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Robo-Coach — Parallax Forums

Robo-Coach

ercoerco Posts: 20,244

Pretty excited that I just got a side gig as a robotics coach at a local K-12 private school. It's just a few hours a week, hopefully not too intrusive to my main toy design job at Inventoy. The program is squarely targeted at VEX contests, but you can be sure I'll cast a wider net at every opportunity to include Parallax products and maybe an occasional flamethrower...

Comments

  • B)
    10 good reasons to head back to school.... 1st spot on the list taken !

  • Ataboy erco!

  • Erco, Chadwick School is so lucky to have you! But, having done something similar myself, I can tell you this: those "few hours a week" will be among the most rewarding in your life.

    -Phil

  • The flamethrower angle will hold their attention.. :)

  • Erco cant do it without a flame, thrower!

  • Erco cant do it without a flame, thrower!

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244

    Unfortunately with $40K annual tuition, I need to be on my best behavior around these students for at least fall semester. I'll only break out the flamethrowers if it gets cold. For humanitarian purposes!

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244

    Day one is in the books, mostly helping kids assemble erector set-style robot chassis. Man, it's hard to watch kids struggle to thread a nut on a bolt, but kids gotta learn by doing! Righty tighty, lefty loosie...

    But nobody lost an eye, so it was a good day!

  • Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi)Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514
    edited 2021-10-07 04:15

    Man, it's hard to watch kids struggle to thread a nut on a bolt, but kids gotta learn by doing! Righty tighty, lefty loosie...

    I had a whip-smart student one time who didn't even know the difference between a screw and a nut. When I was a kid, my dad built a workbench in the basement, complete with a vise and basic hand tools. My brothers and I always had some kind of projects going on. And we learned some basic lessons the hard way. (e.g. If your brother is asthmatic, don't ignite homemade gunpowder in a closed space when he's around. Also, don't pour lead into a wet mold -- lucky to have both eyes)* I think that's the best gift a parent can endow upon their offspring!

    But nobody lost an eye, so it was a good day!

    Quoting another teacher I know, regarding field trips, "Nobody got injured, arrested, or pregnant, so it was a successful outing." :)

    -Phil

    *It never ends. The emergency room nurse told me, at 70 years old, that I need adult supervision to use sharp tools.

  • Erco,

    I remember being told to ask students probing questions if they were struggling with something so they would realize the error of their ways.

  • ercoerco Posts: 20,244

    Sage advice, Genetix!

  • Erco,

    That was also when I learned there is a big difference between supervising and managing.

    Non-academics seem to be the best teachers.

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