Athira Ann M Jos
Group projects always seemed complicated to me. I was never a person who loved to work in groups. Maybe because somehow, I always ended up doing most of the work while the other members got the credit, or maybe because I feel like my opinions or ideas do not matter or because I feel unheard. Group projects are hectic. There’s no doubt about that. Working with other people, cooperating with each other and executing the task is not an easy job. You meet people with different ideals and values that may or may not align with yours. However, overcoming all such differences and trying to make the best out of it, is a great task. I might be mature enough to realise this fact but immature enough to still hate group projects.
‘Newsletter’ – a new term that I hadn’t heard of much. The moment I realised that this was a group project, I was upset. Yes. All the extra work I did, all the scoldings I received on behalf of others, I was suddenly reminded of those. I was almost certain that things will turn out the same and that I was stuck somewhere I don’t belong. It was a relief when I realised that my best friend was in my group. Of course, there were certain disagreements and late night calls to rant about the dissatisfaction in some aspects. As I said earlier, group projects are indeed hectic! But somehow we managed to complete the project on time, but I felt that some feelings of disapproval or disappointment were still lingering around the members. The collection of data for the project was not difficult as the topic was Doordarshan. Getting images was also not much of task. For me, personally, the most difficult task was to maintain the cooperation among members and to make sure everyone feels heard. I probably sound like the group leader but our groups didn’t have any leader but yet again somehow, I ended up taking over the actions that I, personally, wish to avoid.
Now the thing I learned from this project is simple and straight. This world consists of people with different kinds of values and mindsets. As human beings, we crave the validation of our opinions or ideas by others. Working in a group means that you need to maintain a level of respect and listen to others patiently instead of forcing your ideals on others. Humans are delicate creatures, sometimes even the slightest disapproval can lower one’s self esteem. There are people out there who prefer group projects rather than individual ones. They make group activities seem so easy and fun. And of course, there are people like me who would definitely choose an individual project to avoid any disappointments or conflict of ideas.
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