There are a lot of people who do not like group work, myself being one of them. The majority of group projects, I end up becoming a bossy person, just so we can get the project done or just do the majority of the project by myself. Many students share the same thinking as I do, when it comes to group work. It is extremely aggravating when working with others who do not try their best. It is also slightly frustrating when working with someone you do not know well, but it is equally as difficult to work with friends, or people close to you, because you can easily get off task. At least, academically.

There are two different types of group work in our school, academic and extra-curricular. When doing academic group work not everyone gives their all, as not everyone cares strongly about the subject they are in, or the topic of study. People are forced to do group work in classes, they do not usually want to do it. Then there is extra-curricular, which is like sports, clubs and performing arts. When someone is on a sport or involved in the performing arts ,they are practicing towards the same goal as everyone else on the team. Everyone on those activities practice towards winning a game or competition. When someone is in a club they are working or discussing about a specific topic, something they actually want to talk about. This form of group work many students enjoy, as it is something they want to do and choose to participate in. When talking to Rachel Ruisch ’21, who is involved in many extracurriculars such as show choir and basketball. “Group work, in my opinion, just slows everything down. It’s not beneficial,” Ruisch said.

Looking into the topic of academic group work, if it is so taxing on students nationwide, why do we still partake in it? From my background knowledge, group work is meant to improve our skills and prepare us for entering the workforce. Group work strengthens skills like communication, negotiation, team work, and understanding. However, to get this question a better answer I turned to our staff, who can at least answer why they themselves still do it. A World Studies teacher, Tyler Miklo, and I discussed the amount he uses group work in his classes and why he believes it benefits his students. “I think it is important for kids to be able to work together, I think it is a skill that translates beyond the classroom,” Miklo said.

Now we know why we have to do group work, and why it is involved in our school careers. However, just because it does have some benefits for our future does not mean that we want or enjoy group activities and assignments.