Do FIRST kids behave better?

[ATannahill]

Recently at TNT my dad talked to two of our mentors and their girlfriend/fiance and got glowing reviews about me. I would say I only know one of the four well, and wouldn't recognize two of them. First is an organization where you leave lasting impressions on people you don't even know.

[Cory]

I don't think FIRST makes the kids more polite than normal, it just tends to self select a certain type of kid that is more likely to be well mannered and polite, etc.

I don't think it's that much better though. There are always going to be problem children, and I don't think they're all that much less common than they were in most of my high school classes.

[Carlee10]

Yes, I think that they do. Granted, saying that all of them are top notch might be stretching it, but alot of kids who are in robotics seem to get "it". They understand the bigger picture beyond high school. Many people I talk to can't see that; they don't really want to. I agree that other groups like band and NHS tend to have more kids who see the bigger picture, too. I'm glad, because its nice to be able to talk to people who aren't adults about more mature topics, like college, stuff thats going on in the world, or just about anything, and not sound like a "nerd" or anything like that.

[NorviewsVeteran]

I think it looks that way because the good kids are out doing something when the less-than-great ones are goofing off in the hotel room.

[16MentalTempest]

I agree. I was recently at a swim meet because a friend of my dad's son was competing. There were about ten moms in the stands right in front of us bad mouthing the other swimmers, and sometimes their own kids! I swear, I wanted to tell them to stop!

At the Portland and Seattle competitions I was at last year, I never heard any parents bad mouthing anybody, and I certainly did not hear too many students doing the same. It's kind of like a football game with the addition of gracious professionalism. Why can't professional athletes and fans act the same way?

(Because they get paid!)

[Laaba 80]

Originally Posted by martin417

There are other groups that stand out as well, one of note is band kids. They are also better behaved and more respectful (as a whole) than the general HS population (with the possible exception of drummers.

The statement about the drummers is true. We tend to have a different attitude than the rest of the band. The band is happy with however they place at marching competitions. On the Drumline, we arent happy unless we win, which is why we won best percussion in the state of WI 3 of the last 5 years, and the years we lost we took 2nd and missed 1st by .1 and .2. We considered putting a quote from dodgeball on our shirts - "We're better than you, and we know it." When its time to be serious though, we have the most discipline out of the whole band.
Back to the thread, it depends on where we are, and who we are with.

[Zholl]

When its time to be serious though, we have the most discipline out of the whole band.
Back to the thread, it depends on where we are, and who we are with.

That may be true in your band, but it sure ain't in mine. I'm in my school's advanced group, and the drummers are STILL getting yelled at by our director to pay attention and stop goofing off.

Back to the thread though, I totally agree. This is only our rookie year, but the team has certainly attracted a lot of more mature acting kids. My guess is that FIRST attracts a lot of the same group of kids as scouting, 4H and the like.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by Zholl

My guess is that FIRST attracts a lot of the same group of kids as scouting, 4H and the like.

This is an opinion and I've never verbalized it before so it may take some tweaking with help from others who get the gist of what I'm trying to say.

To expand on your statement, I also think that students who enjoy working alongside adults are attracted to the program or decide to stick with it. Those who have the confidence to share with, learn from, and appreciate adults as mentors and role models, and who desire to become mentors and role models, themselves, seem to do very well in programs such as FIRST.

Many students enter a team unaware of the demands that will be placed on them as a member of a team. The keyword is: team. If they don't have the confidence initially, they will gain it and help others obtain it as well. It's pretty cool to see individuals and teams develop in areas of trust and team building.

[Enigma's puzzle]

I like FIRST (my team especially) because they unlike the rest of High Schoolers realize that the smartest and best leader is the person to follow not the "coolest". they instead of outcasting the smart nerd they embrace him/her because they realize that they have the worthwhile ideas and goals.

They also attract the more mature type of people, they may not actually be completely more mature (you get what i'm saying, realize it doesn't make sense). These people however realize WHEN to screw around and have fun, and when to be serious and have fun.

