Dear Mr. Luizzi,

It’s finally over. I can’t tell you how happy I am that another year of school is ending and another enjoyable summer is waiting. Believe me, these two months off are definitely needed, for my stress level was becoming extreme. Never before have I had a school year quite so difficult and time consuming. It was definitely a new experience, but one which I am happy to have gotten through, for now I feel the satisfaction of having completed all that was expected of me. Your class, Honors English II, particularly stands out as something I am proud of accomplishing, and for that I thank you.

English class this year was many things. It was time consuming and stressful, as well as extremely quick-paced. At times I was happy with the work I was handing in, but at others I was so frustrated I could cry. Through this all, however, the class remained one thing I needed, and that was a challenge. It kept me working as hard as I could all year through and never allowed me to get off easy like classes had allowed me to do in the past. This time I had to work for a high grade, and I earned every one. No one can tell me different, for the time I put into this class surpasses the time I spent on most others. I accepted the challenge you handed out to me and handled it as best as I could.

It is safe to say that my expectations were met this year in English class. My writing skills were enhanced, particularly those dealing with research papers and analytical essays. This was good for me, since my strength has always been in creative writing, and I needed improvement on my “essay writing” skills. I also learned how to be a thinker and digest and discuss what I was reading. Normally, when I read I mainly get an overview of the story, never usually stopping to ponder why a particular character was reacting this way or developing like that. And still, though an extensive critical study of a book can be a major nuisance, it provides a new perception of what is being read. I was able to understand various themes and actions in the books I read this year that I normally do not care to realize. My whole thinking stance has changed, which is definitely something I had hoped to expand on. In this way, my expectations dealing with the expanding and developing of my writing and mind were met.

In the beginning of this year, English class did fall short of my expectations. I expected to be reading and discussing stories like I had done in all my past English classes. This is what I thought English class was and dealt with, therefore I expected to be doing it. Instead, our main focus the first semester was on our English portfolio, or web page. This greatly disturbed me for I felt like I was in a computer course, which put me at a disadvantage with all the other students. I was not familiar with the Internet and did not possess any major computer skills. In fact, I didn’t even know how to type correctly! All I could think was: “why are we doing web pages in English class? This is pathetic!” I was extremely disappointed with the class those first couple of months, and did not think I would have an enjoyable experience incorporating new technology and internet lingo into my normal life of pencil and paper. The class did, however, improve throughout the year, and my expectations did begin to be met, as stated earlier.

The thing that I will remember learning the most in this class will definitely be how to make a web page. The whole Honors English Digital Portfolio is something I don’t think I will forget, for it has been such a major part of my sophomore year. I struggled with this project for a long time, and was frustrated by the whole process. To have all of the work you accomplished dependent on a computer and Internet service is simply absurd to me. Many a time, my Internet at home did not function correctly, or my computer was not working properly to get things typed that were needed the next day. This made your English class very difficult to handle, seeing that I had a full schedule outside of school and was unable to stay after for much of the year. Because I have had such a profound experience with learning how to make a web page, I don’t think it is something that will leave me when I leave this room.

When I do say goodbye to my English class this year, however, I will most likely be saying goodbye to my web page as well. It has caused me so much grief this school year and has basically been more of a pain than an enjoyment. I spent so many hours in front of a computer screen trying to make something look nice on my page when half the time I had no clue what I was doing. I don’t like being stuck in front of a machine that takes five minutes to upload one page and five more minutes to change to another. It just came to the point where I was taking way too much time doing things for English class, in turn neglecting assignments in other classes. This should not have happened, and for it I blame the web page. Therefore, I don’t feel I will be continuing it this summer.

Even though I felt like I had no life during much of the process, this class was one in which I learned a great deal. I think you are an excellent teacher who respects his students and tries his hardest to help anyone who has a problem. This is something that I definitely admire about you, and I am very happy I was able to have you as my teacher. The advice I have for you is to just be aware of students’ schedules. We are 16-year-old sophomores who have a great deal going on in our lives - from sports, to work, to other classes. Your class at the beginning of this year was so extremely quick paced that it caused many problems for students like me who take eight straight periods of school and then have sports after. The amount of work you expected of us was tremendous and at some times unbelievable due to the circumstances. It basically just needs to be either toned down or stretched out to give students more time. In my opinion, that would yield better quality work and happier, less stressed out students.

To all those freshmen who will be faced with Honors English II next year, my advice is this: never give up. No matter how much work is given, or how hard Internet lingo may seem, as long as you keep trying, I guarantee it will become easier in the end.

I realize now that you, Mr. Luizzi, would not require of us all this work unless you were certain that we were capable of completing it. We are Honors students and need to be faced with a challenge once in a while; you succeeded in giving it to us. That is something you should be proud of, for though I and others may sit here and complain about all the work we had to do and all the time it took, we still accomplished everything you asked of us, and accomplished it quite well. I now know that I can make it through the most stressful Tuesday night and still be ready for more the next day. No one likes writing a research paper or spending a warm sunny day inside typing, but that’s life. It’s time we step up and accept the responsibility handed to us. I am glad to say I did just that.

I enjoyed English this year and enjoyed working with such a creative class. Many times the friendly atmosphere you provided made me feel good even on the worst day. It was a lot of fun Mr. Luizzi, and I can’t thank you enough for taking me along on such a cool ride. Have a nice summer!


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