Philosophy Survey Results Oct 17 - 21

The pace of the class. 3.94

The challenge of the class. 4.06

Respect to students by Mr. O. 4.83

Respect to students by students. 4.39

Respect to Mr. O by students. 4.22

What went well in class this week?

During the past week a lot fo things went well.I really like how you assigned us the alegory paper. I found the paper to be very difficult to write however i bleive that i benifited a great deal from writing it. The reason that i liked the paper so much was because i learned a new type of writing style. it is a very deep and thought provoking writing style. I like it also because i believe that it will benifit my writing in the near future becasue i will be able to use a alegory to make my papers more well rounded. I also liked how you started trying out the new idea where we get into groups and discuss our answers and then choose five and then get into new groups and choose five again. I really liked this because i have never seen such a large group come to a conclusion so quickly. It is very efficient and benificial to getting everyones ideas through to one another. I continue to like the Pithy quotes as well becasue i believe that i learn best from writing down quets and analizng them.I also liek that you gave people the option to choose a different way to do their homework. I liek this because not everyone learns from doing something the same way. This will make it easier for people to learn in their own way while at the same time getting credit for it.

All of the discussions went really well this week. I think that the discussion Friday was one of the best all year. I always enjoy hearing about other people's views on death and more of the class is opening up to speaking up. What also went well were the discussions on the 40 Epicure's statements. On the first day, the 2nd group I was in had some really good conversations. All in all the whole idea was really good.

I enjoyed the jigsaw activity because it was nice to see the problem- solving that we are all capable of come into play. I was dumbfounded by the finished results in seeing that the entire class was able to come to a consensus on the best quotes without having to come all together in a large group. I guess this is a result of listening to and acclimating to eachother's opinions well in these first few weeks of class and developing a universal way of thinking. I also read my belief paper in class this week and although I was extrememly nevous, i felt comfortable in my environmnet and the feedback I got was very encouraging. Our class has excellent audience etiquette.

I extremely enjoyed the new options provided to us by Mr. O'Leary when completing the pithy quote assignment. Personally, I need changes in assignments to maintain complete attention and keep interested. I appreciate the option of completing a representative graphic in place of the regular pithy quote. Not only do graphics make me think deeply about the reading, but also help me to remember the material, thereby assisting me in the future as well. I also enjoyed to jizsaw activity. I found it immensely interesting when many groups selected the same passages from Epicurus' writings. As Mr. O'Leary explained, this proves that our group is very complimentary. It also shows that we listen to one another and respect others' opinions and ideas. This was not only an effective debriefing activity, but also worked well to bring us together as a group. Overall, I thought is it was very effective.

I liked having the option of doing an alternate assignment to a pithy quote. Sometimes I want to write about more than one quote, and sometimes I can't elaborate as much as desired on a single quotation, so I find it works better for me to choose more than one quote and 'annotate' each one. I hope to do more alternate assignments in the future, such as graphic representations. I find that it's harder for me to think of ideas for graphics, but that it also helps me interpret the material.

I really enjoyed the jigsaw activity. It was rather interesting to see the 20-something of us all agree on almost all of the same critical quotations. As any of the members of my groups might tell you, I took a fairly active role in guiding the process of elimination that found us our key points. As close as I got to being the fateful 'group bully,' I think we all got a kick out of the energy of discussion.

I really liked the Jigsaw activity I thought that it went really well.

I really liked the whole jig saw thing that we did in class. I felt that it really worked, because we all narrowed the things we liked down, and got to share our opinions as well. Also, since I don't know where I would put this in, I really like doing this instead of a DLP.

I think the first jigsaw went exceptionaly well and was an interesting way of collaborating everyone's ideas. It was amazing how alike everyone's thoughts turned out to be.

I thought that the introduction of alternatives to the traditional pithy quote assingment was a very good move. Usually, I have no real problems with writing about a pithy quote, but every once in a while I feel that there is not single quote that I wish to write about, and its nice to know that I have options in this scenario. Also, while I may have few real problems with the pithy quote assingment, I believe that some of my other classmates have larger problems with it and so its nice that they have other options as well.

I thought that there were two things that went very nicly this week, The first were the jigsaw activities. I really enjoyed this challenge; having to debate my views and then compromising with other people to narrow it down. I also feel that the group discussions were really productive, and they never seezed to meet my standards.

I thought the jigsaw activities went well. They were something new and fun as well. Though I wasn't here for the first day, I felt on the second that everyone enjoyed it and got as much out of it as they do the pithy quotes.

