Quote of the Day (teamwork)

" *sigh* I think I'll just fail this test and take one for the team." - Discouraged remark from a former student who came in for help during lunch. Her reasoning is that if she fails this upcoming exam, her teacher will somehow come to the realization that he's not teaching the class correctly and will change his ways. (9/3/13)

Quote of the Day (high)

"Why does your class have to be so high?" - Complaint accompanied by a loud sigh from a student athlete after climbing to my class on the third floor to get a grade check. (8/30/13)

Quote of the Day (hometown)

"Mister! I thought you were joking." - A high school student's excuse for laughing excessively when I told her I was from Hauula. (8/29/13)

Quote of the Day (really)

"Oh man! I'm gonna eat cookies n' cream every day."- Overheard from a high school student after she excitedly learned that her local 7-11 now has the popular milk shake (f'real) making machine. (8/28/13)

Quote of the Day (daft)

"He's such a punk; I'm going to call him Mr. Punk from now." - Overheard from a high school student who was complaining about one of his teachers. (8/27/13)

Quote of the Day (mayor)

"Mister, do you know who John Mayer is?" - Question from a high school student in the middle of class. My response: "Should I? Is he a politician or something?" (8/26/13)

Quote of the Day (motivation)

"I'm gonna become a teacher just so they can't work here any more." - A former student's conclusion to a rant about how unsatisfactory she thinks her teachers are this year. (8/23/13)

Quote of the Day (truth)

"I'm not racist; it's the truth!" - A student's defense plea after I asked her not to repeat a racially charged insult about a teacher on campus.  (8/22/13)

Quote of the Day (Mililani)

"Wait! If that's a yearbook from our school, why does it say 'Mililani' on the cover?" - Question from a high school student as one of his friends was looking through an old yearbook in my classroom. This is the cover of the yearbook:

(8/21/13)

Quote of the Day (adopted)

"We don't know where she gets it from." - Confession from a parent regarding her child's unusually high prowess in math. (8/20/13)

Quote of the Day (encyclopedia)

"Go ask Mister, he would know." - Encouragement from a former student to her peer as they came into my classroom during lunch. I was expecting some math question not, "Um, do you know what a Puritan Plain Style Poem is?" (8/19/13)

Quote of the Day (energy)

"The school should provide us with Red Bulls before we climb those stairs." - A high school student's suggestion since the 2 flights of stairs to my classroom are disdained by many students. (8/14/13)

Quote of the Day (upgrade)

"Whoa Mister! Stepping up!" - Initial comment from a high school student who saw that the lunch I brought in was an obvious upgrade to the meager sandwich and fruit that I normally eat. (8/13/13)

Quote of the Day (old)

"He kinda reminds me of you. Yeah, he's like you, but a younger version." - A former student's description of another teacher on campus. I think it was supposed to be a compliment. (8/13/13)

Quote of the Day (scam)

"Mister, would you be interested in learning of an offer that could change your life?" - Some strange business proposition from a high school student before class started. (8/12/13)

Quote of the Day (one word)

"Oh! I thought it was 'dress code'." - Confession from a student after I asked the class to summarize our classroom rules in one word. (8/9/13)

Quote of the Day (Scramble)

"Mister, I can stay here and scramble?" - Question from a student right after class ended and everyone left to eat lunch. Before I could ask him what he meant by that, I glanced up to see him furiously scribbling words down for an essay that was more than likely due the next period. (8/8/13)

Quote of the Day (pick)

"Mister! I had to go all the way to my counselor's office so I could switch into here because you never picked me to be in your class." - Frustrated venting from a student who I believe was not joking. (8/7/13)

Quote of the Day (chicks)

"I'm going to town right after school to pick up some chicks." - Stunningly bold statement from a usually conservative student. Upon seeing the look of shock on my face, he quickly clarified, "Baby chickens! I'm raising chickens!" (8/6/13)

Quote of the Day (mangoes)

"The most memorable thing I did this summer was to sneak into this guy's yard to take his mangoes." - One student's response to my request to the class to share the most memorable thing from their summer. As an example for them to follow, I had just finished sharing my experience of someone coming to my yard while I wasn't home to try to steal my mangoes. (8/5/13)