Quote of the Day (friend)

"Mister, I swear I'll be your best friend if you make my grade anything but that F." - An easily rejected offer from a student who came in for help for the first time on the last day of the semester. She got offended when I told her I didn't want a beggar as a friend. (12/14/12)

Quote of the Day (book)

"Mister, would this be a bad time to ask if I could check out a book?" - Question from a student on the second to last day of the semester. Guess what grade he/she is currently getting? (12/13/12)

Quote of the Day (imaginary)

"Hey Mister! Did you see the way I wrote my name on today's assignment?" - A student's excited question right before he rummaged through the assignments to show me he had replaced all the i's in his name with square roots of negative one. (12/12/12)

Quote of the Day (cards)

"Oh wow! You're going home already?" - Question from a student who was on his way up to my classroom thirty minutes past my contractually obligated time to be at school. This is the same student who would try to break out his deck of cards every time I wasn't looking in his general direction during our review in class today. (12/11/12)

Quote of the Day (birthday)

"Hey Mister, what can you give me that I can give to my sister? It's her birthday today." - Question from a former student who wandered into my classroom after school. (12/10/12)

Quote of the Day (evacuation)

"I'll hold that." - A student's kind offer to hold my clipboard that I used to take my attendance during today's evacuation drill. I later realized he only wanted to carry it so he could fan himself while we waited for the drill to finish. Other whiny comments/questions included: "You know, if there really was a bomb, we'd all be dead by now." "If there really was a tsunami, I'd just walk home." "Do we have to stand in single file line?" (12/7/12)

Quote of the Day (lunch)

"Oh! It's lunch; I don't have to ask you if I can use the bathroom." - Self-realization from a student who came into my classroom for some help during lunch. (12/6/12)

Quote of the Day (living)

"I don't know how you can do this for a living." - Honest question accompanied by a sigh from a  student after struggling through a difficult question with my assistance. (12/4/12)

Quote of the Day (helpless)

"Mister! I got it right WITHOUT your help!" - Excited response from a high school student after she  completed a difficult problem and checked her answer with mine. Just minutes earlier as I was explaining how to do it, she was the only one loudly grumbling about how each problem looked impossible. (12/4/12)

Quote of the Day (deadline)

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be able to finish before then." - Surprisingly confident response from a student who had under 40 minutes to finish her make-up exam that she had procrastinated till the very last day. She did "finish" the exam in time...with 7/20 questions left blank. (12/3/12)

Quote of the Day (shade)

"Our (evacuation) spot should be under that tree." - One of many whiny comments from my students during today's fire drill. Others included: "Can we just stay in the class?" "Can we not go back to the classroom?" "That fire drill was so short, it was a waste of time." (11/30/12)

Quote of the Day (hero)

"The Dork Knight. Solving math problems by day. Solving mysteries by night." - Resultant from a witty back-and-forth between a few of my students after I joked that despite what they thought of me, I am not a good enough detective to figure out who the owner of a nameless assignment was. (11/29/12)

Quote of the Day (usurped)

"Shh! Mister! I'm trying to teach." - Playful scolding I got from a student as I tried to interject with a helpful comment when she was showing her friend how to do a problem. (11/28/12)

Quote of the Day (job)

"I know she has you because she said you are always talking about math." - A student's description of how she found out that I also teach her friend. (11/1/12)

Quote of the Day (blood)

"Always give 100% except when you're donating blood." - Advice from one student to his friend at the beginning of class. (11/26/12)

Quote of the Day (bandaid)

"Mister, do you have a bandaid?" - Request from high school student that I quickly obliged. A few minutes later, I noticed the contrasting light bandage across his dark forehead. When I quietly asked him if everything was alright, he replied, "Oh, it's just a pimple." (11/21/12)

Quote of the Day (bottle)

"Ice cream is happiness entering the body." - Statement from a student entering class. When she recognized that I had no idea what she was talking about, she pointed to her water bottle that read, "Pain is weakness leaving the body." (11/19/12)

Quote of the Day (007)

"So Mister, when he says, 'Bond, James Bond' is that his first name or his last name?" - Question from a high school student asked of me right as class was beginning. I was cruel; I convinced them that he was actually stating his full name. So for now, they think that 007's first AND last name are Bond and that his middle name is James. (11/19/12)

Quote of the Day (twilight)

"So, do you want to go with me to see Breaking Dawn or not?" - Question I overheard from a pair of high school students at the beginning of class...a pair of male students. (11/16/12)

Quote of the Day (penmanship)

"I have the handwriting of a 6 year old boy." - Confession from a female high school student. (11/15/12)

Quote of the Day (hate)

"Miss hates me; she gave me a D." - Complaint from a student after I handed out her mid-quarter progress report. I had no idea I could give grades based on how much I like students. (11/14/12)

Quote of the Day (religion)

"Duh!? He's Korean." - A student's matter-of-factly stated response to her peer's question to me about what my religion is. (11/13/12)

