Quote of the Day (confused)

"I can't help it. I feel like if I'm not confused, I'm not doing it right." - Comment from a high school student in one of my Calculus classes after she second guessed her answer on a simple calculation. (3/29/18)

Quote of the Day (best/worst)

"I have been coming in to get extra help and do any corrections. My grade is still an F. Is there anything else I can do? I've been doing my best." - Comments of concern from a high school student early in the morning before school started. A few hours later I returned two incomplete homework assignments to the same student. When I confronted him about it, he replied, "Sorry, I was being lazy and just didn't feel like doing them." Now I know what to say when he asks me to help him raise his grade later this year. (3/27/18)

Quote of the Day (concession)

Student [entering class after Spring Break]: "You were right."
Me: "?"
Student: "Remember how you told me to keep working on my assignment on the last day of school so I wouldn't have to do it over break?"
Me: "Oh, now I remember."
Student: "And do you remember how I didn't want to do it and said I would just do it over the break?"
Me: "I do. I also remember saying that it wouldn't happen."
Student [sighing]: "I know. You were right." (3/27/18)

Quote of the Day (top secret)

Background: Partly as a social experiment, but mostly as a joke, I labeled a file folder as “Mister Hwang’s Personal Files. Do Not Open”. I also wrote “TOP SECRET” in bright red and included a note to mind your own business inside the folder. I then left the folder out in an area near my desk before class started. Here are two reactions that happened within just a few minutes of leaving the folder out.

Student 1 [upon opening the folder and reading my note]: “Oh! Was I not supposed to open this?”

Student 2: “What’s in here? What if it’s Mr. Hwang’s grades? Argh! I want to open it, but it says ‘Do Not Open’.”
I conveniently turn away.
Student 2: “It’s so intriguing!”
Several students laugh signifying the opening of the folder. (3/16/18)

Quote of the Day (cheating)

Student 1 [to Student 2]: “I heard that your class got caught cheating on your [subject name] exam.”
Student 2: “It’s so dumb.”
Student 1: “[Teacher name] found out because someone took a picture of the exam and sent it to everybody.”
Student 2: “I know! You know how [teacher name] found out? They took a picture of [student name]’s test. He doesn’t even know what he’s doing, so everyone was copying the wrong answers.”
Student 1: “That’s so stupid. Why do people even need to cheat? The test was even open notes.”
(3/15/18)

Quote of the Day (pie)

“Hey Mister, where’s our pie?” - Question from a high school student on Pi Day. (3/14/18)

Quote of the Day (lunch)

“Wow! Thanks Mister. I’m going to come in here for lunch everyday.” - Comment from a high school student after I shared some of my food with her and another student. (3/12/18)

Quote of the Day (girlfriend)

“Mister, who is that?” - Question from a high school student who walked in while I was watching a video of a female hiker being interviewed on camera. The student continued her interrogation, “Is that your girlfriend?” (3/12/18)

Quote of the Day (fire drill)

Student 1: “Yesterday’s fire drill was so cold!”
Student 2: “Yeah! I was freezing out there.”
Student 1: “If there was an actual fire it would’ve been like, ‘Nope! It’s too cold.’ Then put itself out.” (3/9/18)

Quote of the Day (Hocus Pocus)

Me [to a student laughing near the end of class]: “Be nice. Stop laughing at [student name]’s mistake.”

Student: “Oh! No, I wasn’t laughing at her.”

Me: “So what were you laughing at?”

Student: “I was just laughing at something that I thought of. It’s not even funny. I’ll tell you tomorrow.”

Me: “No, you can’t do that to me. You can’t tell me to wait that long.”

Student: “OK. You know how the plural of focus is foci [pronouncing it fəʊ.kaɪ]?”

Me: “And?”

Student: “And do you know that movie Hocus Pocus? Well, I was just thinking that if they made another one they could call it Hoci Poci.”

Quote of the Day (mixtape)

“That’s Mister Hwang’s mixtape.” - Comment from a student just after the fire alarm sounded near the end of class. (3/5/18)

Quote of the Day (fire alarm)

Student 1 [after a fire alarm suspiciously sounds right before school was to end]: “Mister, how do they know if it’s a false alarm or a real fire.”
Student 2: “They’re probably like ‘*sniff sniff* Oh! It’s a false alarm.’” (3/5/18)

Quote of the Day (M)

Student: "OK, I just sent it to you."
Me: "I don't see it. What address did you send it to?"
Student: "mhwang@..."
Me: "M?! What does the m stand for?"
Student [starts laughing to himself]: "Oh, I thought your first name was Mister." (3/1/18)

Quote of the Day (snacks)

Me: “How was the ACT yesterday?”
Student: “It was OK. Our snack break was too short...or at least I thought it was.”
Me: “Did they [the school] provide any snacks or did you have to bring your own?”
Student: “We had to bring our own...then Miss [the proctor] started asking us for food. I was like, ‘Slow Down! We’re not even friends.’” (2/28/18)

Quote of the Day (squirrel)

 “Did you just say ‘squirrel of twenty-five’?” - Question from from a high school student to his friend who was helping him with some problems involving square roots. (2/26/18)

Quote of the Day (dad)

Student 1: “I see Mister walking his dad down my street.”
Student 2: “Walking his dad?”
Student 1: “Psh! I meant walking his dog.”
(2/26/18)

Quote of the Day (lockdown)

Student: “Mister, did you hear that [teacher’s name] almost hit [administrator’s name]?”
Me: “What? Hit? As in with a car?”
Student: “No with a pole.”
Me: “???”
Student: “During the lockdown drill, [administrator] came into our classroom and [teacher] thought it was an intruder so he almost hit her.”
It turns out, administration couldn’t get a hold of the teacher to inform him that the drill was over so an administrator was sent to communicate its conclusion. She had tried to yell through the door but got no response so she used a key to open the door much to the surprise of the teacher. (2/22/18)

Quote of the Day (instigator)

Student 1: “Instigator? What does that mean?”
Student 2: “It’s someone who starts things. You know, causes trouble.”
Student 1: “Oh, now it makes sense why my mom calls me that.” (2/22/18)

Quote of the Day (Voldemort)

Student: “What was the name of the Asian teacher that looks like you?”
Me: “Don’t!”
Student: “Argh! What was his name?
Me [to other smiling students around him]: “Don’t mention his name.”
Student: “...Voldemort!” (2/21/18)

Quote of the Day (DIY)

Student 1: “You could just DIY it. DIY? No, DYI. You know what I’m saying, right?”
Student 2: “DYI? Do Yourself It? I’m pretty sure you mean DIY.”
Student 1: “No, DYI. Do Your... Ish.” (2/16/18)