Back to that tedious government project I alluded to last week, this week, the groups gave their presentations. The teacher stated that each person has to speak and present something, and of course, it’s implied that all should speak about the same amount. However, that clearly was not the case.

One group of five had only two people talking the whole time while the other three stood awkwardly twiddling their thumbs. Opps. I lie. Two out of the three twidders each spoke for maybe ten seconds. The other one didn’t say anything at all throughout the ten-minute presentation.

By the end, I think the two talkers realized they needed to let that lone twiddler say at least something, just one sentence maybe, or even a word, so the presentation requirement can be met. So they handed him the paper with a command of Go! Go! Read! Now!(those were seriously the exact words succinctly ordered by the head talker). But just when he stumbled upon the first word, the talker snatched the paper right back and shut him up forever.

The whole class was surprised by the command and the totalitarian outcome of the group’s presentation. Well, at least my group was. You see, when we presented, each person’s lines and time were carefully calculated. Everyone had an equal number of slides on the powerpoint; everyone spoke for two minutes.

That’s why I was a little confused when the two talkers took up the whole ten minutes. Afterwards, I asked the twiddlers how come they didn’t say anything. Were they scared? Shy? Did they know they might get points docked off?

Apparently they did have lines. The group did divide everything up. The group, in fact, agreed perfectly well on who will say what and when. But when the time came, the talkers just sort of took over, eagerly juggling the whole presentation between themselves, laughing at inside jokes, completely oblivious of the other three’s presence.

I came to the conclusion that the two just don’t trust the others giving a good enough presentation. They probably thought that they were better, in fact the best. And the presentation must get a better grade due to their unhindered eloquence right?

I think they missed the point of a group project. The teacher is really testing the ability to work in a group, to compromise, to have teamwork, not who can present the best. Group projects are one of the few vestiges of the outside world seen in school. The ability to work with a team, to give as well as take, tests people skills, communication, and leadership.

It was clear that the two were the leaders of the group, the planners, the directors. And every group(school or otherwise) needs a leader, no doubt about it. But leaders are chosen, not inherited. They speak for the people, and let the people speak. Well, in a democracy anyway.

Ha. The irony of it all. The project was to create a new U.S. constitution, step into the shoes of the founding fathers, write the supreme law of the land.

In the end, it was rumored that the lone twiddler turned in his own copy of the project, along with a Declaration of Independence.