Quote of the Day (distance)

"It's too far." - A student's reason after I asked her why she didn't move seats to work with her group on the other side of the classroom. (11/9/12)

Quote of the Day (sacrifice)

"Are you going to be here for lunch? I'd like to come in and make up my test." - Quote from a student who never showed up after I gave up my lunch break to help her out. (11/7/12)

Quote of the Day (election)

"Mister! That's like saying you voted for Mitt-rama." - Frustration from a nosey student after I told her I voted for Obamney after multiple queries about my voting choice. (11/7/12)

Quote of the Day (voting)

"I guess if I could vote, I'd vote for Obama. I hear he's a pretty good basketball player that's why." - Remark from a high school student and proof that keeping the voting age to 18 or higher is a good idea. A second reason that I heard was, "I'd vote Obama 'cause he's chill." (11/5/12)

Quote of the Day (insult)

"You're a mean teacher." - (Half serious) Comment from a disappointed student who asked for a ride home while I was waiting for the stoplight to change. (11/2/12)

Quote of the Day (recommendation)

"Hey Mister, remember that story you were talking about? Well, I looked it up and read it. It was very strange." - Surprising comment from a student who remembered me telling him about how reading the satire, A Modest Proposal, and how it shaped me to become a critical reader. (10/?/12)

Quote of the Day (waldo)

"NO!? Hello?! I'm Waldo." - A female student's disgusted reaction when I teasingly asked her if she was dressed as a US soccer player for Halloween. (10/31/12)

Quote of the Day (trick question)

"Mister, where do you live?" - Nosey question from a high school senior. Before I could answer, he continued, "Are you giving out good candy for Halloween?" (10/30/12)

Quote of the Day (addition)

"Why did you have to add three more problems when I wasn't looking?" - Complaint from a student as I immediately handed back her work after she turned it in with the last few questions missing. (10/29/12)

Quote of the Day (greeting)

"Annyeonghaseyo!" - Korean greeting that startled me as it was shouted out in the middle of class by one of my students. It was directed at the small group of Asian students who were visiting our campus...The students were from Japan. (10/26/12)

Quote of the Day (TV)

"You should really watch it...It'll change your life." - A student's reaction after I told her I have not seen the TV series Prison Break. (10/25/12)

Quote of the Day (touchdown)

"Mister, I'm serious. If I score a touchdown, I'm gonna point to your room." - A football player's final offer as he begged me to move into my class from another in which he is struggling badly. (10/24/12)

Quote of the Day (bored)

"Nothing. I just climbed the stairs because I was bored." - Response from a student after I asked if there was anything I could help him with since he had wandered into my class at the wrong time. (10/23/12)

Quote of the Day (bother)

"Something's getting on my nerves, but I don't know what it is  yet." - Comment from a student at the close of class. (10/22/12)

Quote of the Day (residual)

"Mister, that seat is still warm." - A student's reason for not complying to my request to take her seat after the bell had rung. (10/19/12)

Quote of the Day (wireless)

"Hello!? I don't get wi-fi. Why else do you think I don't watch Korean dramas in here?" - Overheard from a student right before class started today...and all this time I thought my classes were interesting. (10/18/12)

Quote of the Day (4)

"Ooh! I know! Barbershop four-tet." - Malapropism from a student as he was trying to answer a puzzle question. (10/17/12)

Quote of the Day (hair)

"Mister...Can I ask you...uh...a personal question? Is my hairline receding?" - Hesitant request/question from an 8th grade (former) student. (10/16/12)

Quote of the Day (muscles)

"Mister, look! She's so buff." - A student's remark after she saw the surprised/puzzled look on my face after I caught her randomly reaching over and feeling her classmate's arm as the classmate was focused on the day's assignment. (10/8/12)

Quote of the Day (V)

"When you pose like that you kinda look like that guy from the black & white movies. His name starts with a 'V'. He has a mask and a cape." - Quote from a hiking buddy at a scenic point as I doubled over to catch my breath. After many incorrect guesses from me and a friend, we learned that the answer was "Zorro". (10/13/12)

Quote of the Day (test)

"Mister, can I come in at lunch to retake the Chapter 3 Test?" - After I denied this request from a student, I asked him why he wanted to completely redo the test we took before Fall Recess. He answered, "I did really bad on it...because I never studied for it." (10/12/12)

Quote of the Day (time)

"Where were you when I was taking math in 9th grade?" - Compliment(?) from a high school senior who finally made a relevant connection when working with integer operations. (10/11/12)

Quote of the Day (email)

"Oh. Then I think I just didn't check my email over the break." - Confession from a coworker after I showed her a saved copy of a duplicate email that I had sent to her. She came into my class irritated and claiming that I never sent her an important document before our first day back from Fall Recess. (10/9/12)

Quote of the Day (money)

"My grandpa used to give us money when we would help him take off his socks when we were little." - Overheard from a female student as a group of high schoolers were discussing ways to make money. (10/9/12)

