A lot of things went well this week. I really like how we continue to work in small groups. I also like how you changed up the homework so that we only had to choose quotes. The reason that i liked this was becasue it made me ablke to look at a lot of different potential quptes before choosing one and i was also able to explain them easier becasue i didnt have to write them down. i also liked how we choose three. i liked this because we were able to get more readings in and were able dicuss the topics much faster in small groups. i liked this because then when we came back together as a large group we were more able to get to all of the quotes and discuss them all which we rarely get to do. over all this week went really well.

For me, the essay On Character was interesting. I liked many of the things discussed in it, and i think that i agreed with most of it. I had a good discussion group that day also, so i think that helped with my liking of the essay. I also really liked the movie we watched. Movies are always going to go well with me.

I am glad that this week mr o checked h/w because i do feel that i and the rest of the class were slipping. it gave me the insentive to work harder on my homework.

I enjoy lissening to what Mr.O has to say about the people we study. He knows a wide varity of interesting facts and the general story of the philosopher's life. I also enjoyed Voltair's essays. they are simple, easy to follow, and dont wonder off course. I liked how we had more time to talk in big group, because it alowed me to see what others thought about, and how their discutions flowed.

I like Voltaire, even if he is a smug unhappy man who thinks that everyone but himself is an idiot. I really liked how we tied in what he wrote with his belief in dieism. I think that applying a writers words with a particular belief or movement is a good way to see where they were coming from.

I really enjoyed watching the movie Pi this week. I usually don't enjoy watching movies in class, as many just turn out to be a huge waste of time and energy. But, this movie was a lot better, more valuable, and more relevent than many of the movies that I have watched in class. Pi had some really inriguing mathemathical and philosophical points to make, and it made them in a very entertaining fashion. I still not to keen on watching movies in school, but this was the exception that proves the rule.

I think a lot of things went well in class. Every discussion I was in this week, most people had a lot of interesting things to say. Voltaire seemed to inspire a lot of thought from my classmates as well as myself. I especially liked the limits of the mind, right in front of your nose thing.

I thorougly enjoyed my conversation in my small group discussion on Wednesday, we talked about destiny and whether or not we have the free will to overcome what is supposedly planned out for us. We were able to find the similarities between all three readings we had done the previous night. Your character is a crucial factor in how you choose to live out your life. Whether we choose to become the product of our upbringings or overcome them and shape our own character is up to us. We never really came to a conclusion of wether or not be each belived in destiny, but we did decide existing in our strong character is our free will and we have the ability to cure ourselves with our own medicines; nature isn't the only doctor.

Last week was the first exposure to Deism that I've had before. I found the beliefs of Deists very interesting and discovered that I actually agree with most of their philosophy. Each of Voltaire's essays covered new topics and it was fascinating to see his nearly flawless logic. Although I didn't agree with every point he made, I enjoyed seeing from his angle. Clearly Voltaire was a Deist in the sense that he used logic rather than religion, in most cases, to explain things.

On Tuesday night, instead of stopping after reading 'On Destiny,' I went on and finished the whole packet and typed up the quotes that I chose. This was very unlike me, but it took away a decent amount of stress and I think I read the essays faster and understood and remembered them better because I was in the mood to focus on the work. It's an effective way to get my work done, so I plan to keep it up.

Some incredible discussions took place in the small and large groups this day, and to my delight, I was a big part in the smaller ones. Two such examples would be with Roger on monday. I disagreed with his beliefs on beuty and that sparked a rather interresting discussion. I enjoyed the fact that Paige was on my side of the argument, for I was able to take a break and just listen for a while, knowing I had helped to get it started. The second was when we did On Destiny. Ben disagreed with with the idea of destiny, sparking another fun discussion

The lineups prompts were snazzy as usual, and I liked the discussion prompted by Voltaire's 'On Character.'

The small group discussions were good as usual, but I really appreciated having more time for large group discussion on Friday. I think large group is beneficial in that it allows for us to hear the opinions of more than five or six people, except for when one person tries to dominate the discussion (hi Roger-just kidding!). It also helps because you're able to bounce your ideas off the whole group.

There were a couple things that i think went really well this week. I think that the line up was a lot smoother this week, and it didn't take as long to get through it. I think that the line up is one of the coolest parts of the class though. I think how it gives u different fact about each person every day. I also feel that small group discussion went very well. They were always perductive and gave me a lto of insite.

This week there was always a light spirit among everyone. Everyone just had something to be happy about, there was at least one or two good times in class where everyone laughed. And plus, one of the line-up topics was favorite joke/knock knock joke. I just think that it was good to have people with light spirits to enjoy theirselves like that.

Voltaire's essays are fairly assessable and consequently I can confidently say that myself and the majority of the class thoroughly digested them. This engendered enthusiastic discussions amongst pithy quote groups. I have definitely enjoyed the Voltaire unit the best to far and am sad we aren't reading more of his work. Although this is not exactly academic, I also thought the 'lineups' had some especially creative responses this week. They are so great for getting to know people you would otherwise know little about.

i honestly dont think that anything else could have gone a lot better. i liked everything that wedid so i wouldnt change a thing.

