As our competition season draws to an end, I’ve been doing my normal re-evaluation of where my team is and how we need to adapt to be better next year. One of the things that has been most amusing is to see where long-time posters were back ten years ago and where they are now.
Hence this post idea - and I hope you will play along. I want to know how your vision of FRC has changed through your time as a participant (Student, Mentor, Etcetera)
Fill in the blank and feel free to expound as you will and this example below is just one derivation. The
While as a FRC participant, I used to believe _________ but now I believe __________ because __________.
For example - While as a FRC participant I used to believe that acting as a volunteer at our home regional would make me feel less connected to my team. In reality, though I’ve found that volunteering has provided me with so much unique insight that I can take back as a coach.
Ok - a few rules:
This is not a debate post. If you agree with something someone said, let them know. If you disagree, send them a PM. I’d like this to be as open as possible.
It’s ok to post that something has stayed the same for you. Perhaps you understand it now at an even deeper level.
While an FRC Student, I used to believe it was all about the robots but now I believe it is about so much more than robots because moving to districts has allowed me to make connections with teams due to having to compete with them year after year, along with greater influence of the smaller awards, since they now count towards DCMP qualification.
While as a FRC participant, I used to blame CAD for all our problems. I still blame CAD, I just used to too.
Kidding of course - our CAD team is quite excellent.
More seriously, the biggest evolution within me has been understanding the role of a mentor, at least on 1736. Not really knowing what I was getting into at first, I started as thinking of myself as another member of the team, just writing software (and occasionally babysitting students). As we’ve gone on, I’ve learned more and more how to properly teach this stuff (although I am still learning). Yes, I still write software for the team. But I’m pushing more and more toward library-writing, so students (new or experienced) can come in, learn how to read documentation, and learn how to utilize someone else’s code to do something cool. At the same time, I’m trying to get better at leading discussions about how to architect good code, how to debug, etc.
When I was a student in FRC, I used to think that mentors not touching the robot showed how small a role they played on a team. Now I know that mentors who aren’t touching the robot have done far more, far harder work to build a program & environment that fosters students building up each other to build and run the robot independent of mentors, because I’m the mentor finding out how hard it is to build that program!
(I don’t know how many times this monologue has played in my head: “Oh, I can see what’s wrong, better fi… better ask a student to fi… better ask a student if they can see what’s wrong and figure out how to fix it?”)
[disclaimer: there’s no one right way to run a team, etc etc… please don’t beat the horse!]
As a student, I used to think it was about the robot, as a mentor (18 years after I graduated from high school, 12 years as a mentor), I now think it is the personal growth of the students. I hardly talk about the robot with people not familiar with the program, but more so the achievements that individual students have accomplished, what they have learned, etc.
While as a FRC participant, I used to believe I would be less involved after I graduated but now I [strike]believe[/strike] know better because, well, I’m still here.
I used to think that there would eventually be a water game but now I think differently because the GDC is boring and doesn’t think that water should mix with electronics.
While as a FRC student, I used to believe, despite being told otherwise many many times, that FRC was about robots and winning and all that fun stuff, but now, as a first year alum, I think it finally clicked that it’s about a lot more than that because I’ve met so many awesome people in the past year that have impacted my life in ways words cannot explain and gotten so much more involved in the community (at least compared to how involved I was before). <3
While as a FRC participant, I used to believe that robotics was just an after school club that would be very similar to a regular after school club like speech team (practice, compete, repeat) but, now I believe that robotics has become a life style that has shaped my future and identity for the better because now, I am more outgoing, I know what my major is now, and I know what I want to do with the rest of my life.
While as a FRC participant, I used to believe that it was more than just the robots but now I believe it really should be focus on the robots because all the other good things come as a result of focus on technical aspects of the competition.
FSAE has largely changed my view of this, as I’ve learned much more and taught more by working in an environment with no focus on teaching outside of making sure seniors pass on their knowledge.
As a student, I used to believe graduating and mentoring wouldn’t be as enjoyable, because I was mechanical lead and the students are responsible for the mechanical design and manufacturing.
Now I believe I’m happier and more successful than before because I’ve realized there’s so much more to managing a team than building the robot.
A good robot design helps the team during one season, but making logistic changes to improve team sustainability will last for years to come.
Here’s another:
At one point as a FRC student, I used to believe you finished FIRST after graduation, but now after mentoring 1 year and meeting volunteers and mentors who’ve done this for 15+ years, I see there’s no chance of quitting FIRST.
While as a FRC participant, I used to believe that mentoring was just a thing most people did on the side, but now I understand that the most dedicated mentors in my life truly dedicated themselves to the team and the program because they wanted to give me and other the best shot possible. I realize that now as a “full time” mentor for my team that it takes more work than I ever imagined to build and maintain a great program that gives students the opportunity and ability to succeed.
As a student on an FRC team, I didn’t know what to say when other people said, “High school students didn’t build those robots by themselves!” but now I just say “That’s the point!”.
When I was a student in FRC, my mentors never let us assume any problem was too hard. There was always a methodical, engineering driven solution. We may not always do the BEST, but we’d never refuse to try. I used to think nothing was impossible.
That style drives me now. There’s a lot of challenges out there, and a lot of hard questions to solve. It’s why I love mentoring, because I get to see the “lightbulb moments” for my students. Now I think nothing is impossible.
When I was a student in FRC I thought that being a mentor was nowhere near as much fun as being a student. After being a mentor for a year, no matter how much stress or extra workload it is, I honestly think it’s one of the most fun things out there, and being a part of the FIRST community it beyond rewarding.
While as a FRC 1st year mentor, I used to believe that FIRST was about the United States being first in STEM fields (it was in the website name even - usfirst.org), but now I believe FIRST is global and lost that particular focus.
When I was a student in FRC I used to think I’d be the only one of my friends that came back to mentor. Boy was I wrong! I look around now and see most of my great friends from high school mentoring their teams and taking a lead mentor role. And it is so much more fun now than ever before <3
You know you shouldn’t be badmouthing double champs, its not like people want to be able to compete with everyone instead of only competing with half of the teams