Quote of the Day (bubble)

"Aw Mister, why you gotta burst my bubble?" - Question from a (previously featured) student after I told her I wouldn't round her 68.4% to a C despite her efforts as she stayed after school to do some make up work (on the last day of the quarter). At least she used it in the proper context this time. (9/28/12)

Quote of the Day (count)

"She's said 15 words to me. I know; I've been counting." - A shy former student talking about the girl he has a crush on. (9/27/12)

Quote of the Day (moving)

"Mister, you should move your class to the first floor." - Request from an out of breath student after he had just climbed up the two flights of stairs to get to my classroom. (9/22/12)

Quote of the Day (management)

"I'm so ANGRY!" - Comment from a smiling student after he realized he merely neglected to write a negative sign at the beginning of a problem to incorrectly solve a system of equations in three variables. To his credit, he tried it again (upon my request); I loved seeing him cheer quietly to himself when he got the right answers. (9/25/12)

Quote of the Day (stream)

"And then it's up and running full stream ahead." - Quote from a presenter not even 10 minutes into today's workshop. (9/24/12)

Quote of the Day (weekend)

"Is today Friday? Oh yeah, it is Friday." - Comment from a student after I told her to have a good weekend as she was leaving class. (9/21/12)

It seems like everyone is getting their days mixed up. On Monday I had one student tell me, "See you on Friday." as he was leaving class. On Wednesday, a speaker at a workshop said, "I know that tomorrow is Friday and you all want to go home."

Quote of the Day (caught)

"Mister, did you hear that?" - Question from a student who caught me snickering at someone down the hall who was singing Gangnam Style during class. (9/20/12)

Quote of the Day (reverse)

"You wanna know how to annoy a teacher that you hate? Do all of your homework." - A student's unsolicited advice to his friend. As I continued to eavesdrop on this fascinating conversation he continued, "That way he'll be so busy grading all of this work that he won't have time to watch all of his favorite TV shows." (9/19/12)

Quote of the Day (disappointed)

"I don't like him. He burstses my bubble." - Comment from a student regarding a visitor in our class. When I asked her to explain her remark, she proceeded to describe how the visitor encroached too much into her interpersonal space. I thought it was a funny misuse of the idiom, but my parade was rained on when I learned that bursting someone's bubble is now used for that context as well. (9/18/12)

Quote of the Day (puzzled)

"This is fun. It's like a jigsaw puzzle." - Unexpected comment from a student who was thoroughly engrossed in solving systems of equations, one of the more difficult concepts covered in Algebra 2. (9/17/12)

Quote of the Day (phone call)

"You kinda freaked out my mom when you called her." - Comment from a normally quiet student at the end of class. She was referring to the phone call home that I made on Wednesday to inform the mother that her daughter was one of only 6 students to score 100% on a fairly difficult exam. (9/14/12)

Conversation of the Day (period)

Student 1: "Hey, what period do you have Mr. James' class?"
Student 2: "Huh? Oh, I have an F."
I can see why. (9/13/12)

Quote of the Day (cake)

"It was a piece of cake...a piece of burnt cake." - Comment from a student in agreement to her peer who called the second test a "piece of cake." Seeing how I didn't quite get her reference she repeated, "A piece of burnt cake. Get it? Because it's hard." (9/12/12)

Quote of the Day (love)

"Love this young is hard." - Proclamation from a former student, now in the 8th grade, who confided in me that a girl he likes broke up with him but still claims that she likes him. (9/11/12)

Quote of the Day (short)

"Nope, that's too long. Can I just call you Mister HUH?" - Request from a student who rejected my suggestion of calling me "Mister H" after she was complaining that my last name was too hard to pronounce. (9/10/12)

Quote of the Day (misspelling)

"Mister, isn't there supposed to be a 'p' in there?" - Bold question from a student who caught my omission of the letter when writing the word "reciprocal" on the board. For the record, I did NOT use the trite, "I meant to do that." Instead, I thanked her and moved on. (9/7/12)

Quote of the Day (proximity pt. 2)

"You better watch out Mister, she lives up the street from us." - Comment from the student who revels in the fact that she knows where I live about her friend in the same class. (9/6/12)

Quote of the Day (proximity)

"♪ Hi neighbor. ♪" - Greeting from a student who (for some unknown reason) thinks it's so cool that I live just down the street from her. (8/28/12)

Quote of the Day (help)

"Can you help me make some goals for a (math) student because you did such a good job with making them a few years ago?" - Desperate-sounding request from a coworker this afternoon. When I proceeded to walk her through the steps to help her make a quality math goal by using the state standards, she got short with me and said, "I don't have time, can you just do it for me?" (9/4/12)

Quote of the Day (September)

"Ooh, I know! Labor Day!" - One student's enthusiastic answer to my question of what piece of technology is being rumored to be announced this September. After I said that wasn't it, another student chimed in slightly less sure of herself, "Rail?" (8/30/12)

