Student 1: “Mister, I’m so disappointed that you didn’t bring your dog today.”
Student 2: “Mister, you have a dog?”
Me: “Yes.”
Student 2: “How long have you had him…or her.”
Student 3 [interjects]: “Did you know that if you believe in reincarnation there’s a chance that your dog could be Hitler?” (12/2/21)
Me [to Student 1]: “What are you drawing?”
Student 1: “Oh, it’s one of my cats.”
Student 2: “I used to hate cats, but now I think they’re OK.”
Student 1 [showing us a picture]: “These are my three cats. Their names are [I forgot what he said]. Do you have any pets?”
Student 2: “No. I wish I did.”
Me: “I have a dog.”
Student 2: “YOU HAVE A DOG!? Can I see a picture.”
Me: “This is my dog, Hina.”
Student 2: “She’s so cute. You should bring her to school so I can meet her.”
Me: “I can’t. I don’t want to get into trouble.”
As class started, we all quickly refocused on our work for the full ninety minute period.
Student 2 [as she was leaving class]: “Bye Mister. Don’t forget to bring your dog tomorrow.” (12/1/21)
Student [raising his hand for help]: “Mister, I’m sorry.”
Me: “???”
Student: “I’m sorry. I lied to you.”
Me: “What are you talking about?”
Student: “A few minutes ago when you asked me if I knew how to do the problem. I lied and said I did, but I really don’t know what’s going on.” (11/30/21)
(Unknown) Student 1 is seen standing by the door checking the sign with the room number, Y-301.
Student 2: “Ooh! A new student!”
Me [to Student 1]: “Can I help you?”
Student 1 [handing me his pass]: “Yeah, um. My teacher sent me to this room, but I’m not sure.”
Me [looking at a pass that says R-201]: “This is Y-301. Do you know which teacher you’re supposed to talk to?”
Student 1 [pointing to his pass]: “I don’t know. Miss told me who, but she didn’t write it down. See? It just says ‘Mr.’”
Me: “You’re right, but this is not the right classroom.”
Student 1 [pointing downstairs]: “I know, but I went to room 201, but there was a lady teaching in there.”
Me: “Right, but…”
Student 1: “So I thought I’d try the next room, but there was also a lady in there.”
Me: “So you thought to go to the next floor?”
Student 1: “Oh, um. Yeah.”
Me: “You know this is Y-Building, right? R-Building is close to the office.”
Student 1: “OH! This isn’t R-Building?” (11/29/21)
Student 1 [entering the classroom with a platter of cupcakes and cookies]: “Does anyone want one?”
Student 2: “Where did you get that from? Did you guys have a party?”
Student 1: “No. This was for a presentation about diabetes.” (11/24/21)
Student [approaching me after he saw his test score]: “Mister, can I see what mistakes I made on my test.”
Me [looking for his exam]: “Here.”
Student [a few seconds later]: “ARGH!”
Me: “What?”
Student: “I made the same mistakes that I already made on the review sheet that we did yesterday.” (11/23/21)
Student 2 [who normally always gets help from Student 1 was seen helping Student 1]: "See! And that's how you do the question."
Student 1: "Thanks."
Me [writing "Ms. Student 2" on a label]: "Here."
Student 2: "Wow! I feel like a teacher."
Student 1: "What!? I want one too."
Student 2: "NO! You don't get one because you didn't help anyone."
Student 2 [stands in the front of the class pointing to her label as the power starts to go to her head]: "Does anyone need help with their assessment?"
Student 3: "Why are you asking us?"
Student 2: "Because I'm [pointing to her label] Ms. Student 2!"
Student 2 [now mad with power]: "Here, let me put a problem on the board." (11/22/21)
Student 1: "How long have you been teaching here?"
Me: "I started in 2006."
Student 2 [gasps]: "I was only one years old."
Student 1: "I wasn't even born yet." (11/19/21)
Me [asking three students that are competing in a card-based project from another class]: "You only need these [cards] till tomorrow, right?"
Student 1 [as I handed her a card]: "Yes. Ooh! Thank you."
Student 2: "Mister, what do I have to do to get a card from you?
Me: "You just have to..."
Student 4 [who doesn't even know what we're talking about]: "Mister, I want one!"
Student 2 [to Student 4]: "You're not even in our class!"
Student 4: "Yeah, but if Mister is giving them out to you. I want one too." (11/18/21)
Student [entering the classroom]: “I don’t get it.”
Me: “Get what?”
Student [pointing to the group of larger young men talking loudly in the hallway]: “They laugh like little girls, but they look like grown men.” (11/17/21)
Student [entering class]: “Mister, I had an epiphany yesterday.”
Me: “Oh?”
Student: “Can we petition the school to change something?”
Me: “You can always bring up suggestions, but I can’t change anything outside of what happens in my class.”
Student: “I think we should petition to change the school’s advisory period to ‘Nap Time’.” (11/15/21)
Me [to Student 1 who was staring at the back of his rice krispie treat]: "Are you really just reading the ingredients instead of doing your work?"
Student 1: "Huh? Yeah. Mister, what do you think is the main ingredient?"
Me: "Uh...rice?"
Student 2 [who is now distracted from doing his work]: "Really? I would've thought it was something else."
Me: "Like what?"
Student 2: "I don't know. Maybe sugar?" (11/10/21)
Student [out of breath after climbing the stairs for the first class of the day]: "Ugh. I don't like those stairs in the morning."
Me: "In the morning? So they're not bad at other times in the day?"
Student: "Yeah. Sometimes they're not too bad."
Me: "Like when?"
Student: "A little later in the day, but not after lunch...because after lunch, UGH! I'm so tired." (11/10/21)
Student [handing me a slip of paper as the class was cleaning up with a minute left in the period]: "Mister, can you read this and write your answers to these questions?"
Me: "Umm... by when?"
Student: "Right now. It's due next period." (11/9/21)
"Mister! I just typed 'ministerhwang' instead of 'misterhwang' to get to your website." - Comment from a high school student who was trying to get to his work on my website. (11/8/21)
Student: "I am so tired."
Me: "You say that almost every day."
Student: "Yeah, but I feel even more tired today."
Me: "What did you do to make you so tired?"
Student: "Honestly, I think it's because I went to bed early last night."
Me: "..."
Student: "I think I might have slept too much and that's why I'm tired." (11/5/21)
Student 1 [observing Student 2 conspiring with me to make a meme]: "I wish I was cool enough to make a meme."
Me [pointing to the board]: "Don't feel bad. You are one of the few students to get a quote on the board."
Student 1: "Oh yeah, you're right. I forgot about my quote."
Student 2: "I want a quote on the board!"
Student 2 kept saying random things throughout the rest of the class in an effort to get something she said written on the board with Student 1's quote. (11/4/21)
Student 1 [pointing to the 11 tally marks on the board]: "Mister, what's that for?"
Me: "Those marks? Oh, that's the number of times Student 2 [Student 1's friend] sighed really loudly in class the other day."
Student 1 [laughing]: "Yeah, she does that a lot."
...
Student 1: "You know what else she does? Every morning she lets out a loud scream."
Me: "Really? Like, at home or on the way to school?"
Student 1: "No, in front of A-building right before we go to class." (11/3/21)
Student: "I don't think they [another teacher] like me."
Me: "Why would you say that?"
Student: "Because I'm not getting a very good grade in their class."
Me: "Oh, then you must think I don't like you either."
Student: "Huh? Why would I think that?"
Me: "Because of your grade in this class." (11/2/21)