I thought the jigsaw activity went really well this week. The fact that we were able to end up with such similar results demonstrates our cohesiveness as a class. The greater the number of people in a class, the greater the diversity of opinion, but despite having about 28 members, we managed to determine what parts of Epicurus' 'Principle Doctrines,' held the most integrity. There was quality discussion, and no one bullied their personal choices through the jigsaw process. In addition, it was great to hear the different reasons people chose the name part of Epicurus' work. The week before last I think the class did a great job reading, listening, and commenting on the belief papers. It was apparent that people spent a lot of time on them, and I think everyone did a good job respecting that.

Over the last few weeks, we have had a wide variety of homework and class work. Once again I would like to congratulate the class on how smoothly our discussions have been. I enjoy being able to say my opinions without fear of what people will think of me. I am not one that likes to do the same think over and over, and I appreciate having a few different means of doing our homework. I think people will enjoy have some variety, which allows them to better express themselves. The project we did on Thursday and Friday was interesting and thought provoking. It forced us to stand behind what we believed, and try to persuade others to share our opinions.

The Consensus on Doctrines assignment was pretty cool - having to make a case for my own agreeances and beliefs helped me to figure out why I agreed, why I believed. It made me think over my own thoughts more than I usually would. There were some things I didn't understand and therefore couldn't agree with, and going over those doctrines in two different groups allowed for the most chance to come across an outside understanding.

The part of the class that I find paricularly valuable this week was that Jigsaw thing we did. It allowed everybody to talk about the principle doctrines, it allows for a broad exposure to other peoples views. I liked how we read aloud our allegory papers, it fostered a certain atmosphere that I think helped the class grow as a whole.

This week I really enjoyed the jigsaw activity. I felt that it was very efficient and I enjoyed getting to talk to more then one group of people. It was nice to hear from so many people on such an individual bases. I also liked how earlier in the week we were given the problem where everyone was either an A or a B, it was a good way of showing how well the jigsaw worked.I also really liked listening to the belief papers. I enjoyed the different approaches to the problem everyone took.

The past few weeks have been exciting as well as challenging for me. The belief paper was obviously the main focus of the class recently but the other assignments have also been intriguing. Nicomachean Ethics and Epicurus's essays were all inspiring and interesting to study. I enjoyed the format of both the Ethics and the Doctrines, the numbered lists allowed me to pay more attention to the specific points being made. The jigsaw activity was also very unique and entertaining. At first I was surprised by the outcome of the activity, that many groups chose the same beliefs. Yet, when I thought about it more, I realized that it was not surprising at all, for each person in the class is there for the same reason: to think, discover, and find new meanings. It is not a coincidence that we all think alike and agree upon certain points and ideas, if we did not the world, and our class, would certainly be in chaos. The belief papers were supremely fascinating to listen to and to work on. I struggled with the task but when I had finished reading I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I believe that everyone was able to feel this, and for that I am glad that everyone was given the chance to share their essays and a most intimate belief. It was an exhilarating learning experience.

This week I thought that the jigsaw went well. I thought it was amazing that we were able to pick the same doctrines so easily, after maybe a few oddballs were ruled out. I think that this shows that all of our morals are very closely related, an interesting fact, seeing that in every discussion there is a lot of opposition on different subjects.

What could have gone better?

I really like everything about the class. All the asignments that you give us are fun in some way or another and you explain or answer any questions that we have about something. This makes it easy to follow what we are doing and makes the class a lot more enjoyable. i really wouldn't change much about the class if anything at all. The only suggestion that i have for the class is that there be a time limit or someway that we could make the conversations per topic shorter. i just feel that we don't get to all of the questions all the time and sometimes i wish we would because a lot of the ideas that everyone has go unheard. Other then that though the class is great and i wouldn't change a thing.

As the class went through the jigsaw activity, excitement would occasionally make the class get a little crazy. In the whirlwind of comparing our Epicurean selections, exchanging arguments, creating colorful posters, and ultimately seeing our cumulative results there was a lot of movement and noise. I think the class could have done a better job remaining calm, and paying attention to Mr. O'Leary.

As usual I see very little areas for improvements. One aspect of our discussion that could use some guidance, however, is the time situation. We are never able to cover all of what Mr. O would like to talk about, because we spend too much time on one topic. I feel that we should have a time keeper, to keep us on task, and help prevent sidetracking.

