FIRST Robotics Competition Blog

This is a special message from Woodie Flowers Award winner Liz Calef, on behalf of the Woodie Flowers Awards winners:

Are you concerned that the basic tenets of FIRST are being replaced?  Do you think our FIRST students understand what it is to act in a graciously professional manner?  Are you dealing with more disciplinary matters on your team than you have time for?  You are not alone.  

Our world is changing fast and that applies to our world of FIRST robotics too!  While we are trying to inspire our students, we are seeing more and more behaviors that tell us that maybe we need to discuss an ethical framework for our teams that guides them in the daily world of FIRST, their team, and their communities.  Woodie Flowers has inspired us to work fast, compete hard, but always act as though your Grandmother was watching.  Let's make this loud to our teams.  Let's ensure that we are giving our students the opportunity to make their standards for behavior something that they discuss with their peers.  We are trying to empower our students to keep the ethics in FIRST.  Let's encourage them to think about their world and how they want people to act in it.  Let's teach them how to articulate this framework for their team.  Let's rise to this challenge and ensure that Gracious Professionalism is alive and well for a long time.  

For further clarification by Woodie and team examples, please refer to the WFA website ethics page.