It is a truth universally acknowledged that for every group assignment there’s one group member who doesn’t pull their weight. For our final big assignment before exams that group member is me, and I feel incredibly sheepish about it.
Our (self-appointed) group leader keeps organising meetings to discuss what we’ve done so far, but because I’m needed back on the farm when I don’t have classes, I can’t make most of them. The whole group has been really inflexible and didn’t take it well when I suggested that catching up every second day might be overkill. Everyone keeps sending me passive aggressive emails wanting to know what I’ve done.
I’ve explained that I’m dealing with some family stuff, but I don’t know the other members of my group very well and don’t feel comfortable going into detail about everything that’s been going on at home.
I know how unfair it is to be stuck working with someone who’s not pulling their weight, and I’m trying my best. I just wish the rest of the group would cut me some slack. Brainy’s getting really stressed about it all, which makes it doubly hard to do a good job.
I was already feeling pretty down about my studies, and this assignment is making it worse. My parents are still going to need me on the farm next year and I’m considering taking a semester off to focus on helping them.
On a more positive note, the way my group members are acting has made me reflect on those times when I probably could have shown a bit more compassion for those around me. We don’t always know what others are dealing with, so maybe we should show a little kindness instead of getting all judgey and mean.
