MY SEMESTER OVERVIEW ENGLISH 122 GUIDED BY: JOHN BONNELL

I am not sure at this point in the semester, if writing this paper will be a necessary assignment. I have chosen to write it of my own free will without any faculty request. I cannot even be sure if it will be read. One thing that I can be sure of however, is my desire to express my gratitude to Mr. Bonnell for the immeasurable knowledge that he has bestowed upon me in these past few months.

When our class first began in January, we were given a paper written by one of Mr. Bonnell's former students. It was their overview of his class, and quite frankly, after reading it, I was a LITTLE frightened, and a LOT uncomfortable. The paper expressed the poor, and often offensive, quality of language that Mr. Bonnell frequently used during his class. I am not ashamed to tell you that the agile use of profanity makes me feel very uncomfortable in most situations.

I was ready to race over to G-Building and drop this class based solely on what I had just read in some unknown student's paper. However, after having experienced Mr. Bonnell's class and language for myself (although I DID feel offended when certain words were used on a couple of occasions), I found that the only thing truly uncomfortable and disheartening for me, was having to go home because class had ended. Mr. Bonnell's passion for literature and teaching exceeded the words that he sometimes used to describe certain scenarios or events taking place in a particular story.

Mr. Bonnell has opened up and bared his soul, exposing his most private and intimate self to a group of complete strangers without the fear or embarrassment of being human. He is the most intelligent and honest man that I have ever had the pleasure of learning from. He has passed on his knowledge to us about things that I know I had never dreamed of asking, and he has provided all of us with a safe place to discuss the things we DID need to question and contemplate. He has unlocked doors in my mind that I never knew existed, and he has provided endless opportunities that have enabled my imagination to freely soar to new heights.

He is not only one of the most interesting human beings that I have ever talked with, but he is also one of the wisest. Mr. Bonnell's methods of '~teaching" are far from standard. It is true that he does not assign research papers for the term, nor does he feel it necessary to give tests in this dass. He does however, encourage the opening of your mind to other possibilities as you read the short stories, and then, write a paper telling him what your believed interpretation is of that story

His grading system based on a 1/4 point scale) is wonderful! It is a "no pressure" system that allows breathing room for each individual student. He also takes the time to update his students of their current grade status quarterly throughout the semester. This enables a student to be absolutely sure of their exact standing in his class at that point in time.

As a student, I feel that the effectiveness of teaching does not necessarily depend on the manner or method in which knowledge is conveyed, but more importantly, depends on the quality and quantity of information that each student absorbs, and actually takes away with them when the semester is long over.

I am very grateful to be taking with me from Mr. Bonnell's class, a wealth of new knowledge and wisdom. Of course, obtaining this kind of knowledge and wisdom is not without some type of metamorphosis. I am walking away from this dass embracing a wonderful new outlook as someone who sees life a little more clearly, and who sees herself a little more human. I will also take with me the blossoming ability to determine "hidden" meanings in short stories that, to most people, remain buried deep within the structure of the English language. Through this class, I have developed a renewed appreciation of literature the messages that its author often sends.

Mr. Bonnell has taught me more about history, philosophy, and life in these four short months than others could teach in a year (at the very least). I have developed a profound respect for him and all of his philosophies, lessons, wisdom, and humanness.

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The enlightenment that he has gifted us with CAN and will be used and applied on a daily basis, unlike so many other "required" classes that are taught in colleges.

Since it is in my nature to probe and question everything, I have spent some time talking with some of my classmates regarding their thoughts and feelings about Mr. Bonnell and the way he "teaches" this class. Few have said, "I don't really like the class...it's not your 'normal' English Composition class." Several have said, "He is different, but I really like the class." And, most have said, "I just love the class! I get so much out of it. He's a great teacher." Personally, I absolutely love this class and it's many challenges and debates that are spawned by Mr. Bonnell. I only wish the time did not fly by so quickiy (it should be a four credit, two hour class).

I highly recommend this class to EVERYONE even if you have already taken your English Composition II class for transferrable credits. You will most definitely find that Mr. Bonnell himself is indeed, quite unique and "different". You will also find that his teaching methods are relatively unusual, but the information that you will gain THROUGH him is invaluable, and will never be found in any text book.

I cannot imagine anyone who could not benefit from taking this class. Lessons of tremendous value and importance await the person with an open mind and the ability to see the class through. Remember, I was the one who was practically bolting to G-Building to withdraw from this class, until Mr. Bonnell said something to us that changed my mind and made me want to stay in his class, which in turn, has changed my life as well. He said, "Some of you may want to transfer out of this class, but I believe that those of you who are here, were meant to be here. It's fate."

Apparently, it was!