September 12 Results

Number of respondents
19
1	Rate the pace of this week's activities.
	Rating	Count	Percentage
	[1]	0	0.00%
	[2]	3	15.79%
	[3]	13	68.42%
	[4]	3	15.79%
	[5]	0	0.00%
	Average Rating
	3
2	Rate the level of challenge of this week's assignments and activities.
	Rating	Count	Percentage
	[1]	0	0.00%
	[2]	0	0.00%
	[3]	12	63.16%
	[4]	7	36.84%
	[5]	0	0.00%
	Average Rating
	3.37
3	Rate the level of respect shown this week by Mr. O'Leary to students.
	Rating	Count	Percentage
	[1]	0	0.00%
	[2]	0	0.00%
	[3]	0	0.00%
	[4]	3	15.79%
	[5]	16	84.21%
	Average Rating
	4.84
4	Rate the level of respect shown this week by students to fellow students.
	Rating	Count	Percentage
	[1]	0	0.00%
	[2]	0	0.00%
	[3]	4	21.05%
	[4]	10	52.63%
	[5]	5	26.32%
	Average Rating
	4.05
5	Rate the level of respect shown this week by students to Mr. O'Leary.
	Rating	Count	Percentage
	[1]	0	0.00%
	[2]	0	0.00%
	[3]	1	5.26%
	[4]	8	42.11%
	[5]	10	52.63%
	Average Rating
	4.47

What went well in class this week?

Discussing and finding rhetorical devices in the letter by Lord Chesterfield went well for me. This went well for me because I felt that my group was really able to generate some good ideas and, even though the class didn't finish discussing it together, it seemed that it sparked an interesting discussion.

Discussing our quotes went really well. I heard some points of view and ideas that I had never thought of. It was just really nice to get back into a group and discuss literature. The discussions seemed to flow pretty well too, they didn't seem forced.

discussion

Going over the AP writing prompt went well for me because I got to discuss the rhetorical methods of the author for the fisrt time without the pressure of having to write about them on my own.

I found that sharing the pithy group fro the small groups to the big groups went well. My small group would pick the selected pithy quote early on in our discussion. After that we would find connections and depth to that particular quote. When it came time to share, my group members and I would add in our own particular insights to the quote so that we had many ideas being shared at once. The overall effect was a strongly supported pithy quote backed with different ideas. I liked this because the class could see that there were many ways to interpret our quote, making it all the more pithy.

I found the small group discussions of the AP essay prompt were really helpful to me, because it showed me what to look for in terms of the essay's retorical devices. i thought our group had a really good conversation and we were able to look at things from each other's point of view.

I liked how we did both small group and large group discussions this week. That way we got the best of each type of discussion in our class. In small group people who are quieter can talk, and in large group you get many different opinions on a subject.

i liked the class overall, i felt like it was a good start. we had some enlightening conversations, it was good to finally get a chane to talk aout huck finn and invisible man, i had a lot of questions i was glad to clear uop. i was always happy that i got an a on my summer project!!!

I liked the discussions, it is a new concept to me really, if I had been in other english classes like that I probably would have liked them a lot more. Mostly the discussions, I liked them.

I really think that analyzing the AP practice writing piece went very well for my group. I was a little foggy after reading the essay and had a few questions, but once I was able to bounce my ideas off someone, it all 'clicked' together.

I think that the small group discussions went well, because it gave everyone a chance to share their opinions. I liked them a lot because they were small enough to let everyone have a large role in participation, but we also were able to share the most exemplary work in a large group discussion later on. This was good because the people who ended up sharing in large group discussions might not have shared otherwise.

I think the large-group pithy quote discussions went well.

I think the small group discussions went the best for me because I got to express my feelings on my most favorite parts of the summer reading. I think it is important for me to express my thoughts in the smaller groups so I can develop more confidence for when we come together as a class. Watching the Huck Finn film also gave me great insight into the book and the feelings surrounding the American Classic. I would really like to finish it to see what happens to the girl and her mother from Tempe, AZ and how school officials deal with the situation.

I think the transition from teacher to teacher went very smoothly. I thought Mr. Oleary did a very good job of jumping into our discussions and picking up where we left off. Our class, in return, did a nice job of filling him in and continuing the discussions.