***

Despite having my work ready for each class, there were a couple days when I was unfocused during Small Group Discussions and just didn't really feel like talking about Philosophy. Reading something doesn't really do any good if you don't take the time to use your comprehension.

I didn't really enjoy having to read two or three different essays every week. I felt that reading and discussing multiple pieces in one sitting took away from my focus too much, making it so that I didn't see as deeply into each essay as I would have liked. I hope that in the future we will only read one essay at a time, allowing us to really dig deep down into each essay and its accompanying subject.

I think near the end of the week everyone just got tired. It was just interesting because I saw it in almost every student including myself. In a couple of my groups we just didn't do too much. We would go through the paper and talk about it briefly and then move on. We didn't have any long lasting discussions like my normal groups. It might be the cold and weather, it might be people are getting sick, it might have been people were just tired, but many people weren't very energetic.

I think pithy quote groups could have paced themselves a little better. Often we will thoroughly analyze one essay, and develop some great ideas concerning that particular one, but not pay as much to the other two. This means that we talk about those only briefly and have less to contribute to the large group discussions on those topics. We should try and approach our pithy quote analysis in a more balanced fashion because each and every essay could be discussed infinitely.

I think that maybe the class discussion could of gone better. Even though they were great, it seemed like we really floated off of the topic a lot. But i don't think there is anything wrong with that. But by discussions standards it makes it a bit jumbled. I think we should also think up different activities to do to maybe change it up a bit. Maybe some time this week that could be one of the homework asignments, to come up with new activities.

One area for improvment could come in small group. I find it very difficult to stay on topic. We spend alot of time talking about random things, which have nothing to do with what the topic. also, I prefer have larger small groups then smaller ones. Maybe we could have some sort of class disscution, were we all defend our point of view.

Something that could have gone a little better was one of my discussion groups, it was the thursday one i believe. We were pretty off task to be honest, but we got our quotes talked about after a while. I won't name any names, but i think it is because we are all so comfortable with eachother. I suppose that is not a bad thing at all. We had a good time with it though.

The assignments last week were a bit too simple and didn't allow for as much thought and disscussion as the typical pithy quotes/alternative assignments. Many people even waited until class to start finding a quote, which in turn means that they never read the essays. Without reading the homework, they didn't have very much to contribute to the disscussion and thus deprived their classmates of learning that could have been possible. If we are assigned pithy quotes with an explanation or an alternative assignment I think more effort goes into it and therefore the entire class benefits more.

The level of repect in this class continues to fall even though we discuss the fact that it is doing so, daily. It makes me uncomfortable when there are people next to me having side conversations constantly because I can only imagine how hurt the people who are speaking to the class must feel. Also, it is hard when Mr. O'Leary is trying to get the class' attention to listen to someone and teh side conversations still don't stop. I think the class should use the maturity level that we are all capable of and find it in ourselves to listen to our peers and be more respectful.

The only thing that comes to mind for this week as for what could have gone better, is my attendance. I probabley should have realized that a simple trip to the bagel mill would take as long as it did, though it still doesn't quick reason out...

This week i felt that during line up again people had a hard time listening but it was better then in the past. i also find it to be a little disrespectful when people are really late to class.

We could of used some graphics this week. I like graphics, they give me a warm tingly feeling deep in the clutches of my bosom. I alos think that we could of looked at writings of other dieists. Especially like Rousseau because he is like Voltaire except more intelligent and a better writer.

We started a little later than usual almost all week, but no doubt that this will soon be corrected. (hint hint =D)

Well, it was kind of a monotonous week. Every day was the same-nightly reading, discuss quotes in small group, then large group, repeat next day. I know we can choose alternate assignments to pithy quotes, but the options are often time-consuming and not a lot of people do them. I think we need more variety with our in-class activities. Sharing our views on the readings with each other is valuable, but I think we should find more interesting ways to do it once in a while.

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

during the past week a lot of people have impressed me but a couple have stood out in my mind. One person who has yet again impressed me is mike. mike continues to impress me with all of his great ideas and all of his wisdom. i am so impressed that he is able to come to class day after day with the same attitude about the class. i no i have come to class before not really wanting to do anything but after being in his group he makes me want to learn and listen to what he has to say. this is a great trait that he has and i hope that i will be able to inspire people in the future.

Ben Mosher is an exemplary philosophy student. Whenever I am in a group with him, his insight and participation make the group lively and interesting. He is a natural and charismatic leader, an articulate speaker, and an all-around nice person. I always look forward to being in his group. I also want to praise Mr. O for aquiring such an amazing stapler. It is sleek in design and attractive to behold. It staples papers together like a dream. The man obviously has talent for purchasing quality merchandise.

