Spectator and/or Active Participant

In most situations I tend to be a spectator because I am usually afraid that if I try to contribute, my ideas might not work and I don't want to be the one to blame. I know that I should try to contribute more because I'll never really know if something will work or not if I never try it. I felt like I was more of a spectator in our first initiative because I didn't try very hard to come up with a solution to help get us untangled and the ideas that slipped in my mind, I kept to myself because I felt uncomfortable with the new group of people. In this situation I could have made more of an effort to help the people who had already established themselves as the leaders. I realize that being an active participant doesn't necessarily mean I have to be a the leader, I just need to contribute a few more ideas. In english and history I feel more comfortable participating in group activities, usually because the group is much smaller and because at this point I know the people in my class better. I think what helps sustain this active participation for me is that I know that everything I say counts as a valuable contribution and usually there aren't one or two leaders who stand out more than everyone else.