Anonymous
Post 06/12/2025 09:38     Subject: Group Project Hell
Anonymous wrote:For those with type A kids who are tempted to “do it all,” I’d ask for a little patience and flexibility. My kid is dyslexic. He doesn’t write well, and it takes him longer than others. Being “the stupid one” makes him anxious, which sometimes leads to work avoidance. He always does his part, and he is often the one fretting at midnight that his partners havent gotten their sections in yet. But there have been projects where a kid who MUST get an A doesn’t let him participate. Re-writes everything he writes, or writes it before his due date so he never has a chance. That’s unfair, too.

Just a heads up that encouraging your kid to take control has drawbacks, too. I prefer those where each kid’s contributions are clear and graded separately. They allow the type A kid to get their A, but also allow my kid to learn.


Yeah, one of middle schooler's close friend is like that. Very protective of straight A average and is so controlling. Instead of helping make something better, they just delete my kid's part and redo it. From what my kids showed me last time, it was better grammatically and spelling-wise, but much less interesting and creative.

They were so excited at the beginning of the school year that they had so many classes together and now my kid tries to avoid being paired with them.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2025 07:40     Subject: Group Project Hell
For those with type A kids who are tempted to “do it all,” I’d ask for a little patience and flexibility. My kid is dyslexic. He doesn’t write well, and it takes him longer than others. Being “the stupid one” makes him anxious, which sometimes leads to work avoidance. He always does his part, and he is often the one fretting at midnight that his partners havent gotten their sections in yet. But there have been projects where a kid who MUST get an A doesn’t let him participate. Re-writes everything he writes, or writes it before his due date so he never has a chance. That’s unfair, too.

Just a heads up that encouraging your kid to take control has drawbacks, too. I prefer those where each kid’s contributions are clear and graded separately. They allow the type A kid to get their A, but also allow my kid to learn.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2025 07:31     Subject: Group Project Hell
Anonymous wrote:My kid has been victim of slackers in group projects and spent a good chunk of weekend time finishing other kids’ work, but one of his teachers did write in his weekly message to parents that he felt that kids of that age group were lacking some basic social skills due to being so isolated due to Covid during formative years and that the ability to plan, discuss, come to an agreement and negotiate a group message are important life skills that kids need to develop that the teacher was trying to foment through group work

More bluntly, this will prepare you for the work world where some coworkers are much more productive than others.


Or, maybe they cannot do it easily as teachers assign tasks without working with the kids and teaching them to work in groups.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2025 07:29     Subject: Group Project Hell
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Group projects are so frustrating. In 10th grade my son got a B+ in History the final semester because he was with slackers. He always asks to do group projects alone and if that isn’t possible he tells the slacker from the get go he will do their work. It has been so frustrating to watch him wait up until almost midnight because the slacker hasn't turned in their part and it is due at midnight.

He has learned teachers don’t care and at his school rarely check or make sure the slacker does work. If he complains the group’s grade gets lower. Last big group project he had the slacker did nothing and my sin as sick and stressing. So I put it into AI and AI did it
And we made sure it wasn’t too good. Son turned that in and the group got 100%.


AI is doing homework now? How will anyone learn anything?


My kid’s English teacher said he had to move a large chunk of time that was formerly instructional to have kids write their work in class. Otherwise, they were using AI to hand in essays that his plagiarism detector wasn’t able to catch and when they handwrite in class he can see what they’re truly capable (which in some kids’ cases, is not a lot.)
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2025 07:27     Subject: Group Project Hell
My kid has been victim of slackers in group projects and spent a good chunk of weekend time finishing other kids’ work, but one of his teachers did write in his weekly message to parents that he felt that kids of that age group were lacking some basic social skills due to being so isolated due to Covid during formative years and that the ability to plan, discuss, come to an agreement and negotiate a group message are important life skills that kids need to develop that the teacher was trying to foment through group work

More bluntly, this will prepare you for the work world where some coworkers are much more productive than others.
Anonymous
Post 06/12/2025 00:24     Subject: Group Project Hell
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Group projects are so frustrating. In 10th grade my son got a B+ in History the final semester because he was with slackers. He always asks to do group projects alone and if that isn’t possible he tells the slacker from the get go he will do their work. It has been so frustrating to watch him wait up until almost midnight because the slacker hasn't turned in their part and it is due at midnight.

He has learned teachers don’t care and at his school rarely check or make sure the slacker does work. If he complains the group’s grade gets lower. Last big group project he had the slacker did nothing and my sin as sick and stressing. So I put it into AI and AI did it
And we made sure it wasn’t too good. Son turned that in and the group got 100%.


AI is doing homework now? How will anyone learn anything?