I feel that i need to compliment Kyle Krafts, for having the courage to let Mr. O know about a couple diseases that were plauging our class, called laziness and procrastination. This is evident in that many people were not doing their homework completely a few weeks ago. Well, thanks to Kyle everyone was whipped back into shape, and we all had something with us to share this week. It shows good character that his truthfulness overcame his indolence.

I think that ALexis is deserving of my praise this week. I was in her small group twice to discuss quotes, and I feel that she really understood what we were reading, and related it to things that were much easier for me to wrap my mind around. Kudos.

I want to praise Chris this week for his awesome telling of the joke about the refrigerator on Friday. It was extremely long, but he managed to keep our attention throughout it, and even got us to laugh at the end. I'd also like to praise Tori for being a source of inspiration for all of us. She always goes above and beyond in her assignments, and always has something to say in class discussion. I admire her energy and the enthusiasm she shows for everything she does.

I want to praise Kyle for letting Mr. O'Leary in on all the things going on in our class, i.e. that we need our homework checked, what we think of the Line-Up Prompts, kids forging passes to leave class, etc. He's like a spy or an undercover cop.

I would like to praise Silas this week for being so laid back. He is always patient about waiting to share his thoughts on a topic, and they're usually pretty interesting, to boot. Silas = appreciated.

My praise this week goes to Allegra and Silas. Allegra I praise for her incitefull additions to the large group. Silas I praise for his part in small group. Oh yeah and i would also like to extend some kudos to Jared and Jordan not only for the delihtfullness of the aliteration but also for their down to earth commentary on the readings. Still more praise i would like to extend to Mr. Oleary for an amazing choice in purchasing a stapler. That thing's just, in lieu of better words, mystifying.

This week I give my kudos to, Chris, for making our lives simpler, and bringing some laughter to our class. Anyways, why doesnt 'knock' start with an 'n'. I enjoyed his jokes, and hope to hear more.

this week i think that brian deserves praise, i always enjoy hearing what he has to say. he usually has a different way of looking at things then i do, so it is helpful to have him in my small group. i also appriciat that when he has another view of something he will still respect mine and take it into consideration.

This week i was to give props to crazy kid Ben. When i have him in small group he is always contributing and trying to add as much as he can. I also get inspired by him because he has so much energy and he always adds to the class with his vibes.

This week I would like to give Kudos to Theresea. In one of the group discussions she shared some rather personal information with us with aided the discussion greatly. It takes a great deal of trust to share that kind of stuff and I was honored to be one of those allowed to listen.

This week I would like to praise Ben Mosher for his consistently energetic and intellectual pressence in class. Ben always comes in with several things to say, some of which make me laugh, some of which make me think, and some of which make me do both. Whenever we count off for groups, I am always pleased when I end up in Ben's group, because I think some interesting and mentally stimulaiting discussion awaits. And you know what? I'm always right.

This week I would like to praise deeply Chris, Dicky, and Dan. Last friday I got home from CT visiting family and earlier I was invited to a party at Dicky's house. So I basically get out of one car and into the next. My dad said I couldn't take my normal car because my brother had to take it to boston the following day because it is more reliable. So I'm in this beat up Saab in the back roads of Sharon with snow covering the road. So I go around a turn and my wheels lock up and I hit a stone wall. So someone stops and I get ahold of Chris and he comes and we try to get it out of there. Chris ties a rope to my car and I put it into reverse and we get it out. Try to change the tire but it doesn't work. So I get it on the road and I think I could get to to Dicky's house with the flat. Dicky says that he won't let me and I'm thankful for that because it might have caused me to go off the road again. So Chris helps me fix the tire while Dicky and Dan kept watch for imaginary cars. Imaginary because no one would be driving on a back road in Sharon at 1:30 at night. So we get it back and I spend the night. The following day I drive it home and for the entire time, it jerks to the right randomly. So I get to the center of temple and cross the road and Dan flashes his lights at me. The tire fell off the rim of the spare. So I drive home and that's that. I know I didn't have to share the entire story, but I wanted to emphisize the fact that three of my good friends came out in the middle of a snowy, freezing cold night and helped me out. NO ONE could ask for better friends, and this is why they deffinatly deserve praise this week.

This week, my praise goes to Paige Simpson. For being a seemingly quiet person, she always has something profound to state in small and large group conversations. She is very well worded and comes up with ideas that astound me and others. I also respect the fact that she defends her opinion when someone has an arguement against hers; it shows that she really does know what she is talking about. Nice job!

Vincent never ceases to create dazzling artwork for every essay we are assigned to read. His masterpieces are unique in style, flawless in design, and are always able to convey an idea of his completely. His ability to think of a way to express an abstract idea in a graphic is incredible to me because personally I find it nearly impossible to think up a graphic that could represent anything. For the effort, as well as his seemingly innate skill, I praise him this week. As long as he continues to make his graphics, we will all benefit greatly from his interpretations.