Fun Time at Biola

Peter Y. Woo 5/5/2004 

    (Since this article will appear on my web site I would use fictitious names for people.)

    I am discovering ways to have fun here at Biola.

    Example 1. Just today my boss Dr Tsintsilitis rushed into office, then muttered why I and another teacher and the Secretary Miriam would not think of going to his class and tell them he would be late. Then he rushed off, and Miriam said "It is only 6 minutes late. But poor Dr. T., he had to walk back all the way from his other class in the Grove!" (which sounds like half a mile away, but I believe it is only 200 yards.)

    Then we three came up with the idea to visit his classroom. I went along because many of my previous students are in that class, Complex Variables. So we peeked into the door. He was surprised. Miriam said, "We just want to know whether you are here safely." I added, "Miriam said you are in an 'extremely frazzled' state of mind. I like to come to see how it is like." Then Miriam denied publicly she ever had said such a thing. Meanwhile the students there were smiling at us, and Dr T. came to the door and had a few chuckles.

    Example 2. This semester I found a new ploy: I gave a dime to some girl who pointed out a glaring mistake that I wrote on the board, in a Calculus II class. Oh that caused an excitement. Now in 8 weeks I have given away a dozen dimes, some shiny silver ones, and they are now forever attentive during the class. One spunky girl got some 5 coins from me, one of them she thought she was undeserving. I said, "It is for your correcting my English." I was pronouncing words like "distribute" and "contribute" by accenting the "bute", whereas Webster says I should accent the second syllable "trib". I like her. Then one day I ignored her remark about an error. After 2 minutes, a boy raised his hand, and said "Sir, don't you forgot something?" pointing his finger at her. They are quite a bunch. Sometimes I would give a dime to one boy A, who would give it to B because B deserves it better. Another day I made a totally wrong logical assumption for quite a while. When one of them pointed it out later, I commended him for it. But then everybody yelled, "It is worth a dollar". I said, "But I can only afford a dime." So he got a dime.

    Example 3. They like "field trips". I once took the whole class for a walk towards the library, with some pins, a soft poster board, and a "spirit level" yardstick that can tell when it is absolutely vertical or level. Then I showed them how to survey and then calculate the height of the building. But some students took the opportunity to ditch class. (American slang: to ditch is to simply walk away from.) So I got angry.

    But then last week we had a "get acquainted breakfast" for math or computer majors during the morning chapel time, 9:30 to 10:30. About ten came, and they chatted with us professors. After the hour, some students of my 10:30 class remained. I went to the classroom, got the other students to come to our office, enjoying the pastries and fruit juice, and they called that a "field trip". There are about 14 in my class, so we decided to crowd together around the big table, some sitting on the floor, and I lectured there with all the good food still on the table. I learned to lecture on Modern Algebra with almost no writing on the blackboard. The students liked it better, because there was nothing to copy, so they can concentrate their minds to listen, think, and one girl said she understood my lecture much better.

    Dr T. usually would ask each of the students who came to our "get acquainted" breakfasts to tell their name, and name of their high school. One went to high school in Maui. Then Dr T. asked him where he lived, whether it was on the mountain or on the plains. Dr T. knows there are two mountain peaks there, and one is so many thousand feet high, etc. Finally one asked him how many times he had been to Maui. He said "only once". I said, "How come you notice so many things, even names of restaurants and streets?" He said, "Just like you remembering things in math." I said, "But I don't remember even whether we have ceiling tiles in my office, or the color of the floor, or whether we have a carpet, even when I come here everyday for 5 years." "Ah, it is because you don't notice such things..."

    Example 4. One girl Dina is quite special. She said she could not sleep for several nights. She went to the school clinic, and the lady there told her to take medicine for flu's and colds. I said, "No, no, no! Those things are poisons. It numbs your mind and you cannot think out math problems. Have you tried Vitamin B complex? No? Huh, let us go to SavOn Drugstore and get some." So I drove my car to her dorm, picked her up, went to the drugstore. I chose the pills, she paid for it. After 3 days trying it, she slept well. At Christmas time she sent me a card in my office, telling me her appreciation for my personal concern and care for her, etc. Then she added, "This is the last card I have, and I chose to send it to you, among all the teachers."

    I liked the card, so I pinned it on the Department wall, so that everyone can see. Then the secretary Mariam and other teachers jumped on Dina, and said, "Why don't you send us a card also?" Dina was blushing and wordless with embarrassment, but she did not hate me for pinning the card on the wall. (I must admit I improvised some details in this story, where my memory is fuzzy, but I hope you enjoy it.)