If you’re like me, hearing the teacher announce an upcoming group project causes you premature stress. You’re a try-hard and everyone knows it – especially your group members. They gleefully stare at each other, exchanging high-fives while you sink lower into your seat. They know you’re a perfectionist and that you work hard for your high grades, and they’ll exploit that to the fullest.
By the deadline, your group members’ only contribution is adding their names to the finished project, and gracefully accepting the A you worked so hard for. Is this fair? Absolutely not. It’s credit that they don’t deserve for work that you’ve done.
The other option is to tell your teacher, a huge taboo in high school politics. It’s the best alternative – one that ensures that you aren’t shouldering the burden of two or more students. It’s the most advantageous choice for you.
If you put forth all the effort to complete a project, then you should receive credit for that. The only way to ensure you get the credit you deserve is by telling your teacher.
In the event your teacher tells you that there’s nothing he/she can do about that, then you’ve at least made sure that they’re cognizant of the amount of effort you’re contributing to the assignment. It’s possible that they’ll take that into account when grading the assignment, giving you more leniency for singularly completing a multi-person project.
Let’s face it, a lot of high school students are lazy. If they actually complete their portions of the assignment, then they’ll give it minimal thought, resulting in poor quality that will lower your grade. If you’re as much of a perfectionist as I am, you’ll end up redoing their work.
It’s better to tell the teacher now. It saves you a lot of stress and effort, and teaches your peers a valuable lesson in group work – that everyone is required to work.