I thought the discussions went well, even though we had spent so much time before discussing similar things. I think that starting the discussion with quote and having responses to the quote is a good way of starting a discussion. It helped me to look at a quote I might not have chosen and to hear what other people think about different aspects and peicves of the literature. Hearing the other opinions is very helpful to me to look at ideas and symbols in another way. I also liked thinking about what makes good writing, with snappy sentences that make the piece of writing more interestin to read.

Once we got going, I thought our large group discussions on the novels went well. We came up with new ideas and built off of what other people were saying. I had the opportunity to hear some great connections that I never thought of.

Small group discussions went well because everyone got a chance to share their ideas.

We had some good insights into pithy quotes and themes from Self Reliance and Huckleberry Finn. The class brought up a few things that I had not noticed the first time around, which made me really think about the book in a new light.

Working in small groups went well becuase we could all share our ideas. I really enjoyed analyzing the essay in small groups. When I first read it myself I had a hard time understanding it and what we were supposed to do. When I had people to bounce my thoughts off of and hear their ideas it made the essay much clearer. Our group was able to outline the entire essay.

What could have gone better?

analysis/ talk of the movie

For me, the pithy quote discussions could have gone better at the small group level, because none of the groups I was in did much discussing, we just read teh quotes and then chose one. I would have liked to have spent more time discussing our writing about the quotes.

i dont like homework, but i suppose there was a reasonable amount of it. i need to work on better time managment in general.

I think that the large group discussions could have stayed on topic better, and that we could have been more respectful by not having side conversations. It seemed to me that Mr. O had to make a lot of comments and make a lot of suggestions to keep the discussion going. Hopefully next week we will be able to come up with more on our own and sustain the discussion by ourselves.

I think the large group discussions could have gone better. There are only a few people sharing their ideas. I think that will get better during the year once feel more comfortable in the class and get to know you better.

I think the small group discussions could have gone better. Sometimes we would finish with all of our quotes and little discussions and we wouldn't have anything to say.

I think we should have discussed the movie that we watched last week more, especially with you in the room to guide the discussion. I feel like we watched it and then did not talk about it, but in reality there are some interesting themes to be identified that are important to our reading.

I would have liked it better if some of the time we could chose our own groups to work with. Sometimes it is good to have random groups but also I know who I have good discussions with in our class, and would have liked to been able to work with them some.

I would have liked to talk more about the 'Putting a snap in a line of prose' assignment. It was a little confusing and I think a discussion of what everyone found that worked well for them would have made things clearer and given me more ideas.

I'm a very hands-on person and love to be active. I enjoy discussions, but also like to break it up with movement and projects. I think that the discussions went very well in themselves, but would have like to be a little more active.

In some cases, people were talking over each other. I am not listing this as disrespect because I don't think it was, they were just very inspired by our discussions and tried to talk all at once.

In the large group on Wednesday, the discussion was not very interesting. I think that we were very worried about not showing enough respect, so no one really discussed or challenged others' ideas.

My large group participation could have definitely been better last week. I sometimes have something to say, but I either fail to speak out or don't think of it until someone else has brought it to the class' attention. This upcoming week I will make more of an effort to bring thoughts to the class to ponder on.

Telling Mr. O'Leary what we had already done could have gone much better. I feel that we were not very clear and did not really go over what we had been doing in class very well. I think we kind of came to a stopping place for the small group, pithy quote discussions after doing it every day, since the begingin of class. We were beginging to come for a loss of more things to say in that setting, I think more discussions could be possible, however I think they might need to be stimulated with some new ideas or other ways of looking at the literature.

The 'Putting a Snap in a Line of Prose' essay that we read did not make much sense to me. I didn't understand what we were supposed to do with our prose, probably because there is no concrete solutions to making prose more 'snappy'. Still, I belive it would have been easier to understand if we had discussed the issue and come up with some ideas. All i know now about 'snappy' prose is that somehow it has more snap, and the only way to achieve snap is through editing. If the definition of 'snappy' prose could have been clearer I think I would have taken something better out of the exercise.

The only thing I can think of is if we had more time to discuss the essay we analyzed in small groups on Friday. I thought we were having a good discussion and were unfortunately cut off by the bell. Other than that, we had a great week!

The small-group pithy quote discussions were not very productive at times.

We could have had more time in small groups, I sometimes feel that large group can be difficult for everyone to be involved in. Sometimes it feels like ideas are being missed.

Would have liked to finish up the discussion we were having Friday,other than that nothing much.

Identity someone who inspired you this week, someone who achieved something above and beyond expectations.

