The year 2013 wasn't exactly a great year for me. It marked my graduation at Gallaudet and three surgeries.
While college graduation marks a joyous time for those graduates, it was tempered by my nearly not graduating due to a capstone team member miscommunicating something with the instructor (Teamwork in classes and on the job - Part 1 and Part 2) requiring us to change direction mid-semester right before Spring Break. That plus having to deal with the ever-increasing pain levels due to the degrading left hip joint as I got closer to graduation and surgery date. It did help to inform those I worked with about what was going on with me. My team had a second chance at finishing up our project that summer, but my hip had other ideas, including the team leader also having a health issue, so we were never able.
The left hip had other ideas in a way that required three surgeries within 5 months (June, July, and November). Just 5 weeks after I had the original joint replacement, I had to return to the hospital due to it being infected. The second surgery had the joint be replaced by a wrecking ball of a spacer (Surgery and the Hips - Part 3) which was painful and uncomfortable. I had to have pain pills before physical therapy while in Acute Rehab. Fortunately, that wasn't needed when I moved to the nursing home.
I've been infection-free since the last surgery (Surgery and the Hips - Part 5). I don't need another wrecking ball in me. Physical therapy is going along well. I still have a ways to go before I can walk with and without a cane.
2014 should be a better year. The next surgery on the right hip should be near the end of 2014 also, and should go well.
Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts
Thursday, January 2, 2014
Monday, July 1, 2013
Teamwork in classes and on the job - Part 2
Continued from Part 1
That plus the instructor emailed us saying our report and presentation were never uploaded to Blackboard. I take one look at what those two girls finally uploaded and I knew we weren't going to get a good grade, and we didn't.
What totally floored me was meeting up with them and the instructor after class in the instructor's office. One girl kept giving excuses such as she was overwhelmed, didn't do well with teamwork, etc. Well, I'm overwhelmed, too, but I'm dealing with a lot more. I told her that as an older student, I couldn't wait til the last minute anymore, all my assignments were turned in/uploaded the night before, and that I can't do all-nighters anymore. I may live 20 miles away from the campus, but I have access to the same resources they do.
Had those two asked, I'd have made that report and presentation look a whole lot better. Even the instructor was backing me up on just about everything I said and then some. This girl took a look at my part of the report like she'd never seen it before and she had to agree my part looked good.
In short, sometimes if necessary, do the project by yourself.
That plus the instructor emailed us saying our report and presentation were never uploaded to Blackboard. I take one look at what those two girls finally uploaded and I knew we weren't going to get a good grade, and we didn't.
What totally floored me was meeting up with them and the instructor after class in the instructor's office. One girl kept giving excuses such as she was overwhelmed, didn't do well with teamwork, etc. Well, I'm overwhelmed, too, but I'm dealing with a lot more. I told her that as an older student, I couldn't wait til the last minute anymore, all my assignments were turned in/uploaded the night before, and that I can't do all-nighters anymore. I may live 20 miles away from the campus, but I have access to the same resources they do.
Had those two asked, I'd have made that report and presentation look a whole lot better. Even the instructor was backing me up on just about everything I said and then some. This girl took a look at my part of the report like she'd never seen it before and she had to agree my part looked good.
In short, sometimes if necessary, do the project by yourself.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Teamwork in classes and on the job - Part 1
We know that teamwork is probably the most important thing on the job. The old cliche of "there is no I in team" is pretty much true. It's multiple people working together. In classes, it's even more important.
When doing a class project, it's how well the entire team does. If one person does badly, the entire team suffers. I had this one team project and I kept telling the other two teammates that I didn't want to wait til the last minute. I had given them my contact info and class schedule a few times, and even then only one of the two gave me her text number. The other girl I never heard from until 10 hours before due time.
Apparently these two waited til the absolute last minute while I had my part already in the report with instructor's specs and questions to answer for them. My "don't wait til the last minute" was a common theme for the next three weeks before the due date. I told them I could make the report a good one but not if it was at the last minute. Come the due date, we had our presentation, and I was thinking it looked OK, though could have used some improvements. But the actual report I never saw til later.
What got me was that they kept claiming that I didn't say anything. Really? Like my many times of saying "no last minute" wasn't saying anything? That plus "we were aggressively working on project in classroom." If that were true, we'd have finished this long ago. Hardly "aggressive." And I was right there in the classroom and in the Commuter Lounge if they needed me.
Next - Part 2
When doing a class project, it's how well the entire team does. If one person does badly, the entire team suffers. I had this one team project and I kept telling the other two teammates that I didn't want to wait til the last minute. I had given them my contact info and class schedule a few times, and even then only one of the two gave me her text number. The other girl I never heard from until 10 hours before due time.
Apparently these two waited til the absolute last minute while I had my part already in the report with instructor's specs and questions to answer for them. My "don't wait til the last minute" was a common theme for the next three weeks before the due date. I told them I could make the report a good one but not if it was at the last minute. Come the due date, we had our presentation, and I was thinking it looked OK, though could have used some improvements. But the actual report I never saw til later.
What got me was that they kept claiming that I didn't say anything. Really? Like my many times of saying "no last minute" wasn't saying anything? That plus "we were aggressively working on project in classroom." If that were true, we'd have finished this long ago. Hardly "aggressive." And I was right there in the classroom and in the Commuter Lounge if they needed me.
Next - Part 2
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)