FAHA: To motivate or to dissolve?

[Bharat Nain]

The following is a message from the original poster.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~

Since I'm the original poster I thought I could clarify where we are in the process, adding some more info so as to better provide ideas and solicit input.

Thank you all for the additional input. I thought I should clarify some things-
1) This is our 6th year as a team but only our 4th year at this location.
2) The school has two teachers that support and spend time working with us- one teacher managed to get a robotics class offered. The principal fully support FIRST.
3) There are work requirements- if you're not here, you don't go there.
4) We have at most 12 students active- there are 30 signed up.
5) We do regularly take students into the shop to do things. (For instance) You know those encoders that came with this year's gearbox- the little plastic thingies didn't fit. So we had a mentor pop one in aluminum and had a student cut it out. Mentoring doesn't mean 'standing over you like a parent to make sure you're doing something"
6) We go to 1 event. That's all we've ever been able to afford. The team talks about going to others- and never does any fund raising to get there.
7) My mentors are godsends- all 8 of them. They're dedicated and the come in and they all understand and share my frustrations. I do need more and have had talks about this with our company president and vp's in charge of engineering.
8) There is no team leader. I had a long heart to heart with several students about 'stepping up' to assume the mantle of command and no one has demonstrated it. Perhaps I'll address this tomorrow morning and ask who is the team leader.

Were I to remove every student that isn't motivated I would have 5 students. 5 students does not make a team. As I read your responses and weigh with what I know... then I look at your team sizes... we really do not have the motivation.

Has anyone successfully merged into another team?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~


FIRST-a-holic Anonymous mailbox is a place to share your concern and frustration about your FIRST experience anonymously. It is the perfect place if you just want someone to listen, or ask for advice when you don’t know what to do. Submit your letters today at the FIRST-a-holic anonymous mailbox forum. If you wish to respond to this thread anonymously, please PM Bharat Nain or Beth Sweet with your response and thread title.