It just never fails. Group projects are the bain of my existence. I'm serious. Unless you are planning to be a synchronized swimmer or a mother duck, group projects are worthless.
Picture me this: Bethany O'Neil, dedicated student, imminent graduate, DESPERATELY NEEDS A GOOD GRADE IN Psych 3010. The fate of my world rests upon this class. Imagine my dismay when I note that fully 60% of my grade in this hideous class rests upon a group project. I miss class, innocently enough, one day during the early semester...and thus, sealed my fate. Everyone else had formed a group. It was just little old me, searching in vain for a group that would admit me. I see no ready invitations, no one is banging down my door to invite me to their group. But there, one lone girl, also searching in vain for a group. It's her lucky day and a day I shall rue until at least the end of this semester.
I've got big plans and great aspirations for this project. I'm ready to go...she feigns interest and enthusiasm. And continues to feign interest and enthusiasm right up until this very day. But do not be taken in by her deceit. She is lazy. She is worthless (in the context of this group project). She does NOT EVEN CARE about the performance of children who have received positive feedback (the subject of our awe-inspiring study....uh, rather MY awe-inspiring study.)
And so here I am today. Forlorn. Dejected. TIRED. My list of accomplishments include, but are not limited to: designing the whole study, writing the research paper, performing data collection (which has taken nothing less than 4 hours), and hours worth of tedious statistical minutiae. (I LOVE the word minutiae). Her list of accomplishments include and are limited to: sometimes coming to class, suggesting that we attach stickers to our subjects assignments, texting what seems to be an entire novel during class, eating potato chips in the most absurdly annoying fashion during lecture, and finally, um, nothing.
She must be exhausted.
Well if she ate potato chips she at least deserves 10% credit.
ReplyDeleteI also hate group projects. My senior year I finally approached teachers and said "yeah, I don't do well in groups, I'm very busy, I do the work anyway, may I do the project myself?" And most of them granted my wish.
I say to h-e-double hockey sticks with the parter. You turn the paper in with both names, but you definitely need to tell your prof. what went down.