[SammyKay]

I think that for the most part FIRST students are better behaved. I know that on our small team, we do have a few students who behave immaturely during school or even during breaks while we're at the shop, but when it's time to pay attention during robotics, they are well behaved. Tho I have noticed that a few people have become a bit better behaved after they joined our team. Only a few have tho.

[Kyle Love]

In a short answer, no. If you really observe all students at FIRST events, there is a mix of polite "good kids" and kids who tend not to behave properly. Through my teaching observation at Harrison High School in West Lafayette, IN, I did not have any students that were involved in FIRST and noticed no change in the overall student behaviors.

[MissInformation]

Originally Posted by Kyle Love

In a short answer, no. If you really observe all students at FIRST events, there is a mix of polite "good kids" and kids who tend not to behave properly. Through my teaching observation at Harrison High School in West Lafayette, IN, I did not have any students that were involved in FIRST and noticed no change in the overall student behaviors.

Finally, a response I agree with 100%!!! As someone who has chaperoned for many (too many) years, I do not think FIRST kids are better behaved than other kids. Ask Wetzel about some of things he and his cohorts did when they were the leaders on 116. And it isn't just 116, I've had many conversations with chaperons from other teams to know that they have to deal with typical behavior from students that age. Also, I've sat in the stands many times and have seen both kids and adults be rude and nasty over seats they have saved (to be fair, I've also seen many adults and students be very generous and kind in sharing their seats). I've heard students from another team in Virginia go on and on about how much they hate Dave (this petty behavior has gone on for years and years now). There was a thread on CD a few years ago where students were asking what crazy things people did in Atlanta... one thing that I will never forget is the kids who talked about balcony hopping (from a fatal height) to get to the girls' room next door. Last year in our hotel in Atlanta, students from multiple teams, mine included, were dropping things from the top floor (47th floor or so) to the ground level until security was called in. And there are worse things, that I'm not going to discuss because I think some things, once dealt with, are best left dormant.

I'm not trying to sound negative, because overall, I think kids involved in FIRST are great. But I think they are still teens and they still act like teens. Also, saying "behave better" comes too close to saying "are better" and I hate seeing the attitude of "FIRST blah blah blahs are better than other blah blah blahs" because it's snobbery and, in my opinion, doesn't fit with gracious professionalism. I belonged to a club when I went to FSU that boasted of having the highest cumulative GPA of any club on campus... and it's something they boasted about and flaunted and bragged on and eventually no one wanted to play with them anymore. The "better than" attitude leads countries to war.

Okay, I don't know where this rant came from, I guess it's something I've been thinking about since the first time I saw this thread. Like I said, overall, I think kids involved in FIRST are great, otherwise I wouldn't have spent the past 7-8 years working with them.

Heidi

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by MissInformation

I think kids involved in FIRST are great, otherwise I wouldn't have spent the past 7-8 years working with them.

Thank you Heide and Kyle for the alternative perspective. You see, as a mentor but not a teacher I don't see the 'average' kid, so my exposure is limited.

Oh, sure, there will always be some kids.... But perhaps SammyKay has a good point: When they are interested, they pay attention. Maybe they act rightly in front of me because they know that's what I expect. Dunno.

In any case, I am still having fun (Ice game or not).

Don

[Wetzel]

Originally Posted by MissInformation

Finally, a response I agree with 100%!!! As someone who has chaperoned for many (too many) years, I do not think FIRST kids are better behaved than other kids. Ask Wetzel about some of things he and his cohorts did when they were the leaders on 116.
<snip>
Heidi

I did absolutely nothing wrong, and you can't prove otherwise.

Wetzel

[Deathnmasses]

I would have to say that FIRST kids behave better when it involves FIRST. Outside of FIRST most of us are regular teenagers. Well, i don't know if regular is the right term. More like normal nerds.