question was just a precaution

Which regional do you guys attend and is it local?

[Torboticsmember]

We attended two this past year.
Bayou Regional- it's our local regional
and Peachtree Regional

[EricH]

What I do at work (a go-kart track) is, if they meet minimum height, they ride, even if it's just barely. If they get in trouble, slow them down to the next speed, if available. If they still get in trouble, they have to leave the track and ride a "smaller" one.

Let them into the class, provided they meet the minimums and the teachers choose to allow them. If something goes wrong, send them to the "second section" of the team and ask them to take the class next year, when they understand more.

Lack of "correct" interest should not be a deterrent. Back in the day, students might join teams just for a "free" trip to Disney World. They learned things along the way, though, I bet. (I think it's safe to assume that some of them still hang around FIRST, though they'd be in college or the workforce now.)