"Quote of the Day" (medicine)

"It's tiger balm. People say that it smells like Christmas." - A student's response after I asked him what that pungent smelling cream was that he was rubbing onto his shoulders right before class. Can you guess which student got significantly less help that day? (8/29/12)

Quote of the Day (gifts)

"How come people just give you stuff?" - Observation from a student after he saw some gift wrapped popcorn on my desk and previously saw that someone had given me cookies the other day. The popcorn was from a student who was about to throw them away because there were no microwaves around. (8/24/12)

Quote of the Day (close call)

"Hey Mister, what's a 'bake-a-breath'?" - Temporarily shocking question from a student entering my classroom this morning. Recomposing myself, I lied by saying I had no idea then asked what she was talking about. She handed me this note. First rule of this Quote Blog: we do not talk about this blog. Second rule of Quote Blog: we DO NOT talk about this blog (especially to students). Third rule of Quote Blog: If someone misspells bakabreath, then this blog is over. (8/28/12)

Quote of the Day (noted)

"That's a good one, Mister. I'm gonna write that one down." - A student's reaction to something that I said that was (apparently) inspirational. (8/27/12)

Quote of the Day (pizza)

"Hey Mister, guess what?" - Question from a fashion conscious female student who refused to move until I answered her question before the start of class. After an incorrect guess, she confessed, "I just downed like 10 pieces of pizza." She somehow found satisfaction in the stunned look on my face. (8/24/12)

Quote of the Day (rich)

"Here's an elevator for you. And here's a kool aid water fountain for you." - Wishful improvements to the school from a student pretending to pull bundles of money out of his pockets as he joked around with his peers. (8/23/12)

Quote of the Day (volume)

"She can't. That's her normal voice." - A student's response after I asked her friend to stop yelling in my class. (8/16/12)

Quote of the Day (time)

"Are you teaching Trig next week?" - Forgivable slip from a student who meant to ask me if I would be teaching it next year. I certainly hope the answer to her original question is no. (8/21/12)

Quote of the Day (spelling)

"Did they spell your name wrong?" - A student's question to me as he was pointing to my name that I had written on my book. I really wanted to ask him who the "they" was that he was referring to and what he thought the spelling of my name was. (8/20/12)

Quote of the Day (book cover)

"Just leave it there...but don't tell anyone that I put it on my head." - Parting request from a student after leaving behind the book cover he begged me to have at the beginning of class. (8/16/12)

Quote of the Day (clothes)

"You know! She's the one that still tries to dress like a teenager." - A student's description of one of my coworkers when one of his friends couldn't visualize who was being discussed. (8/15/12)

Quote of the Day (compliment?)

"Oh, I can tell we're in a math teacher's class; everything is so efficient." - Comment from a parent of one of my students at tonight's open house who realized that I had the night's schedule on the board, everyone's contact information handy so they wouldn't have to duplicate it on the sign-in sheet, and my presentation on the screen ready to go. (8/14/12)

Quote of the Day (pass)

"Mister, I'm going to be gone again. Can I get a pass to go to the counselors' office so I can pick up an extended absence form?" - Request from a student who has already missed several days of school in the first 2 weeks. Let's see, asking me to miss part of class to get a permission form to miss more class? Permission DENIED. (8/13/12)

Quote of the Day (big)

"That guy is so huge. He's like a hundred pounds wide." - Grammatically weak, but surprisingly strong  description by a student of his friend. (8/10/12)

Quote of the Day (wish)

"Bye Mister. Have a good weekend." - Parting greeting from a student as she was leaving class...on a Thursday. When she saw my puzzled look, she realized she was wrong and deftly added, "After tomorrow." (8/9/12)

Quote of the Day (sock)

"Hey! That's my sock." - Exclamation from a student who dropped his sock on the way to an assembly. I called out to him, but he didn't hear me so I had to pick up his (supposedly clean) sock and catch up with him. (8/8/12)

Quote of the Day (watermelon)

"I left some watermelon in a ziploc bag with my clothes, and it got rotten." - Unwanted conversation from a former student in response to my question of how her summer was. (8/7/12)

Quote of the Day (lip)

"Hey Mister! You wanna see my lip?" - Offer from a high school student who subsequently pulled down his lower lip to show me the huge gash he got from trying to step in between some fighting relatives. (8/6/12)

Quote of the Day (safe)

"Mister, can I leave this on your desk?" - A student who was toting this:

Quote of the Day (help)

"Mister, can I come in after school for some help?" - Question from a student on only the fourth day of school. I don't know whether I should be happy or worried. (8/2/12)

Quote of the Day (advantage)

"Or, I could just drop it off at your house since we live so close." - Terrifying statement from a student after I gave a reminder to turn in an assignment before school ended. (8/1/12)

Quote of the Day (assignment)

"Wow! Homework already?! I'm in the wrong class." - Cry from a high school student on the first day of school. *sigh* The homework assignment was to get a parent signature on the syllabus. (7/30/12)

