The stage of adjourning is very interesting. I look back on a few meaningful groups I have
been a part of and how the adjournment played out. I have been involved in school district and
corporation meetings or staff development days with groups. In this type of situation, adjourning is
usually easy. You wish people luck, and
you know you will most likely see and work with them again since we have the
commonality of work. You have most
likely made decisions during these meetings that involved follow-up steps or
hard work in order to get them. I feel
that sometimes when you have a goal to work forward to, you adjourn in “task
mode”.
I have been involved in group work with individuals
that I did not know prior to and will most likely never see them again, such as
jury duty or professional development seminars.
These types of group adjournments can be a little awkward. You aren’t sure what to say, since you know you
will probably never see them again. Yet
you feel like you really got to know them over the course of the day.
I have also been involved in groups that have been
long-lasting. I worked for 6 years as an
elementary teacher. I formed
long-lasting friendships with my co-workers.
When it turned in my letter of resignation, it was the hardest thing I
had ever done. I still keep in touch
with many of these former co-workers, and even remain close friends with a few. It seems as if the groups that are
close-knit, and have traveled many ups and downs together have a hard time
adjourning.
It will be difficult to say good-bye to the group
that I have traveled through this Master’s Program with. One classmate already said goodbye when she
decided to take some time off to give birth and spend time with her new baby. I will have to say good-bye to many after
this course, because I am taking the next class off and starting back up in
September with a new specialization. You
feel like you really get to know your classmates, especially those who are very
open to share their own personal stories.
I will say goodbye, wish everyone luck, and hope to stay in contact with
a few who I feel I have really gotten to know.
Although this stage can be difficult, but it is an essential part to
teamwork because I think it brings closure.
Thank you so much for sharing your stories, sometimes we forget that being in groups and the definition of adjourning, can be described in many ways. Thank you for bringing up many different examples to think about. I already can now think of a handful of other types of group work that I did not put into effect with this assignment, so you have also opened my mind up a bit more. So you are taking a break? What specialization are you changing to? Well I hope I can somehow stay in touch with you, over many courses I have learned a lot from you and your experiences and I am sure I would need to use you as a resource of information if or when I become a developmental specialist myself. Good luck in the rest of your schooling and thank you again for your enriched stories and advice.
ReplyDeleteKristen,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it's awkward in those situations where you know you won't see people again. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us throughout our courses together. Are you switching to the management and leadership specialization? If you are, we will probably have courses together again. If not, I wish you success in your work and in life. Feel free to keep in touch.
I agree with you. There are some people within this program that we have had a chance to bond with through conversation within class and over the phone. For those, whom I have not formed a bond with, it will most definitely feel awkward because you are at a loss for words.
ReplyDeleteKristen, I have to agree with you on how the adjourning process is different for each type of group. It can be awkward to adjourn from a group that you have not really gotten to know. When starting this program, I wasn't sure how it would be leaving each course and working with new people. I found it comforting to see familiar names and had so much joy for our classmate who was having a baby. I have bonded with people in ways that I had not expected. I wish you the best of luck with everything that you do.
ReplyDeleteI also feel awkward at times during the adjournment phase. Sometimes, I just do not know what to say. There are times that I have gotten to know someone so well and then its sad to know that I will not see them again.
ReplyDelete