We begin as a family and from there we traverse a landscape filled with families and groups of many colors, dimensions and equal complexities, some bringing ideologies, some bringing adventures, and some simply bringing the rhythms of diverse life.

It’s a journey we all take together, from one group to the next.  We are either inclusive, exclusive, or neutral.

This blog represents a journey I am taking through my Small Group Interaction class conducted by Dr. Haimes-Korn at KSU.

Please join me in this exploration, it promises to be dynamic and thought-provoking and while it may prove to be of great value to some, it has been an education to me. At the bottom of the article, there are annotations describing each of the blog pages and I invite you to explore those that interest you.

As for me, the timing for this class could not have been better since this began in an election year embellished with all the twists and turns by social media, influenced in large part by spin doctors, false news sites, and opinion-makers, causing us to question ourselves, our values and our opinions.

And here comes the Systems Approach (my class) providing research and resulting analysis on small group interactions, how they are formed, what makes them effective, how are they influenced, how effective are they, and on and on.  At the same time, while being immersed in this revealing study of small groups, I am reading more postings throughout social media, print and television of people reminding us and asking us to focus on the important values we all hold toward one another with an emphasis on community and caring … and quite honestly, there is no better definition for a small group interaction than providing a sense of belonging and caring.

As some of you know, this is not my first blog, but it is a labor of love … and here is another, patgarnerblog.tech honing in our need to keep learning.  I’ve always believed there is no limit to what we can accomplish and there is not a clock set on our value to one another and i have been privileged to surround myself with like-minded individuals most of my life.

Personal SPSU campus photo taken 2014 focused on globe; now, Kennesaw State University.