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Voice from the Grandstands
GRADUATING EIGHTH GRADE STUDENTS WROTE ABOUT THEIR HAL ENGLISH EXPERIENCE...
KHS Class of 2012
"Over all the grammar worksheets, papers, reading assignments, speeches, debates, and other information that I've forgotten, we became great friends, or at least great acquaintances. Through the mounds of work we bonded together." -S.A.
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"I like it when we got to watch cool life movies like the Texas speech movie." -S.M.
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"Actually write in your journal because she WILL check them, and she DOES read them. It's your job to make the class enjoyable. Do not underestimate the Konz." -E.M.
"My favorite memory is all of the students and the crazy teacher. I have had so many fun times with these guys. I'm going to miss all of you guys. My favorite memory is the public speaking. I learned to get up in front of a group of people and give a speech. I'm going to miss the togetherness the most. We're a big, tight family. I will never have a classroom like this, never again." -T.L.
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"My favorite HAL memories are your cliches. They are funny. When you use them, I smile. Now I can write essays and do research and know what is wrong if I need something. I feel you offered a lot of opportunities to learn in this class and I feel I accomplished something." -C.S.
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"Wow. I can't believe it's over. That is sad. Well, I have made so many good friends in here that I wouldn't have known otherwise. I can be myself in here and not be ashamed. Sure, this class is challenging, but in the end, I am really happy that I chose to be in this class. Of course I hated Word Masters, grammar, basically all homework. But my favorite was Shakespeare because, although we won't admit it, we learned a lot. Man, Konz....I am truly depressed. we were the perfect mixture. We all fought, in a friendly way, all the time, and it was fun." -C.N.
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"My very favorite part of HAL is how the people who have been here all three years are so close we can finish each other's sentences. We know so much about each other and I honestly love all of them. We will remember this class and all of the students in it for life." J.K.
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"My favorite memories of HAL would be all the class periods that we laughed. I honestly really enjoyed the reading units. All of the topics were so unique that each story was a ton of fun to read! One of my favorite stories was one that we read in sixth grade. It was the story about the technically smart house, with the imaginative play room. In the end, the children end up dreaming that their parents are being eaten by lions. So, of course, this happens in real life..." A.N.
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"One great memory I have is of speech warm-ups before tournaments. I thought it was fun and very exciting, and they always woke me up. Another is of class time that we laughed at the stupidest thing. If you were to tell someone who wasn't in HAL, they would look at you and just give you a look like, 'Wow. You're a freak! Wierdo!' Finally, I will always remember the different kinds of assignments we had. They were some of the most fun assignments I've ever had." -T.T.
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"My favorite memory is all the speeches we did in this class." T.W.
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KHS Class of 2011
"Almost everything in HAL was valuable. You'll learn so much you'll think it was five years instead of three." -A.H.
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"The most valuable thing I have acquired from HAL would probably be my ability to understand stories, especially reading "Othello." DO NOT PROCRASTINATE! It will kill you in the long run because our projects aren't a 'Oh, I'll do it the night before,' type thing." -K.S.
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"I will always remember my classmates. I've become such good friends with the people in our class and even gotten to know some from Horizon through HAL activities. If Mrs. Konz says, 'If you had the sense God gave the common housefly,' remember that the common housefly is a model student and always get's A's." - K.R.
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"The thing I remember most from all three years of HAL is the King Arthur unit. The most valuable thing I have learned is how to write paragraphs and essays so that they are understandable and free of errors." T.W.
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"I remember doing the Shakespeare unit the best. I enjoyed learning about what made him tick, and I liked reading his plays." -L.B.
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"In every year of HAL, I have found the drama/speech unit to be the most memorable and valuable. They helped my classmates and me overcome our stage fright. It is very hard to find opportunities for acting within middle school curricula, and I am happy that Mrs. K. gave us such an opportunity." -S.W.
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"The best part of the HAL Program for me is the fact that we don't just write. We work in groups and are active. We get to act, perform, and be creative. If I was given the choice, I would do it again." -A.Z-J
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"The first thing I would recommend to do for HAL is that you should probably make a special folder on your computer for HAL. One of my favorite activities was Student Congress. I also like how our class is kind of like one big family." -O.W.
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"My absolutely favorite part is drama. I like it because being in front of people and performing is one of my favorite activities. My group in O.I.D. was one of the best, and we got first in the speech tournament with 'Young Frankenstein.'" -T.M.
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"What you can learn from this experience depends on how hard you try. The outcome of these three years is being well prepared for high school." -K.W.
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"My advice to incoming HAL students would be to always use your knowledge and creativity in a positive, powerful way. Don't think that your journey through middle school HAL English will be an easy one, because it won't. You will be challenged every day to think and discover far beyond your norm." -M.K.
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"I liked working on the Hiroshima project the best. I liked learning about the nuclear bomb and the effects of radiation. The game where we had to choose who lives and who dies was fun. It was very hard to choose, and it brought out hidden prejudices." B.J.
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"One of my favorite units was the King Arthur unit in the seventh grade. We learned almost too much for our own good, about everything from the grammar of the time period to what exactly the Green Knight symbolized. By the end of eighth grade we became a bit more than a class. I, at least, have come to take this class for granted." N.W.
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"I now use other sources for my research instead of the Internet! There are a lot of perks about being in HAL: you're challenged, you think outside the box, and you have an awesome time while you become a better speaker and writer. You actually have to use your noggin, but it's not as bad as you may think. Also, the kids you start HAL with become your little, nerdy family. Do your work, and just enjoy the time you have in the program; it's worth it." -K.C.
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"If you don't like to work, RUN AWAY!" -O.A.
