I guess one group that I would consider hard to leave was my graduating class in High School. Though I had some rough times in High School, I look back and think fondly of many of the memories. I consider this a group and even to some extent a team development because of all of the different challenges we faced as a group. My senior class has some particular struggles because of some scandalous information that came about our senior year. Our class faced these challenges and actually became more united as a result of them. We even lost our class adviser because of some information that came to the surface and we were all devastated by this.
Like any Senior Class in High School, my class had rituals. We went on a Senior Trip, everyone had senior parties and of course we had Graduation as a final farewell. I think my Senior Class was one of the hardest groups to leave because It wasn't just saying goodbye to a group of people, it was also completely ending a chapter in my life and beginning a new one. Leaving my coworkers at one job to start a new job produced similar feelings to those that I experienced finishing High School, but they were different because the amount of time that had elapsed was different and therefore my feelings were strong, but not so emotionally invested as they had been with my classmates. I think saying goodbye to my Colleagues after this Master's Degree program will be somewhat similar to saying goodbye to my High School classmates, but it will also be different.
My eyes have really been open to a whole new viewpoint of working as a group and team development. I have gained a lot of insight and I have a new perspective about it. I reflected on different groups of people that I worked with throughout my life. I think if nothing else, it has given me an appreciation for working in a group. The Five Stages of Team Development are something that I will always keep in the back of my mind when working in a group.
Hi Amy,
ReplyDeleteI can really relate to this. I too reflect on my high school years and miss the fun times and old classmates. A good team is hard to beat. It is wonderful to be able to reflect back on the good times that one can cherish for a life time.
Hello Amy! I can actually relate to both situations of departing from my high-school friends and also from my previous job. It's so hard to say good-bye when you have had wonderful experiences and friendships with others. I believe that saying good-bye is a stepping stone into a higher height in our life. Most of the time when individuals say good-bye, it is when there is a promotion or better opportunities for an individual. I had much fun in high school but I don't think I would want to stay in that era my entire life. Just the same as with my old job. I wanted the promotion in pay and the better work schedule when I decided to say farewell to my close friends. Good-byes are actually not so bad at all. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteCotati
Amy,
ReplyDeleteI didn't think about my senior class and how difficult that was..We all looked forward to being done with school and we said it more than once during our school years. What we failed to realize was that some of those people that we only saw at school and we'd been seeing them since kindergarten; now was the time to say farewell. Although we could keep the relationship going, we only kept it going with one or two. You just gave me some special memories, thanks.
Brenda