Quote of the Day (friendship)

"You're not my friend any more." - Rejection from a former student who came into my classroom specifically to tell me he was disappointed that I wasn't teaching his current math class. (7/30/12)

Quote of the Day (Lost)

"Did I leave my glasses here?" - Random question from a coworker as I worked quietly in my classroom. (7/25/12)

Quote of the Day (Time)

"It's only been an hour? It seems like we've been here 5 hours already." - A coworker's confession after she asked what time it was during our first meeting back after summer vacation. (7/24/12)

Quote of the Day (author)

"Oh! I know! A Walk to Remember." - Excited answer from a student after I asked the class if they knew the other famous book that John Steinbeck wrote other than Of Mice and Men. I had no idea that it was possible to confuse a Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winning author with the same dude who wrote The Notebook. (5/24/12)

Quote of the Day (healthy)

"I had ice cream for breakfast. I hope my next teacher has food." - Comment from a student on the last day of school. This was after she repeatedly asked me if I had food I'd like to share with her. (5/24/12)

Quote of the Day (stump)

"Oh yeah? Well, you look like a gnome. You should come work in my yard." - Sassy comeback from an intermediate student who was being bullied by an immediately-silenced, short (and round) student. (5/24/12)

Quote of the Day (extra credit)

"I'll help you if you give me extra credit." - Negotiation tactic from a high school student who volunteered to help with cafeteria duty. There was only one problem, not enough people could help with the school service assignment in my class so I had to ask students from the neighboring classroom for volunteers...She wasn't even one of my students. (5/23/12)

Quote of the Day (hair)

"Hey! I have a hair growing here." - A vocalized thought from a high school student who was admiring the tiny strand emerging from his arm pit as he raised his hand to ask a question. (5/22/12)

Quote of the Day (sleep)

"I had a dream that Mister was trying to kill you." - Comment from a high school student to a friend. (5/18/12)

Quote of the Day (Too Soon)

"Yeah! I won't have to take another math class!" - Possibly premature exclamation from a high school student as the end of the school year approaches. (5/17/12)

Quote of the Day (countdown)

"It's just marks one year closer to the day I'll die." - Something that I overheard from a high school student. When asked what he was talking about he replied, "Oh, that's just what I tell everyone when they ask me why I don't make a big deal about my birthday." (5/16/12)

Quote of the Day (number)

"Number, I need help with Mister 12." - Request from an obviously tired student who came in to get some last minute assistance for the final exam. (5/15/12)

Quote of the Day (hypothetical)

"But Mister, what if I can't come in after school to finish my test because I have practice." - Pointless question from a student who used the first of two days of testing to sit around and do nothing because he wasn't prepared to take the test. (5/14/12)

Quote of the Day (expectations)

"I hope somebody gives me a cheeseburger lei." - Comment from a former student after I asked him what he was looking forward to most in next week's graduation. (5/11/12)

Quote of the Day (matching)

"Mister, my (mechanical) pencil is the same color as yours. Can I get extra credit?" - A high school student's request at the beginning of an exam. (5/7/12)

Quote of the Day (greetings)

"He said 'Good morning' to me first." - Overheard from a couple of former students after I greeted them as I passed by. (5/9/12)

Quote of the Day (nonsense)

"Mister, you have no sense of humor." - Complaint from a student after I never even cracked a smile at his joke. (5/8/12)

Quote of the Day (policy)

"I just wanted to be honest." - Remarkable comment from a high school student who pointed out a grading mistake that I had made on a test that would've actually brought her score down. (5/2/12)

Quote of the Day (secrets)

"Mister, are you good at keeping secrets?" - Question from a high school student before he confessed to me the reason why he wasn't in class earlier in the day. (5/4/12)

Quote of the Day (altitude)

"It's WORSE than Mount Everest." - Complaint from a high school student after climbing three flights of stairs to get to my classroom. (5/3/12)

Quote of the Day (acronym)

"It's called Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium or 'C-BAC' for short." - Alphabetically challenged statement from an administrator during today's meeting. (5/2/12)

Quote of the Day (friends)

"Mister! I thought we were friends." - Complaint from a high school student after his request to have some of the candies that were on my desk was denied. He was sour for the rest of the class period. (5/1/12)

Quote of the Day (costume)

"For next Halloween can you dress up as a math teacher? That'll really be scary" - Light teasing from an intermediate student after class. (4/30/12)

Quote of the Day (compliment)

"Mister, you're such a math teacher." - A high school student's derisive response after I recited the quadratic formula from memory. Luckily a couple of her peers jumped to my defense and asked her why that's so special as they both had it memorized too. (4/26/12)

Quote of the Day (contradiction)

"But Mister, what about my education?" - Plea from a student begging to be let into class despite being late (again). This is the same student that got mad at me for not answering his question by telling me I wasn't doing my job...he was asking his question during a test. (4/26/12)

