TJ & group projects

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[Post New]01/05/2024 07:22
quote
Anonymous
DC is a sophomore at TJ and seems to have a ton of partner / group projects this year. Is this typical for sophomore year or a change? It’s a big source of anxiety since a lot of the partners don’t do much work but it’s a group grade.
[Post New]01/05/2024 09:54
quote
Anonymous
Welcome to the real world. You have to be able to work with other people, and in some cases drag up stragglers, and you’re evaluated on the basis of whether or not your team gets the job done.

If that’s uncomfortable for you or your child, gainful employment may not be their (or your) best option.
[Post New]01/05/2024 10:05
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the real world. You have to be able to work with other people, and in some cases drag up stragglers, and you’re evaluated on the basis of whether or not your team gets the job done.

If that’s uncomfortable for you or your child, gainful employment may not be their (or your) best option.


Good comment, in another word, leadership.
[Post New]01/05/2024 10:20
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the real world. You have to be able to work with other people, and in some cases drag up stragglers, and you’re evaluated on the basis of whether or not your team gets the job done.

If that’s uncomfortable for you or your child, gainful employment may not be their (or your) best option.


What? Are you nuts?

Have some coffee, friend. With cream and sugar.
[Post New]01/05/2024 10:33
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:DC is a sophomore at TJ and seems to have a ton of partner / group projects this year. Is this typical for sophomore year or a change? It’s a big source of anxiety since a lot of the partners don’t do much work but it’s a group grade.
whaa???? Gifted TJ students not pulling their own weight on a project?
[Post New]01/05/2024 10:35
quote
Anonymous
TJ always does lots of group projects. My kids didn’t have a problem with other students pulling their weight but they attended before the admissions changes.
[Post New]01/05/2024 11:23
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the real world. You have to be able to work with other people, and in some cases drag up stragglers, and you’re evaluated on the basis of whether or not your team gets the job done.

If that’s uncomfortable for you or your child, gainful employment may not be their (or your) best option.



a school environment of peers of entirely different than a work environment. And if it's standard then yes she'll have to suck up doing most of the work when she gets dud partners and get used to it I guess. But it felt like way more of these (or maybe just more bad luck on partners) this year vs last which is why i asked.
- OP
[Post New]01/05/2024 11:32
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DC is a sophomore at TJ and seems to have a ton of partner / group projects this year. Is this typical for sophomore year or a change? It’s a big source of anxiety since a lot of the partners don’t do much work but it’s a group grade.
whaa???? Gifted TJ students not pulling their own weight on a project?


The TJ students I know are so amazing. I can't believe this. Most of them are probably just too busy writing ground breaking research or curing cancer.
[Post New]01/05/2024 12:55
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the real world. You have to be able to work with other people, and in some cases drag up stragglers, and you’re evaluated on the basis of whether or not your team gets the job done.

If that’s uncomfortable for you or your child, gainful employment may not be their (or your) best option.



a school environment of peers of entirely different than a work environment. And if it's standard then yes she'll have to suck up doing most of the work when she gets dud partners and get used to it I guess. But it felt like way more of these (or maybe just more bad luck on partners) this year vs last which is why i asked.
- OP


PP. Sure, it's different, but it's a decent analog for what they'll experience later in life. When you get right down to it, most of life (including work, parenting, being part of a family) is graded group work. Life isn't fair, and one of the best things you can do for your kid is to help them understand this and help them move beyond the anxiety that unfairness creates if it's out of their control. This is coming from decades of TJ experience, btw.
[Post New]01/05/2024 12:57
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:DC is a sophomore at TJ and seems to have a ton of partner / group projects this year. Is this typical for sophomore year or a change? It’s a big source of anxiety since a lot of the partners don’t do much work but it’s a group grade.


Yes there are. The worse problem is when other team members 'freeload' saying they have too much going on and the person who cares about the project the most ends up doing 80 to 100% of the work so that it is a high quality work and turned in on time. Seen this happen over and over at TJ with my DC.
[Post New]01/05/2024 17:28
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the real world. You have to be able to work with other people, and in some cases drag up stragglers, and you’re evaluated on the basis of whether or not your team gets the job done.

If that’s uncomfortable for you or your child, gainful employment may not be their (or your) best option.



a school environment of peers of entirely different than a work environment. And if it's standard then yes she'll have to suck up doing most of the work when she gets dud partners and get used to it I guess. But it felt like way more of these (or maybe just more bad luck on partners) this year vs last which is why i asked.
- OP


PP. Sure, it's different, but it's a decent analog for what they'll experience later in life. When you get right down to it, most of life (including work, parenting, being part of a family) is graded group work. Life isn't fair, and one of the best things you can do for your kid is to help them understand this and help them move beyond the anxiety that unfairness creates if it's out of their control. This is coming from decades of TJ experience, btw.