At first, I was not in coplete support of this change in the DLP system, yet as I reflect upon it, I find that it is as effective as the old, printed DLPs, and much more time effecient. I think that perhaps we rushed through a few essays because of the time issue, however the two nights' homework after this were so similar that we could group them into one discussion session, so the time problem was thereby solved. I felt that this week, we were a little rushed because we were trying to finish up work from last week as well as complete work from this week. That it all, though.

For me, something that could have gone better was the 'Letter to Menoeceus' assignment. I understood most of what I was reading, but then I did the annotations of quotes, instead of a pithy quote assignment. When I didn't have to write as much, I'm not sure I got as much out of it as I probably could have if I had done a pithy, because usually as i am writing something occurs to me that didn't when i was reading. I think that I don't like that alternative assignment as much as I thought I would.

Honestly, I feel that the past few weeks have been a thrilling experience of learning and accomplishments in thought. I cannot recall an instance that I was thinking could have gone better, I simply remember everyone spending a great deal of time and energy on all the assignments recently. The belief papers were exceptionally well done; I was very pleasantly surprised by some people's ability to articulate their belief in writing. I enjoyed listening to everyone's opinion immensely and would have perhaps liked to hear them even a second time. One reading is not enough to fully experience another person's idea. Clearly, the effort expended by everyone in class over the past few weeks has been exceptional, and I can only now remember one thing that could have gone better. The level of respect during the readings wasn't quite as great as it could have been. Although most people were quiet and attentive, I noticed some with their heads down, seemingly trying to sleep or ignoring the reader. I found this disrespectful and would have been less distracted if such people had instead been paying more attention. I have found that the more people pay attention to a reader, the more comfortable the experience of reading becomes. Perhaps if everyone were more respectful, people would be more eager and willing to share their essays in the future.

I didn't really enjoy the two straight days of the jigsaw activity. The first time it was kind of fun, but the second day was a bit too much. It was just kind of boring to do almost the exact same thing twice in a row, especailly when, in my groups at least, there was little disagreement as to which principles to choose. I think that it would have been more enjoyable to have one day for all 40 principles, which would have stimulated much greater debate.

I don't know if I would choose for something to go better; something always could, a moment is all you can expect from perfection, but I think this week went especially well for me in this class, particularly in regards to having homework done. Even parts that I couldn't quite understand were easily made clear during our small group discussions. I'm not sure if this is in the right time-frame but I would have liked to hear everyone's Belief Essays; I missed some because I was out of class on Thursday to finish up my own. I was a little frustrated with the idea of changing the DLP format since I felt like I had just gotten the hang of it, but this isn't so bad. Saves paper. Thumbs up. And it's really hard to try and rate things on a number scale, as above.

I don't think we finished hearing all the belief papers. I know for a fact that Brian hasn't read his yet. I would have liked to hear it, as well as anyone elses that might have been missed.

I hate saying this, but I can't find anything that didn't go well. When we were reading the papers, everyone shared their opinions and praised people for their efforts. In all the discussions this week, everyone had something to say and the differant sides and opinions were great. The only possible thing that could have gone better is the lack of focus in the Epicure groups, but mostly the week went by very well.

I really feel that nothing should have been changed. I thought the class went very smooth, and at a good pace. I didn't feel that there was to much homework, or that the class was boring, but instead I found myself interested and inspired.

I really should not have been sick on Wednesday, I'm disappointed I missed the final readings of allegories.

I think that we should have taken longer to discuss the quotes in the jigsaw activity in our smaller groups. It is more effective for me to gain knowledge with discussions in the small groups because it is a lot easier to stay on the topic with fewer amounts of people. After saying this, I believe our large group discussion could have gone a little better this week. While I enjoyed hearing about the personal experiences of others, at times I felt like teh discussion wasn't going very far, especially when we were discussing death. When one person starts with a personal event, that triggers everyone to start talking about their personal experiences and the side conversations kick in. I felt a little uncomfortable sitting next to some people that were talking when someone was trying to share something very personal.

In all honesty, I can't think of anything that needed improvement this week. I thought the class as a whole showed a really high level of respect for eachother, and that we all had a lot of interesting things to say about the reading we had to do. I only wish I wasn't so sick on Tuesday and Wednesday...

One thing I think could have gone better this week was more people doing their homework and being prepared for class.

Sometimes I'm not 100 percent clear on what we're supposed to do for homework, since the syllabus is not always accurate. For example, last week's syllabus said that we had a DLP due this week, so I wrote one. Then it turned out that we hadn't had to do one after all, and I was a little upset because I'd done unnecessary work. I wish that it could be made more clear in class what the night's homework is going to be.