Alex really impressed me this past week. She is a very hard worker. For example, when we were working with the AP sample, she quickly found several literary devices. Also, when she had an idea about what the author's values were, she was able to back it up with seveal reference from the text.

I think it was Friday that we were discussing pithy quotes from Invisible Man and someone came up with an intriguing quote. Kelsey made some great comments that started to make me think more and more. She continued to make solid points throughout the discussion. Her articulation and outgoing attitude inspired me to want to add more to our class discussions. Thanks Kelsey.

I was impressed this week by Sam McIntire. He was always respectful, and had a lot of great ideas to contribute to the group. I thought that it was really considerate o him to close the door when people outside were being loud, and I was impressed with his dedication and valuable input to the group.

i was impressed with charlie beyer. i never knew him before this english class, so it was interesting to hear his perspectives during our discussions. i like his ideas, he seems to see things differently than most people, which always makes for better topics of conversations. kudos to charlie for having something to share! p.s. hey mr. o, sorry i am doing this at 7:30 on sunday, i guess this doesn't count as the afternoon, but i completely forgot about it!

I'm not sure if it was this week, but within the last two weeks, Kelsey read a pithy quote essay that she wrote. Her writing was inspiring not only because of the quote about which she wrote, but her style of writing as well.

Kelsey inspired me this week with her willingness to share about her pithy quotes and her ideas on the readings. She had some great points and saw things that other people, including myself, had missed.

Kelsey inspired me this week. The pithy quotes that she did for homework were great examples of good writing. Each one seemed to be a mini-essay. Not only were they informational, they had original ideas that were very interesting.Kelsey did a great job with her homework this week.

Kelsey Liebenson-Morse impressed me with her pithy quotes in her summer work. Her 'real-life' connections inspired me to work harder on mine.

Kelsey was very inspiring this week. Her pithy quote essay was of such quality writing, so clear and with so many references to the text. I also thought it was amazing how she was always adding her ideas to the group discussions. I actually thought of some of the things that she said, however just as soon as I though it she had already raised her hand and said it to the group. It reminded me of the part in Self Reliance where Emerson writes that if you do not say what you think, you will hear someone else say it and be shamed for not saying it yourself as soon as you thought it. I am inspired to try even harder,to add more to the discussions and to strive for higher quality writing.

Liam Holding was inspirational to me this week. He was able to find many insights into Huckleberry Finn and Invisible Man that I had not thought of, nor bothered to think about because there seemed to be no more pith left in them. He is not afraid of talking in front of the class, which is admirable because I always find some way to confuse myself when everyone is watching me. Liam is a good example of a person who says what he thinks even when it may not be the accepted idea. He also gave me a granola bar when I was hungry.

Lila inspired me this week. Her enthusiasm for whatever we are talking about is something to be admired. She always has a new insightful point of view to bring up and, like with the Chesterfield letter discussion, she doesn't mind if her opinion is completely opposite from the one being discussed.

Lyla impressed me this past week with her identification of the narrators briefcase as a symbolic object. She explained to the class how his entire identity was in his briefcase and how he had to burn his briefcase (his idenity) for light. It was very good symbolism that I never picked up. I am very glad that Lyla brought this up in the class discussion.

Michelle Russel really impressed me. She is always respectful and I feel really safe sharing my work with her. When I listen to her talk about the books I can tell she really understood them. She can even find the page where an event happened, which is really helpful during a discussion.

Nathan and Lila both inspired me this week, because we had a very deep discussion on what it means to give something to someone else, and what our motives are for giving.

Not necessarily above and beyond expectations, but I remember when Lila talked about the suitcase being a symbol of his identity, I found that interesting because I never saw it; I have a hard time identifying symbols and distinguishing them between analogies. Kelsey and Liam usually something good to say. Caroline went beyond what was asked when we were doing the letter analysis in groups, she really took control (not in a bad way) and helped organize our thoughts.

Ryan Howe went beyond expectations when I learned he had gone online to try to figure out a biblical symbol in one of our readings.

Sam MacIntire really inspired me this week with his writing. Sam allowed me to read his 'summer reading essays' and when I read his, I was very impressed. Sam has always been a great writer, but reading his summer essay and the response to one of his pithy quotes, I was even more impressed at his ability to comprehend as well as the writing.

Sam McIntire inspired me last week and this week. He is always able to take large, complex ideas and explain them deftly and easily. For instance, the cover of his summer essay showed important people with the faces smudged out, which is basically the whole point of Invisible Man.