The President gets it !!!!

[JaneYoung]

We encourage teams to develop short term and long term goals. To develop and maintain business plans. In other words to use a lot of common sense when helping the team to remain stable, sustainable, and prepared for achievement and success.

Businesses need to do this same thing, as well as the educational system, the health system, the political system - everyone should use some common sense and develop good business practices that will help develop the communities and the nations. We see too many times that money that is not used wisely and with careful thought and planning can be frittered away and misspent. So can time, energy, and reputation.

It's easy to say that we need engineers, teachers, scientists, and doctors. It's another thing to provide sound opportunities for these professions to develop and thrive, helping to create change. And to give them the respect that they deserve. I have never understood why teachers are so underpaid and so overworked - and continue to be.

Thank you for your insight, Rich.

Jane

[Team2339]

Exellent comments Rich.

Team 2339 is in it's second year at Antelope Valley High School. Next year the district has approved a robotics class as an A thru G elective ( UC credit)based on our performance and efforts. This is where the paradigm shift needs to occur, one school at a time, one class at a time. Ultimately the education system will evolve, sometimes kicking and screaming, but evole it shall!

One factor leading to the creation of the class was the axiom:
"Applied knowledge is this generation's version of wood and metal shop. Instead of making chairs and boxes, we are working with robots. "

[canadiankid1029]

Originally Posted by Team2339

Exellent comments Rich.

Team 2339 is in it's second year at Antelope Valley High School. Next year the district has approved a robotics class as an A thru G elective ( UC credit)based on our performance and efforts. This is where the paradigm shift needs to occur, one school at a time, one class at a time. Ultimately the education system will evolve, sometimes kicking and screaming, but evole it shall!

One factor leading to the creation of the class was the axiom:
"Applied knowledge is this generation's version of wood and metal shop. Instead of making chairs and boxes, we are working with robots. "

Its great to know that some people understand the value of robotics and engineering for our generation. Its encouraging to know that this kind of change is occurring. But in some cases, much like my school, there is a backwards shift. Due to the tough times, we are in a position to lose our metalworking major (we are a trade school). We had the whole club and lots of parents etc come to board meetings to fight for it, and we hope the message got across. All we can do now is hold on for the ride and see how things turn out...

[JesseK]

You know, I just had a conversation with someone at the Florida regional who told me that high schools in the U.S. spend $millions on their football stadiums and sport arenas. It's pretty shocking when you consider that 'non-sport activities' keep having their budgets cut, and cut, and cut. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the community that supports something will pay for something, regardless of what it takes. To realign things for academia (including Band, Arts, Music, Wood Shop, Robotics, etc), there has to be local culture shifts before we can do a nationwide culture shift.

I think the next political step isn't just to have Congress appropriate funds for FIRST; actually if you understand the way federal educational appropriations work, you would know that the funds MUST be for federal programs only. Since education is a state-level line item, it would be up to all of us in FIRST to get to our district representatives for the state we live in, and get them involved. Then the step after that is to get the school boards involved, which is, I believe, the hardest part because the communities we live in directly interact with the school board on a daily basis. Hence, if you truly influence your community, you will eventually change your school board's mind. Obama's words are a start to get a spark going nationwide, but don't think for a second that they alone change anything.

[santosh]

Originally Posted by JesseK

You know, I just had a conversation with someone at the Florida regional who told me that high schools in the U.S. spend $millions on their football stadiums and sport arenas. It's pretty shocking when you consider that 'non-sport activities' keep having their budgets cut, and cut, and cut. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the community that supports something will pay for something, regardless of what it takes. To realign things for academia (including Band, Arts, Music, Wood Shop, Robotics, etc), there has to be local culture shifts before we can do a nationwide culture shift.

...Yeah, but in tax money received back, those stadiums most certainly pay for themselves after a few year's and more...

[keehun]

Originally Posted by santosh

...Yeah, but in tax money received back, those stadiums most certainly pay for themselves after a few year's and more...

That's the inherent problem. Short term & quick payoff verses investment in the future that will never directly pay off the investor but to society as a whole. Money screws everything.

[misspunk]

I think it's a good idea to spread the word about FIRST around. It will be all over the news if the president comes to a FIRST competition.

[waialua359]

Originally Posted by misspunk

I think it's a good idea to spread the word about FIRST around. It will be all over the news if the president comes to a FIRST competition.

He could start by going to his own alma mater in hawaii that has a FIRST robotics team, team 2090. They have a great team. When Dean came to visit Hawaii, he did a speech at Obama's school.

[CarterM]

We need to get Obama to go to Nationals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NorviewsVeteran]

Originally Posted by CarterM

We need to get Obama to go to Nationals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That is in a different thread, please keep it there.

[Feisty_one]

A couple of thoughts from an old guy:

Membership in the <Politicians> goup and the <teachers, scientists, and engineers> group is not mutually exclusive. There are many in our government who are both and are willing listeners to proposals increased technology in education.

Sputnik was launched when I was in the 1st grade, which created almost a panic in the USA due to the perception that we had fallen behind in math and science. Priorities in education changed in short order as students were urged to concentrate on these fields. This is the way things work.

[artdutra04]

At least someone gets it.

Last year our town spent over $2 million dollars to install an Astroturf football field for the two city high schools in our town to use.

This year, their budget is $1.8 million dollars in the red, and 30 teaching positions, all extra curricular activities, and all middle and high school sports are on the cutting block.

Oh the irony.

We lose all of this, just to have the entire city sit and watch the huge waste of money they spent on fake plastic grass to sit unused because there would be no more sports.

[robostangs548]

Does anyone by chance have Obama’s number? I was looking through my phone and I have seamed to misplace it....

[NorviewsVeteran]

Originally Posted by NorviewsVeteran

That is in a different thread, please keep it there.

Seriously guys.

[Zach O]

Everyone make a very good point about how FIRST deserves funding, but I think before we hope someone must step up and show our president how important this is, and give him some of the facts that shows we NEED this, and funding would help increases this.