The only thing that I didn't like that much this week was the readings themselves. I didn't like the ideas behind what Epicurus has to say that much. I think his principles are too hypothetical and don't really say how to enact change. It spends a great deal of time explaining what people should be like. OK great how do I become like that?

Even though the jigsaw was a quick way of agreeing on things, I also felt that because it went so fast that many people's voices were not heard. I also had a hard time, not having to write anything about that quotes I picked because I did not think as much about it. I did not have a firm grasp on my five quotes so I did not contribute as much as I would have liked.

The second jigsaw did not go quite as smooth. My second group decided on three easily enough but almost broke into a fistfight over the last one. I think the added pressure of breaking it down to four instead of five attributed to this. Plus it was Friday. That always makes it harder to compromise.

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

During the past two weeks of class so many people have done great things that deserve my praise but a few are going to recieve it for inspiring me to do better in this class. The first who is going to recieve my praise is Roger. Roger is recieving my praise because he did an outstanding job reading his alegory paper. it seemed that he was going to have a hard time reading it but he didn't. he read his paper very well and with meaning and i would not have been able to read mine in the same manner. He inspired me to work through it and try my best to read my own. I'm not good at public speaking and after hearing him read it inspired me to try my best. I would also like to praise steven for his great alegory. After hearing his i was blown away with its meaning. i didn't realize that a student would be so capable of writing a piece that had so much meaning. I would also like to praise the enitre class for embracing Mr.O'Leary's new idea for homework. You all did a great job at listening and it shows how respectful the class is. You all also deserve praise for your alegories. They were all great and it takes guts to read a paper out loud and you all did it with pride. Great job everyone lets keep up the respect.

Although he always seems to have valid contributions to group duscussions, this week, after being in his small group discussion twice, he proved to me his complete understanding of that which we were reading. WHen a question was asked, he was able to explain the deeper meaning in an unobtrusive, and clear way, providing us with an insight that was previously void. Richard Backes' opinions are always sound and well-thought out. In large group discussions, I always enjoy hearing what he says to say, and in small group discussions, his clarifications are always helpful. He seems to hava knowledge beyond his years laced around that reflective quality of his. I respect Richard and am always anticipating his next revelation. Plus, his pacing while reciting his re-written allegory was engaging and creative, adding a new aspect to the previously monotonous readings of essays.

I felt really inspired by all of the people that were in my jigsaw groups on Thursday and Friday. I thought it was really cool the way everyone grasped a completely alien concept so quickly, and that despite all of the moving around and confusion, I still got a really good understanding of what we had read.

I give Kudos to Alexis. Her allegory was simply amazing, and for the remainder of the week, it was ever present in my mind and I just couldn't stop picturing it. At one point I even forgot whose allegory it was, and mistook it for something we read as a homework assignment. It was beautifully written and the imagery very clear and easy to picture.

I give praise to Tori because she took the leader role in the jigsaw activity.

I really feel that Megan Walsh inspired me this week with her ability to debate her point. Regardless of how hard you debate with her, she will always having something to say, that is even better then yours. I also felt that Mike inspired me this week with his ability to come up with amazing examples to back up his reasoning.

I think Chris has been particularly praiseworthy the past couple of weeks. His allegory paper in particular was really impressive. His allegory was inventive, fit his belief, and had theat great surprise twist there at the end. I also have to throw some kudos in Silas' direction because his allegory paper on music was intensly cool.

I want to give a huge shoutout to Chris Brandes. He may be quiet, but he isn't shy about giving his fellow classmates an edifying comment on their work, or just being friendly. He's a great guy to have in class, and has a lot of solid personal views. As the great cinematic philosopher Ebert says, two thumbs way, way up!

I was inspired this week by Tori. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but I think she may have opened up even more to the class in her telling of the car crash story. She continues to amaze me with her willingness to bear her soul to the class. Also I would like to commend her on her game board. Her visual representation made perfect sense and helped me to understand the concept. Brilliant.

I would like to praise Steve this week. He was in both my letter groups during the jigsaw activity, and he really got involved and helped our group organize the quotes we'd all chosen, so that it would be easier to decide which ones were most important. He also helped explain the quotes that his group chose, and he did it in a way that made his thoughts easy to understand. I admire Steve's participation in the activities we do in class.