Quote of the Day (school)

"Mister, did you graduate from college?" - Question from a high school student after he overheard me tell his friend that I actually attended an elementary school in the community. (4/25/12)

Quote of the Day (chemical)

"What's lammonia?" - Question from an intermediate student after I told her that the white board cleaner contained ammonia. (4/24/12)

Quote of the Day (niele)

"Mister, what did you get?" - First question on a Monday morning from a student who spotted me at a store over the weekend. When I gave him my usual cryptic answer I could tell he wanted something else from me. As soon as I asked him what he got while he was out, he proceeded to proudly show off his new cap and ipod speakers he had stashed in his bag. (4/23/12)

Quote of the Day (attention)

"Hey Mister! Did you notice something different about me today?" - Strange question asked by an intermediate student with a subtle nod. When I couldn't answer his question correctly after several guesses, he got upset and said, "I actually did my work without you asking me." (4/20/12)

Quote of the Day (ringtone pt. 2)

"It was so funny you should write it down and post it somewhere in this room." - Response from a student after I had teased her about asking if the car alarm going off in the distance was my cell phone's ringtone. (4/19/12)

Quote of the Day (ringtone)

"Is that your phone ringing?" - Question from a student after she heard someone's car alarm going off in the distance. (4/18/12)

Quote of the Day (vs)

"Mister, which is worse, ADD or ADHD?" - Pesky question in the middle of class that I had to fend off twice...from the same student. Did he just diagnosis himself? (4/13/12)

Quote of the Day (popular)

"Why does everyone want to talk to you?" - Question from a student who was seeking assistance during lunch and witnessed three separate teachers come in for a quick chat then leave by saying they wanted to talk more later. (4/16/12)

Quote of the Day (abbrv)

"Mister, can I borrow a calc?" - Request from a high school student in the middle of class. Who the heck calls it a calc? (4/13/12)

Quote of the Day (drool)

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to." - Apology from a student who had been hunched over with an intense focus to find a certain button on a graphing calculator. She had just realized from the look on my face that I had seen her accidentally dribble a little on its screen. (4/12/12)

Quote of the Day (surprise)

"What?! Already?" - Surprised reaction from a student after I had announced to the class that we only had three problems left to do for the day's assignment. It was ironic that this was the same student that griped about the large number of questions at the beginning of class. (4/11/12)

Quote of the Day (hate)

"No no no. I promise, I really meant Mr. ******." - An intermediate student's reaction after his peers told me that he had said, "I hate Mr. Hwang." (4/10/12)

Quote of the Day (challenge)

"I like doing those, because I feel smart when I get them right." - Surprising comment from a high school student regarding the hardest questions in a chapter. (4/5/12)

Quote of the Day (nuts)

"Are you allergic to other kinds of peanuts?" - A student's question to me after I refused her offer to try some of her trail mix due to my peanut allergy. When I asked her what she meant by "other kinds of peanuts", she replied, "You know, like almonds and cashews." (4/5/12)

Quote of the Day (check)

"OK, you're right. I didn't double check it." - A student's confession as she saw me mark her first two questions wrong on the exam she had just turned in. I had just asked if she had checked her answers, and she adamantly claimed that she "triple checked" them. (4/4/12)

Quote of the Day (repetition)

"Mister! Didn't we already do this stuff before?" - A student's impetuous observation in the middle of class. Before I could think of a witty retort, his friend beat me to it, "Duh! We're reviewing for the test." (3/22/12)

Quote of the Day (pits)

"No, I was just showing her my arm pit." - Embarrassed/embarrassing  response from a high school student after I asked her if she was raising her hand because she had a question. (4/2/12)

Quote of the Day (too late)

"You should really write some of these down so you can remember them." - A coworker's suggestion to me after I told her something funny one of our students had said in class. (3/28/12)

Quote of the Day (malapropism)

"Sometimes I worry about him. He seems like he's all the way out in left wing." - A coworker's assessment of one of our students. I had no idea my student was that into politics. (3/28/12)

Quote of the Day (video)

"Anyone else want to see it?" - A high school student's offer to his peers after he had just shown me a video of him eating a cockroach. (3/28/12)

Quote of the Day (pressure)

"That means you have to hurry up too." - My neighbor's inevitable zinger thrown at me after she informed me that a friend of mine has entered into a serious relationship. (3/27/12)

Quote of the Day (lunch)

"All I had was tartar fish." - A high school student's complaint about her meal after her friend boasted about how he just had a hamburger steak plate lunch. (3/23/12)

Quote of the Day (Se7en)

"It says 7 right there!" - An intermediate student's adamant claim after I asked him why he wrote down a seven on his calculations. There wasn't a single 7 written on the paper; it was a question mark. (3/22/12)

Quote of the Day (Guy)

"I can totally see Mister on the news doing the weather." - A high school student's comment to his peers today after one of them mentioned that I resembled local weatherman, Guy Hagi. (3/21/12)

