How to survive Group Projects.

     Have you ever been in class and a as you sit there counting the dots on a particular cieling tile your mind grows tired. You begin to drift into an alluring daze. Yet out of the grey fuzz of your mind you hear two words that send your mind into a fit of terror. You sit up staring at your teacher, you ask yourself. "Did they say what I think they said". They answer is yes. You are about to do a "group project". For those who are unaware. A group project is one where 2-6 people share an assignment usually one person takes charge as a leader. This person tends to do the project. All the while everyone else in the group plasters their name to it having done little to nothing on the project.
     I feel I should add a disclaimer to this particular post. I am aware that not all group projects follow the stereotypes I am about to subject you all to. I have been in groups that have helped and worked together but 90% of my "group projects" went as follows.
     So how do we survive group projects.
Here's how we do it.

     Step 1: Know the strengths of your classmates. If you know that Kara who sits two seats away from you is wicked good at power points then that information will be to your advantage. If you don't want to be stuck doing all the work. If your teacher assigned groups then knowing what each student is good at will help you in deliberation.

     Step 2: If you know that you were placed as an A student with non A students to help their grade (some teachers will do this. They don't like students having to take their classes again.) talk to your instructor. In email, tell the teacher you are concerned that your group wont be of much help and you are afraid you will be doing all the work. Often teachers will respond that you wont need to worry and to try hard on the assignment. Sometimes they will even grade you separately from the group so it wont effect your grade negatively.
     If you tell your teachers in email you could use the email later to dispute a bad grade given to you as a result of your groups participation, or lack there of.

     Step 3:Assign tasks. Don't be afraid to look someone square in the eyes and tell them they are responsible for something. Some people do well once they are told what to do. Divide project equally. No one likes feeling like they have to do more. If however it is required that someone should receive two or more tasks than others in the group properly credit and account for that. Never take credit or let someone else take credit for work they did not do. If someone in the group doesn't pull their weight then alerting your teacher to that is not tattling. It is a rational response so that the teacher can grade appropriately.

     Step 4: If you must meet outside of class time to finish your project make sure you are working in a clean and productive environment (with the exception of any filming you might have to do for a project). Do the best you can to make everyone stay on task.

     Step 5: If the deadline is close and a member of your group hasn't finished their portion of the project then send them friendly totally non life threatening text message daily.  Detailing to them that their time has come, wait, no. Telling them that the project needs done. This will enforce a sense of urgency in your classmate. Also you have proof for your teacher to explain to them the delay or low quality assignment you have turned in.

     Step 6: If you really need the project to be good and you don't want to do it yourself. Enlist in the help of your friends. Use the time to hang out build your relationships and let them help you finish this assignment. Return the favor when they need a study buddy and good luck on that assignment.

     You've done it. You survived a group project with I hope a decent grade to show for it. If after all this you still find yourself doing the majority of the work know that it ultimately is helping prepare you for tasks you will have to accomplish in the workforce.
That, is how you survive a group project,

How to survive "Lost" Homework?

     We've all done it. We've all been awake staring at the blank page of a 6 page essay in MLA/APA format, 12 point times new roman, double spaced, annotated bibliography and 5 sources (not Wikipedia). It's 1am and you just spent the last 24 hours watching the Netflix original series "Stranger Things" eating popcorn out of your backwards hoodie bowl. I'm not judging, I have been there. So how do we survive this disaster forged in our own procrastination.
Here's how we do it.

     Step one: Likely you've had weeks possibly a month do do this. Or like my sister you are in the elite programs of your school that excel in causing students to rip out their own hair which they then use to make hats for their cats.. These programs often encourage teachers to hand out difficult assignments weekly. Now evaluate your situation. Ask three questions; What time is this due? Will the grade of this really hurt me? Lastly, how much does my teacher like me?
      If the answers were "Today", "Yes" and "No" respectively then we will start there. If you still plan to attend the class in which the assignment is due I suggest E-Mailing your teacher before class starts telling them that your computer has malfunctioned and that you will have to email the assignment to them once the problem is resolved. I do not suggest doing this every time. They will catch on.

     Step 2: It is easy to pay someone to write the assignment for you but at great risks. So let's say you are going to pull the dreaded all nighter. Formatting is the first thing to worry about, as often your instructor will worry more about format and grammar than content. They have seen a lot of bad papers so they will worry about your technical skills. Keep that in mind as you write.

     Step 3: Write the introduction and conclusion paragraphs first. This will help you keep in your head a consistent idea for the next few hours of writing. Remember a paragraph consists of 5 to 7 sentences. Try to meet 7 each paragraph (or more) as you are filling space rather than focusing on the information itself.

     Step 4: Find one very good source ( one you can pull tons of info from) and however many other sources you need. Next write your bibliography (annotated or not), this will help you organize the information you will be using. (I really like "easybib.com" for my last minute essays.) Even if you only use one sentence from each source.
     Note: If you use Quotes rather than paraphrases on your paper you will help your mind by working it less for the parts you have to come up with.

     At this point you're possibly thinking, "Wait a second, you're just telling me how to write a paper. I need to know how to get out of writing that paper". To which I respond, "Yes, don't worry I'll get to you".

     Step 5: Motivate yourself. This won't be easy. You know what else isn't easy, binge watching every episode of Naruto. There are like 400+ episodes, how am I supposed to do that? So go on Pinterest (10 minutes only, set a timer if you have to ) and look up ways that you can motivate yourself while studying or doing homework. I like the gummy bear one. The point is to find a way to keep you on task if you need that. Ultimately depending on the size and content of the essay you can whip it out in no time.

     Step 6: If you don't want to do it at all. You need to sleep because you have practice after school or maybe you have friends coming over. Either way, you know in your heart that you can't do the paper and won't, but you really really can't get a 0 on the paper. You can try explaining to your instructor that you really need an extension on the date. Have someone write it for you. Copy and paste from somewhere (seriously don't do that one). Or you can do one simple trick. Hand in a different assignment for another class. When your teacher asks you later about it tell them it was a simple mistake. You have bought yourself time to write it and turn it in later.

     I hope you have completed this terrifying task in your life with ease and with an air of satisfaction. That is how you survive "Lost" Homework.