Kids hold funeral at school

Members of Rhonda Clark's eighth grade class participating in the burial of "hisself" sentences, from left, are Jonathan Brown, Trent Williams, Yanchelle Scott, Molly Williams, Jasmine Taylor, Shanika McCloud, Krystalyn Spivey, Lamont Ellison, Will Griffin, Frank Hagen, Donald Pennington, Amanda Williams, Irene Dieteman, Jonathan Lynch, Daniley Langston and Mrs. Clark. (Photo contributed)

Hisself is not a word in the English language, but it is often used by students and adults. Himself is actually the correct pronoun; however, our society has come to accept the misuse of words. Changing bad habits is a struggle for adults and children. In an effort to make leaning fun, while bringing attention to the problem, Rhonda Clark, eighth grade language arts teacher, and her students decided to do something out of the ordinary to make this an unforgettable experience.

After a brief lesson on correct pronoun usage, the students wrote example sentences using the wrong term, hisself. Reading the incorrect sentences aloud captured the attention and interest of the students. Finally, students corrected their sentences and placed them in a box.

The box filled with hisself sentences was taken outside and buried. Hopefully, the eighth grade students have gotten hisself out of their vocabulary forever, while increasing awareness for adults. Each eighth grader was challenged to find one person using the incorrect term, hisself, and demonstrate for the person how to correctly use himself.