Quote of the Day (phonics)

"Ho brother, would you care to join me for a scrap at the field of higher elevation?" - A student's impression of what educated pidgin would sound like. This came about from our discussion on conics which somehow morphed into one about phonics and how much better students would sound if they learned to speak with more academic language. (3/20/12)

Quote of the Day (sleep)

"My parents make me go to bed by 8:00." - Complaint from a high school student that came just after I had asked her what time she goes to bed since she groaned about feeling so tired. (3/19/12)

Quote of the Day (confession)

"Mister, I'm bored." - A complaint from an intermediate student before the start of 1st period. I never heard him say that again after I made him do 58 problems during the morning's class. (3/7/12)

Quote of the Day (timing)

"Mister, can you show me how to do this problem?" - Question from a student who was expressing his willingness to learn. Only one problem, he was taking a test when he finally asked for help. (3/7/12)

Quote of the Day (hello)

"Did you just ask him that because he's Asian?" - A high school student's question to his peer after she had asked me if I liked her new Hello Kitty paper that she was writing her homework on. (3/6/12)

Quote of the Day (Phone Call)

"Are you still in the [class]room?" - The first thing a coworker asked over the phone when she called my classroom. (3/5/12)

Quote of the Day (cougar)

"I like older women." - A high school junior explaining to me why he asked a senior to prom. (2/29/12)

Quote of the Day (single)

"I heard you got married. Is that true?" - Stunning news/question from a coworker during a phone call today after school. The funny part is that this conversation came less than 24 hours after we had a faculty meeting about not disseminating rumors. (3/1/12)

Quote of the Day (Prom)

"Do you think I'll get suspended for that?" - A high school student's question to me after he suggested that he wanted to ask our principal to prom by leaving flowers on her desk. (2/29/12)

Quote of the Day (medicine)

"A chill pill is just oxycontin." - A know-it-all student's explanation to his peer after he was told to take a chill pill. (2/28/12)

Quote of the Day (disappointment)

"Yes! Is that a worksheet?" - A high school student's enthusiastic question to me as I started handing out copies of some formulas that we would be using for today's assignment. Are worksheets easier than book work? I don't get it. (2/27/12)

Quote of the Day (grammar)

"Can we see what it's like with the lights off?"  - A request from a student who was having difficulty reading my notes that were being projected. It may seem like a trivial quote, but this was one of the first times I've ever had a student request that without using the cringe-worthy "Try off the lights?"  version. (2/24/12)

Quote of the Day (prefix)

"Does it mean to cut open something?" - A student's answer after I asked him if he knew what bisect meant. (2/23/12)

Quote of the Day (file format)

"Hey! No PDF!" - A coworker's admonishment to the high school couple continuously canoodling in the stairwell by my classroom. I don't think warning them about their Portable Document Formats will halt their public displays of affection. (2/22/12)

Quote of the Day (krazy)

"Are they gonna cancel school?" - Question from a student who just found out many of the classroom door locks on campus had been superglued as a "prank" over the Presidents' Day weekend. (2/21/12)

Quote of the Day (new feeling)

"This was the first time I actually felt like I understood what was going on." - A student's confession (while trying to suppress a smile) after seeing that she scored 90% on an exam. (2/17/12)

Quote of the Day (pencil)

"Mister, did you know I only sharpen my pencil in your class?" - A high school student's confession today. The odd part is that I don't have a pencil sharpener in my class, but I do have permission to use the sharpener next door during class breaks. I think this student just likes the novelty of walking into the neighboring room to sharpen her pencil. (2/16/12)

Quote of the Day (Face)

"I don't give you the stink eye; that's just my confused face." - A student's defense after I teased her for always giving me weird looks whenever I make a mistake on the board (which is quite often). (2/15/12)

Quote of the Day (kisses)

"Mister, do you want some kisses?" - Offer from a male student. When he saw my stunned expression, and heard his classmates giggling, he quickly clarified by adding, "Uh...Hershey's Kisses. C'mon guys." (2/14/12)

Quote of the Day (martial arts)

"You better watch out! Mister has a black belt in karate, kung fu, judo, tae kwon do, jiujitsu, and...and kumon." - A student's playful warning to his friend about why students shouldn't mess with me. This made me laugh every time I thought about posting this. (2/13/12)

Quote of the (what) Day

"Weekend? Oh! I forgot that today is Friday." - A high school student's confession after she overheard me wish another student to have a good weekend. (2/10/12)

Quote of the Day (tissue)

"Miss, do you have any napkins?" - An intermediate student asking for something to blow his nose with. When told that I had none, he spied my stack of newspapers and asked if he could use them instead. Contributed by Carol. (2/8/12)

Quote of the Day (impression)

"My friend called me, and I forgot that the ball was coming." - A student's explanation of how she got "stitches" on her head. It turned out that it was just a deep impression of the softball stitching from where she got hit on the forehead. (2/8/12)

