Before you scroll past this thinking that it’s just another rant about how group projects are cruel & unusual punishment, I’ll stop you to let you know that this will be different. I have changed & turned over a new leaf.. well not exactly. I still think group projects have such unnecessary weight and I feel like my whole theory on professors wanting to reduce 30 potential grading sessions into 5 is a pretty strong & valid argument that I stand by 100%. However — I’ll have to add a little sunshine to that storm of a post.
You may remember (and if you don’t, peep my previous group project rant), I was swamped with courses this semester that required group projects. One of them in particular, I had been “working with” a group of people, none of which I had met at all the entire semester. Well guys.. Last night, my group and I saw each other for the first time. That’s right! Today was the final class meeting and we had just met. HA!
Earlier that day at my job, we held a going away party for a coworker of mine. I’ve only been in this department for a few months but when I tell you I have felt nothing but genuine connection & relationships among those people, I mean it sincerely. I have never experienced such a strong bond between a team & outside of my parents, I’ve never felt more coached & mentored in my life. So when I saw my team members prior to our presentation, although the plains are slightly different, I thought back on the day & remembered how we came together at my job to celebrate someone who truly made an impact on everyone they worked with. So working with a group HAS to have more meaning than what I was feeling toward these cluster of project assignments this semester.
I started talking to my group (in person this time) & oddly enough, I could not help but still feel a bit of a connection with them. Although we had never met face to face & communication was little to none, we still shared something in common for 3+ months that we all needed to accomplish. No matter how it got done, or who did majority of the work.. there was still a sense of accountability among us & that in itself, had us come together to produce an outcome in all of our favor.
Might I add: the improvisation among them during the presentation was A1. I was impressed! So while group assignments may be a pain, even what may seem like the absolute worst experience ends up leaving you with a lesson. Whether its how to work with people, or how to not work with people! If your mind is open even the slightest bit, you can walk away with added value.
We walked out of class & I joked with one of my team members that it was nice finally meeting him. He laughed & said “yes, this was hello and good bye, I guess.” But in reality, even though it literally was “hello and goodbye”, it was also really nice to meet them & although throughout the semester, I carried different, negative feelings towards them, after meeting together for one last class hoorah, I think those feelings went out the window because of the heart & headspace I carried from work that day.
whitty lianne 