"I don't understand..."

"I don't understand this philosophy shit." --Anonymous student, overheard 

Take heart, Anon., you're not alone. Philosophy begins in wonder, a feeling closely allied to confusion and misunderstanding.

That's why our course is designed to provoke and respond to your questions. I implore all of you who share Anon.'s confusion to please, please speak up in class, email me directly, and call or come in during office hours. I'm here to listen and do what I can to help you learn.

Same goes for those of you who are confused about course procedures, grades, the scorecard, or anything else. Your education is important. It's why we're here.

Regarding some specific confusions voiced lately, and which frankly surprised me because I thought this would be 2d-nature by now...

• Claim your runs on both the scorecard and in your log. The totals should always match, and the log should be itemized in detail.
• Each day's runs are to be recorded in the appropriate "inning" on the scorecard. Each inning corresponds to a class date. Last Thursday's runs go into last Thursday's inning (even though class did not meet that day), etc.

Regarding some other concerns that have been expressed...

• Self-grading of quizzes. As I've said, my impulse is to trust students implicitly until objections are raised. Objections have been raised. We'll re-instate the swapping system, and I'll revisit the plan to automate quizzes in the future via D2L. [For the record, exams have not been self-graded, though we did go over them in class so that you'd all get immediate feedback on how you did.]
• Logs will now be turned in weekly, commencing next week.
• News and history. Apparently some are not interested in either. I view it as part of my mission as an educator to relate philosophy to both. That will continue, and I'll look for ways to do it better.
• Expression of opinion in class. Opinion is only mere opinion when it is not defended by reason and when those who opine do not welcome debate. I will continue to encourage us all to do both.

Our classroom experience is always a work in progress, just like life itself. I invite your constructive suggestions; and again, I urge you to bring any concerns or complaints to me directly.