My son learned something from doing his part while the slacker was never going to do anything anyways. Why should the students who work hard get bad grades? And I am not sure where you have been the last two years, I think the majority of students are now using AI to do homework.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2025 20:36     Subject: Group Project Hell
I am so thankful for teachers who don’t do group projects or who allow kids to work alone. You are the best!!!
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2025 20:27     Subject: Group Project Hell
I teach middle school and strongly dislike group projects. It is HARD to structure them well, and I don’t have the instructional time to do them solely in class and monitor the participation, so I avoid them. Some of my students complain that I don’t do them, and it’s generally the slackers.

When I’m mandated to give a group project (not often, but it happens) I put the hard workers together and let the slackers sink or swim together. They usually end up playing “slacker chicken” until somebody steps up at the last minute.

Plenty of my colleagues do lots of group projects, so I don’t feel like anyone is missing out on some vital collaboration experience.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2025 20:23     Subject: Group Project Hell
Anonymous wrote:Group projects are so frustrating. In 10th grade my son got a B+ in History the final semester because he was with slackers. He always asks to do group projects alone and if that isn’t possible he tells the slacker from the get go he will do their work. It has been so frustrating to watch him wait up until almost midnight because the slacker hasn't turned in their part and it is due at midnight.

He has learned teachers don’t care and at his school rarely check or make sure the slacker does work. If he complains the group’s grade gets lower. Last big group project he had the slacker did nothing and my sin as sick and stressing. So I put it into AI and AI did it
And we made sure it wasn’t too good. Son turned that in and the group got 100%.


AI is doing homework now? How will anyone learn anything?
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2025 20:22     Subject: Group Project Hell
Anonymous wrote:My DD is up waiting on one member of her group to send their portion of a group project so she can stitch it together. She has been reminding/pleading with that kid to do their portion for week. WTH. Has been calling and texting this kid all night. The project is now already past due. WTH. How can this kid be so inconsiderate and rude? How should DD handle these types of situations in the future?


Group projects are the product of bad and lazy teachers.

They try to teach hive-mind, but it ends up making the good students realize that "anything you want done right, you should do it yourself." and not to rely on others.

It's a good lesson teacher, albeit in a round about way.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2025 20:18     Subject: Group Project Hell
Group projects are so frustrating. In 10th grade my son got a B+ in History the final semester because he was with slackers. He always asks to do group projects alone and if that isn’t possible he tells the slacker from the get go he will do their work. It has been so frustrating to watch him wait up until almost midnight because the slacker hasn't turned in their part and it is due at midnight.

He has learned teachers don’t care and at his school rarely check or make sure the slacker does work. If he complains the group’s grade gets lower. Last big group project he had the slacker did nothing and my sin as sick and stressing. So I put it into AI and AI did it
And we made sure it wasn’t too good. Son turned that in and the group got 100%.
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2025 20:04     Subject: Group Project Hell
The only thing group projects prepare you for is marriage. Learning how to do your job and someone else’s, trying not to keep score and be resentful, the general unfairness
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2025 19:59     Subject: Group Project Hell
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Group projects suck, but they are one of the things school does that really truly does prepare you for adult professional life. You are going to have crappy coworkers that don't pull their weight at some point in your career, and you'll have to manage that and find a way to get the work done regardless. As others have said, hopefully the slacker gets their due eventually.


This is so true. I would say that group projects are one of the best lessons available in school. They will learn that someone is going to carry a lot of the weight and how to cope with that.


Ridiculous. You learn that lesson very rapidly and don't need to suffer several times a year, for all K-12 plus college.


I dont see what you can do about it really. If you run to the teacher your DC does not learn how to solve issues. Give the slacker the easiest things possible and produce the rest of it yourself or among the members that are interested. It is such a common part of life. Get some coping skills going.


PP you replied to. Yes, that's what I did, and what my kids do. But it still sucks that schools utilize group projects knowing the disadvantages outweigh the advantages. It's like when schools still use a reading curriculum even after it's proven to be bad for reading, or when schools use group punishment or take away recess when studies have shown those practices lower morale and don't curb unwanted behaviors.



Anonymous
Post 06/10/2025 19:54     Subject: Group Project Hell
Professor here. The teacher should have the students do a group contract at the beginning and stick to it. I also allow for time to
Work on it during class
Anonymous
Post 06/10/2025 13:26     Subject: Re:Group Project Hell
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:My son has always done somewhere between 75 and 100% of the work on all group projects. Sucks but it is what it is.


If you are type A about your school work, this is the way. Helps you prepare for slacker colleagues. You just put slacker's name on the project and move on.


My kid never does this and most of his class slackers avoid him and ask to switch groups if assigned with him to a group.

Go figure!