Robotics teacher prepares her students for success in the world of engineering

By Sol Perez and Carlos Villarreal

Staff Writers

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Before Sherri Taylor worked at Rainier as the Robotics Expeditions teacher, she worked on a microprocessor with 350 people, which took over three years to complete. Now, she shares her experience and knowledge with the Rainier community through teaching students who are interested in the field of robotics.  

Ms. Taylor has a vision to help her students succeed. The Robotics class teaches the students many skills they will need in life, such as perseverance and having a growth mindset. Robotics is all about giving people new opportunities and experiences for them to carry on in life.                                              

The skills and habits of success that come with Robotics 

In terms of Robotics and the endless opportunities it provides, there is a core skill that Ms. Taylor likes to focus on: growth mindset. 

Ms. Taylor said, “Robotics gives you an opportunity to practice some of the Habits of Success that we have at Summit; one of the big ones I talk about is growth mindset.” 

At Rainier, Habits of Success are implemented into the school’s curriculum. These Habits of Success consist of skills like growth mindset, self-direction, and self-awareness. These skills are used to help the students thrive in the real world and prepare them for college.   

In the Robotics class, Ms. Taylor gave some insight into how students’ observation skills are sharpened and how that could help for various careers

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“Robotics helps you hone your observation skills, as well as your debugging and tenacity as they contribute towards your Habits of Success,” Ms. Taylor said. These skills have proven to help students reach their goals and thrive in the economy of Silicon Valley. 

The Robotics course is helping students express themselves and, at the same time, improving their perseverance and perception. These skills that are being taught help the Robotics students and prepare them for later in life, giving them the edge that they need in terms of preparing for a future of technology.

 Preparing for college and the future

Another main focus Rainier has is college readiness and overall readiness for life. The Robotics class that is being taught here really implements those areas of focus and sets students up for various careers.

Rainier freshman Genaro Belman explained how he feels that Robotics is helping him take a step closer towards his future career as an engineer. “For me, I do want to be an engineer, so this class is a big help in pursuing that dream,” Belman said. 

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In addition to preparing the students for their futures, they are being taught leadership and cooperation with others, which helps them stand out from others as they are able to demonstrate being a strong leader and being good at collaborating with others, skills that are in high demand in certain jobs.

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The students in the Robotics class have been working in pairs in order to create a sense of leadership. Rainier freshman Israel Hernandez Cortez talked about how working in pairs and rotating the position of leader between the two is extremely helpful and he believes that leadership skill will help him in an infinite amount of careers.

With Rainier scheduled to close at the end of year, many students plan on going to different schools where the curriculum is majorly different from that of Summit Public Schools. However, Ms. Taylor hopes to see her students pursue a career path in robotics and persevere through the challenges that they may face.