Quote of the Day (lights)

"Ooh, can we turn off the lights?" - An upperclassman's request after our lockdown/shelter-in-place drill started (by closing all windows and doors). I didn't realize that anyone wanted to see a dark classroom. (2/7/12)

Quote of the Day (opposite)

"Can I come in during lunch to finish it? It's too noisy; I can't concentrate." - A student's response after I asked her if she was going to even finish her test following a reprimand to stop chatting with her friend. (2/6/12)

Quote of the Day (drop)

"Aw Mister, on the favorite teacher scale, you just went from here to down here." - A student motioning my drop in popularity because I accidentally left her hanging for a high-five. (2/1/12)

Quote of the Day (Sharing)

"Here! I'll just break my pencil in half so we can both have a pencil." - A student's kind offer after I chided his friend for using a pen on his math test. Only one problem: there's no pencil sharpener in the classroom. (2/2/12)

Quote of the Day (question)

"Do you really think I'm smart?" - Question from a student a day after I said he was one of my smarter students in front of his family at the supermarket. (1/29/12)

Quote of the Day (stalker)

"Mister, I know where you live. You live in a white house, right?" - Disconcerting comment from a student who claimed to know where I live. He continued, "The one with the clean yard, right?" It was then that I knew he had absolutely no clue where I live. (1/31/12)

Quote of the Day (sub)

"Do we have a sub today?!" - A student's cheerful question when she didn't see me as she entered the classroom. In contrast, another student later said she was glad that I was "the first real teacher" she's had in her classes all day due to a lot of teachers being pulled out to attend a meeting. (1/27/12)

Quote of the Day (memory)

"Not even once did you yell at us all year." - Compliment from a student reflecting on when I taught him two years ago and is now my student again in a different class. (1/26/12)

Quote of the Day (DLWOP)

"Take this furlough and shove it." - A coworker's commentary on the priorities of our local government. (1/25/12)

Quote of the Day (light)

"Mister, what is 'ambulance light'?" - A high school student's question to me after he overheard me use the phrase 'ambient light'. I'm not surprised since a student in another class called the discriminant (for the quadratic equation) the 'discrimination'. (1/24/12)

Quote of the Day (predictable)

"When I heard that, I thought to myself, 'I bet that's gonna be in Daniel's blog.'" - A coworker's comment after the word that had been created/used by an administrator in a meeting last week ("generized") came up in our conversation today." (1/23/12)

Quote of the Day (Holiday)

"It was my birthday." - A student's answer after I asked him why he was absent the other day. (1/20/12)

Quote of the Day (spelling)

"How do you spell Alex? A-L-X?" - A student asking me how to spell a classmate's name. (1/19/12)

Quote of the Day (Two Wrongs)

"If you get generized [sic], then the kids get generized." - An administrator's admonition to teachers to stay calm during a crisis. (1/18/12)

Quote of the Day (muscles)

"Do you lift weights?" - A newer coworker's first question to me this morning. (1/17/12)

Quote of the Day (tact)

"Mister, you're really red." - One of my new students after I bumped into her and her family at a restaurant after we had finished a beach clean up. (1/16/12)

Quote of the Day (neighbor)

"If I lived next-door to you, I would come over all the time and ask you for help." - A student's response after I told him that I recently found out that I live next door to a student from one of my new classes. (1/13/12)

Quote of the Day (back up)

"Tell her Mister! Nine is an even number, right?" - A high school student's plea for me to support him in an argument with his friend. (1/12/12)

Quote of the Day (limit)

"There SHOULD be a 5 minute limit." - A student's muttering that I overheard as one of his peer's presentation just passed the 20 minute mark. To be fair, the long presentation was extremely meticulous in its explanation, and there had been no mention of points for brevity on the grading rubric. (1/10/12)

Quote of the Day (impression)

"Are you super smart or something?" - A student's question in my newly acquired class as I helped his friend with a powerpoint presentation using really technical (but appropriate) jargon. (1/10/12)

Quote of the Day (confused)

"Oh! This isn't 7th period?" - Question from a student after I had asked her if she was a recent transfer into my 6th period class in which she was now sitting. When I explained that it was now 6th period  she quickly started packing up her stuff. Her flustered excuse as she flew out the door: "I'm so confused. I guess I'm on Wednesday's schedule." Um...today is Friday. (1/6/12)

Quote of the Day (routine)

"Eat, sleep, repeat." - A student's response after I had asked her what she did over the break. (1/5/12)

Quote of the Day (seasick)

"I think I'm getting seasick!" - A student's reaction as she watched her peer's (overly dynamic) zooming and swooping presentation that he had made on prezi.com. (1/4/12)

Quote of the Day (KDrama)

"Korean dramas are ruining marriages." - An aunt's proclamation as she detailed all the extremes she has gone through to watch her favorite soap operas the moment they air. As if to prove her point, approximately 15 minutes after she said this, she disappeared from a family New Years party. (1/1/12)