"I'm not that smart"

[Akash Rastogi]

Can we have this stickied or put in the rookie resource section (or any resource section?)

I had this response today. My best example is of a couple highly dedicated athletes who are among the top students on the team. It helps dispel the rumor that you have to be insanely smart.

[christina_omg]

i get that response from girls a lot...

it doesn't help that I'm a female member of our team so for a girl who I'm trying to get to join to tell me 'I'm not smart' enough for that is frustrating. I go to a tech high school and i remember at an open house event for incoming freshman cosmetology had a spot across from ours. i was talking seriously to these two girls when their teacher came over and was like 'they're doing nails over there'. they ran away from me. what got me mad though was the fact that the teacher shied these girls away from something so rewarding.

but yea. people have this perception of robots as like, the terminator.
you don't have to be a super genius to do this stuff.

[JaneYoung]

Originally Posted by christina_omg

I go to a tech high school and i remember at an open house event for incoming freshman cosmetology had a spot across from ours. i was talking seriously to these two girls when their teacher came over and was like 'they're doing nails over there'.

I like pretty nails but I have to admit this was a real eye opener - a 'holy cow' moment. I've read many many posts in CD but this one soars to the #1 spot as a reminder of how far we have to go in breaking through conventional mentality/thinking and expectations. Wow just wow.

[Demothesis]

I generally find that some of the (pardon me) nerdier members of FIRST teams are not the best people to answer this question because they only solidify the steriotype. I would suggest bringing over the most sincere member of any given group, and have that person tell the mis-led passer-by that FIRST is the BEST way to get that smart! Mention the amazing mentors and the fact that FIRST aims at teaching kids how to have fun with technology. Remind them that every kid, especially you, started knowing nothing, and that this is the case for many FIRST team members. It only takes one season to be considered just as 'smart.'

Demothesis

PS You know, we're really just havin' fun - even if it happens to be considered smart....

[cooker52]

This is somewhat random, but fits right in here.

We are given a flame being in FIRST. We have two options, let the flame burn as it is and die down, or add to it and make it burn brighter. We want this flame to burn as bright as we can, and the way we are going to do that is to get the world to see that we aren't the special "smart" kids that they "aren't". This entire thread is the way to make our fire burn brighter, so all can see that FIRST is for everyone.

I have seen so many great responses to "I'm not that smart" that, the next time you are encountered with that kind of person, they will join your team.

[ironnoobx3]

On The Occasion yes It has Happened, Also With a Few Other things, at our School, a lot Of The Students Who Came to Our assembly assumed our Robot Was for Destroying and Conquering the Human (No Idea how that Sprung up, it Just did ) I told them No it was More of to Complete various Task In a certain amount of time, And as Soon as I said that, The Interest of Many, dropped a bit, But still were able to Get a lot of new Members

[skiswitch6]

Our team had that problem for a lot of years where FIRST was associated with being some freaky genius (and sometimes that's the case)

But as much as I hate to admit it our team developed into little groups much like a whole high school social setup. It has helped us gain more members but obviously some groups don't get along as much as we'd like. This happen with any other team?

Stoners and more "popular" people in the machine shop- pretty closed group not many people in or out

"Geeks" in software

Quiet kids you barely know are there- Electrical- Usually somewhere in the middle of the social food chain

Lazy immature kids in CAD- Usually those who are constantly gaming or just not doing much.



And just to clarify I don't mean to be disrespectful to any of these groups or discipline areas, thats just how things seemed to work out for us.

Overall thought it has helped get rid of that "i'm not smart enough" thing because theres something for everyone to do because people know that what "groups" they'll fit into, which while it isn't ideal it helps students who otherwise wouldnt have joined get involved in a great program.

[Don Wright]

I would ask back "Why do you think you aren't smart enough?"

And I bet whatever excuse they give, you could then turn it into "Would you like to learn how to do that?" and then tell them they could by joining the team...

i.e.

Kid: "I'm not that smart"
me: "Why do you think you aren't smart enough?"
kid: "Because I don't even know how to use a computer."
me: "Would you like to learn how to do that?"

[Chris_Elston]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

So if everyone is about the same then the response should be "you are already smart enough, you just need to focus on something. Join the team and we will help you learn how to do that."

What a great response.

[Rich Kressly]

Lots of great stuff here!!!

Take a look at this article that I was first alerted to by an English Dept. colleague about 2 years ago: http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/

It seems as though, in our efforts to build self esteem in young people, we inadvertantly sent the wrong message to all youngsters by telling some that they are "smart". It also seems as though a much better parenting and teaching apporach lies in the phrases, "You must have worked hard." and "Taking that chance was worth it in the end, wasn't it?"

This is one of the reasons I have found over my career that the students who are identified as "gifted" are often the same students who don't like taking risks. Great kids, but in a subconscious effort to remain "smart" like they've been told, many tend to stay within the boundaries that allow them to be "right".

Sadly, if we allow this trend to continue, our best and brightest (which is more people than you think) will not be prepared to "fail" and persevere, nor will they leave their comfort zone long enough to develop those crucial creative abilities.

[Dmentor]

I’m in a funky mood today. Probably sleep deprivation... I apologize in advance for offending you.

Don’t confuse training with intelligence.
Don’t confuse experience with genius.

Theological matters aside, we are a presumptuous species of animal to deem ourselves smart. In reality we are all cosmically stupid. If measured on this cosmic intelligence scale what is the difference between any of us? Let’s get over ourselves and just go do the best we can with what we have.

[samir13k]

Originally Posted by SafetyGracie

Yeah, we always try to show them Samir. =)

ah, i see we are ripping on your electronics teacher!!! lol

[SafetyGracie]

[quote=Carol;758278]

Originally Posted by SafetyGracie

Well, a few boys seemed pretty interested, they were watching us drive and build, and when I asked him if he was interested in joining the team, he said "I'm not that smart."
QUOTE]

And what was your reply?

I told him that not many people come on to our robotics team knowing what they're doing, and we train people to learn the skills that we use to build the bot. As long as you show an interest, you can become a part of the team and join whatever subteam you want to, and we'll get you the skills necessary.

[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.