Team Development

I worked with a team of 3 other teachers for 3-4 years.  This group was extremely high-performing because we were all working with each other and for the good of the team, which in turn benefited the students.  All people showcased their own strengths for different aspects, such as developing creative ideas to teach a topic, coming up with an interesting writing assignment, or a new strategy for teaching math.  There was not one defined leader, but each person stepped up at different times.  

This past school year, I had to leave the team, which had really become my family.  It was very difficult for me to leave the team.  I even experienced slight depression symptoms because of the drastic change and withdraw from my support system.  I believe this occurred because I did not have the same connection with my new team. As the year has progressed however, I do feel that my new team is also a support system, which is positive.  We continue to maintain a friendship and share resources and ideas with each other, even though we are no longer considered a team.  

I imagine that the adjourning stage from this master's program will be a celebratory time because we all understand how hard each of us have worked to complete the program.  We have benefited from each other's knowledge and will use that to improve our own professional growth.

Adjourning is essential because all projects and groups come to an end.  This is often the main goal of forming a group in the first place, to accomplish a task.  Once the task is complete, the group has to either stay together and set a new goal or take what they have learned and form a new group.