I’m not aiming to reinforce anxiety and sure you have to work together as adults but the school dynamics are really different from how team projects operate at work. There is much more accountability and recourse in the latter if someone isn’t doing the part they were assigned.

It’s been 3 major projects now in just the last few months where DC has ended up doing an outsized amount of the work.

Useful reality check that this amount of group projects is normal. It still strikes me as a really high amount but if it is what’s been going on for years and just is the norm then yes they’ll just need to suck it up.

But I’m biased because I hated group projects too as a kid.

- OP
[Post New]01/05/2024 22:16
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the real world. You have to be able to work with other people, and in some cases drag up stragglers, and you’re evaluated on the basis of whether or not your team gets the job done.

If that’s uncomfortable for you or your child, gainful employment may not be their (or your) best option.



a school environment of peers of entirely different than a work environment. And if it's standard then yes she'll have to suck up doing most of the work when she gets dud partners and get used to it I guess. But it felt like way more of these (or maybe just more bad luck on partners) this year vs last which is why i asked.
- OP


PP. Sure, it's different, but it's a decent analog for what they'll experience later in life. When you get right down to it, most of life (including work, parenting, being part of a family) is graded group work. Life isn't fair, and one of the best things you can do for your kid is to help them understand this and help them move beyond the anxiety that unfairness creates if it's out of their control. This is coming from decades of TJ experience, btw.


I’m not aiming to reinforce anxiety and sure you have to work together as adults but the school dynamics are really different from how team projects operate at work. There is much more accountability and recourse in the latter if someone isn’t doing the part they were assigned.

It’s been 3 major projects now in just the last few months where DC has ended up doing an outsized amount of the work.

Useful reality check that this amount of group projects is normal. It still strikes me as a really high amount but if it is what’s been going on for years and just is the norm then yes they’ll just need to suck it up.

But I’m biased because I hated group projects too as a kid.

- OP


Yeah, this is another way that TJ is different than the base high school.
[Post New]01/09/2024 13:11
quote
Anonymous
I’ve had 2 at TJ. Yes group projects are a big part of school all the way through. There are always a few procrastinators but generally my kids said TJ group members were better than the equivalent from their middle school days. It always works out ok. Most kids there are highly motivated to get the A.
[Post New]01/09/2024 13:22
quote
pettifogger
Member Offline
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the real world. You have to be able to work with other people, and in some cases drag up stragglers, and you’re evaluated on the basis of whether or not your team gets the job done.

If that’s uncomfortable for you or your child, gainful employment may not be their (or your) best option.



a school environment of peers of entirely different than a work environment. And if it's standard then yes she'll have to suck up doing most of the work when she gets dud partners and get used to it I guess. But it felt like way more of these (or maybe just more bad luck on partners) this year vs last which is why i asked.
- OP


PP. Sure, it's different, but it's a decent analog for what they'll experience later in life. When you get right down to it, most of life (including work, parenting, being part of a family) is graded group work. Life isn't fair, and one of the best things you can do for your kid is to help them understand this and help them move beyond the anxiety that unfairness creates if it's out of their control. This is coming from decades of TJ experience, btw.


I’m not aiming to reinforce anxiety and sure you have to work together as adults but the school dynamics are really different from how team projects operate at work. There is much more accountability and recourse in the latter if someone isn’t doing the part they were assigned.

It’s been 3 major projects now in just the last few months where DC has ended up doing an outsized amount of the work.

Useful reality check that this amount of group projects is normal. It still strikes me as a really high amount but if it is what’s been going on for years and just is the norm then yes they’ll just need to suck it up.

But I’m biased because I hated group projects too as a kid.

- OP

Isn't the simple solution here for her to chat with her teacher about it? A good teacher would normally ask each individual in the group to write out which portions of the projects they were responsible for/worked on. As long as she shows that she did the bulk of the work, the teacher should then find a solution for her for the next project (either via extra credit, or assigning her partners who do pull their weight).
[Post New]01/11/2024 23:29
quote
Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DC is a sophomore at TJ and seems to have a ton of partner / group projects this year. Is this typical for sophomore year or a change? It’s a big source of anxiety since a lot of the partners don’t do much work but it’s a group grade.
whaa???? Gifted TJ students not pulling their own weight on a project?

These changes were required to keep entire class rowing together as a unit and mitigate educational gaps. Thankfully equity initiatives require working in groups, else advanced kids advance much further, leaving others behind. Cry foul all you want, merit based admissions will not be reinstated.
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