Is this like a Praise Paragraph? If so, disregard this statement and take in the rest: Praise to: Dicky for rewriting his allegory to improve it, and for wandering around while he read because it was even easier to pay attention. And for the concept of not taking what is not given freely. Cory for writing her allegory in a way that made it read like a story, and for having personal and concrete examples to back herself up. Dan for having Silas read his paper to see how it sounded from the outside. Also he did a really good job illustrating the social/psychological heirarchy by comparing us to animals. And I appreciate him for having so much trust in us to be able to be so up front about a really really personal thing. Josh for having a really good vocabulary and a nice, easy flow from allegory to belief to explanation. Also, his writing makes it easy, impossible not to, see what he's describing. It's visual.

Once again I would like to extend my kudos to Tory, for her gaming board on Epicureanism. She went above and beyond what Mr. O asked for us to do. Her design was well laid out, and she was able to incorporate multiple quotes form the reading into her game. I was able to more fully understand exactly what the reading was trying to get at. Tory's game board also put into perspective how much harder the 'easy' way actually is.

Richard's belief paper simply amazed me. That is the only way to put it. I have to be honest, I didn't expect it to be incredible judging from the length that I caught a glimpse of, but he certainly taught me quickly I shouldn't be so quick to judge. Length means nothing to me anymore. I was skeptical at first as he said he wanted to 'stretch his legs' and walk around the room, I wondered why someone would do such a strange thing. Yet, as he glided around us his story almost enveloped the room in a haze of intelligence. His wisdom flowed not to a single point of our room, but throughout, reaching to everyone at a single moment. His allegory was intriguing and mysterious, formed of simple words, but holding a deeply complex message. His message rings true, one should not be quick to go along with the rest, but it also taught me something even more valuable. I should never judge a person, or an essay again without first hearing them, or letting the voice of an essay cover the room around me. I commend Richard for his effort and his accomplishment, and thank him again for the lesson his work has taught me.

The person who really stood out this week was Steven. In the begining of the week and end of last week, he almost always commented on everyone's Beleif papers and had something good to say. It's like he's always able to relate to what someone has to say no matter what the topic. Near the end of the week he was in my group and was looking into the whole picture and not just the outer layer. He was trying to figure out what the insides of the words meant and not just thinking about the letters directly. I just think that once again he shows himself deserving recognition.

There was more than just one person who inspired me this week; I feel that I should give kudos to every single person, because I was so impressed with the belief papers. They were really well thought out, each belief was an obvious truth for the writer. Some were very unique, I loved the way Megan's was written, it made her belief ring true for everyone in the room. I also thought that the way Mike had written his as a dialog showed mastery of his belief, as well as an enthusiam for the assignment that was hard to miss. I just want to say thank you to everyone, I know we all put a great effort into this paper, and I am glad to know you all a little better.

This week I would like to praise Megan. When Megan read her belief paper, the week before last, I was really impressed with both her writing ability, and the 'voice' that shone through her writing. Megan was passionate about her belief, and she included numerous examples of personal experience which strengthened her argument. I'm looking forward to hearing more of Megan's original ideas. I would also like to praise The Randomizer. Picking so many students to read their belief papers, who were simultaneously volunteering to do so, is an impressive feat. It takes courage to go out on a limb and demonstrate your psychic powers, and The Randomizer took that risk. Although the powers eventually seemed to fade, I think this was only because The Randomizer was intimidated, and I'm sure we'll witness some more of its magic later on.

This week I would like to praise Thersea for the fantastic allegory she created for her belief paper. Her allegory about the different painters adding to the one single painting was great way to show her belief that person's friendships define who that person is. The allegory was most definetly not an example of the belief, for none of the painters knew the others, and yet it perfectly described her belief. Also, the incredible imagery that she used in her paper created a crystal clear picture in my mind, which furhter added to the great expiernece of hearing the allegory. Hats off to Thersea for her fantastic work.

This week, my praise goes to Vincent. I had the pleasure of being in his small group discussions a few times and each time, he brought insight to every one of the quotes we were discussing. He was able to back up each quote he chose and put them into terms that were both easily understandable and convincing. If ever we came upon a quote that no one really understood, he did his best to pick the quote apart so everyone could work together to better understand the meaning behind it. On top of being very insightful, he is a generous person in that he is always willing to embrace the opinions of others and commend them on their efforts. I enjoy working with Vincent and look forward to hearing his opinions in the future. BRAVO!

I think this week Teresa, even though her paper was read last week, deserves praise. I loved her allegory, and because I enjoy art, I also appreciated the subject. She has amazing imagery I especially liked how the canvas got thicker and thicker as time went on. It was perfect for her paper. I also appreciate that she read her own paper as well as someone else's. It is great that she feels confident to read to the class out loud.