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"Those who stick with it all three years know each other so well. You're like brothers and sisters under Konzie. We still work hard, but there's lots of 'Remember whens' and the pleasant moments that come with familiarity." -S. A-H
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"As an eighth grader now, I'm glad I stuck with HAL. I can whip out a clarification essay in five or ten minutes and a six-page term paper in a couple weeks. I'm really excited to go to high school because I know I'll have a head start in Honors." -H.G.
KHS Class of 2010
"Throughout the three years I have been in HAL, my writing skills have improved greatly. Now, writing essays and papers is much easier. I do recommend HAL English to other students because this class enhances other areas besides writing: vocabulary use, student congress, drama, and many others. My suggestion is to study hard for every test Mrs. Konz gives.
My favorite activity was during the prairie unit, we had the opportunity to attend Trails and Rails...to experience a day in the shoes of a prairie school student." -S.M.
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"Along with learning, I met many kind people and made great friends. I would definitely recommend this class to other students because you will never find a class that is more fun than this class." -C.S.
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"I learn so much from just interacting with other HAL students. My favorite assignment so far has been the drama unit. I loved getting up and acting in front of everyone. I also liked learning about Shakespeare and reading "Othello." But HAL is not all fun and games. If you take time and do your work carefully, though, you are sure to succeed." -L.T.
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"You learn about interesting topics and go deep into grammar. I would DEFINITELY recommend HAL to anyone because you have so much fun and you're learning at the same time.
My best advice for success would be to always do your homework and pay attention to the grammar unit because if you don't, you will be totally lost and confused." -M.K.
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"One thing I would recommend is if you want to succeed in HAL English is to take good notes and study hard for tests. I think HAL English has been a great value to me because I have learned a lot about grammar and plays. This is really going to come in handy when I write a book about my life." -K.B.
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"The research paper, for me, was the most gratifying. Word Masters, though challenging, was most likely the best part of HAL. The best advice is when Mrs. Konz hints that you might want to study, do it." -A.H-S
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"My favorite assignment/ activity has been the pioneer unit when we went to Trails and Rails for the day. One bit of advice is to always fill out your journal, and never, ever write the alphabet to fill up space :)." -J.N.
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"HAL has given me a chance to learn at my own level. HAL has pushed me higher than I thought I could go, and has given me opportunities to excel in many areas of school, not just English. My favorite assignment, as a matter of fact, was the seven-page paper I wrote about the attacks of Wake Island during World War II. I learned many things, and the seven pages went by surprisingly fast. I would make sure that you pick a good topic for your papers." J.E.
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"HAL English has been exceptionally helpful to me in many ways. First, it has improved my speaking skills. I used to speak like any "normal" kid, but HAL taught me to speak properly. Also, whenever I need to write a paper, I am able to do so quickly because of HAL English. Finally, learning is a lot easier and more fun in a smaller class, such as HAL. I would recommend HAL English to anyone who desires to become better at grammar, speaking, and doesn't mind working hard. One piece of advice--know the Word Masters words backwards and forward. The tests will be harder than in fifth grade." K.D.
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" I've been able to help my sister in English homework and correct my parents' letters at work. I would definitely recommend this class to those who would be able to understand what is taught here, though some without a proper work ethic may flounder for a while. My favorite assignment is the King Arthur unit, because my favorite stories are legends. My advice for success in this class is to pay attention to Konzie and have fun." J.J.
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"This class should enable me to hit Honors English next year running. My advice is to study, study, study, because I didn't figure out till eighth grade that it would help quite a bit." -S.I.
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"Mrs Konz has broken me of two of my most annoying grammar mistakes. In sixth grade, I used the word "like" a lot, probably about every other word. Mrs. Konz ranted on and on about my over-use of the word "like." Finally, I stopped using the word, and Mrs. Konz was extremely proud. I also used run-on sentences in all of my writing assignments. Teachers had never pointed out to me that I used run-on sentences. Mrs. Konz helped to improve my writing." -L.W.
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"Hello, Mrs. Konz! Overall, moving to a new school worked out okay. In the end of the school year, my teacher had just introduced analogies. He said they were very "difficult and challenging." I then started smiling after he said this. He asked me what was so funny. I told him my old English class did hundreds of analogies last year. He then asked me when in the school year we started learning about analogies. I told him sixth grade. Being in the bad mood he was, he made me do the first ten analogies in our text book on the white board. I answered all of them corrrectly. I even explained one to the teacher that he didn't understand.
I also remember another time when it was time to write our first essay of the year. It was a simple three paragraph essay about a topic of our choice. The teacher said this was also a "difficult and challenging" task and gave us three weeks to write the paper. Coincidentally, my English teacher had been asking me questions about my old English class. He finally asked, "How much time would your other English teacher have given you to complete this assignment?" I said, "In all honesty, the assignment would have probably been due the next day." I think that man's eyes popped out of his head when he heard that! I finished writing my essay before class was over. After my paper was graded, the comments on my paper were "You get an A for an excellent paper, and an A+ for putting so much thought, time, and hard work into this paper!" I wasn't sure if the bonus points were sarcasm, or he had forgot what I said earlier. Events like these happened more than you would know.
The only things that I can think to teach more of would be public speaking. Other than English assignments, my core would do public speaking activities. Many of them were nervous and uncomfortable. The HAL students looked like professional speakers. I would also advise to study everything until you know it inside and out, don't be afraid to ask for help, and pay attention to subjects even if you don't think they are important. You never know what will be on finals or SAT's. The two years I had of that class helped me tremendously...an enormous head start to eighth grade English. Thank you!" -A.G.
This Page was last update: Monday, December 15, 2008 at 8:12:55 PM
This page was originally posted: 4/28/06; 3:17:37 PM.
Copyright 2010 Mary Alice Konz
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