What is your personal motto?

I take attendance by having the students answer a question.

What is your personal motto?

This year had a different tone than last year.

The positive:

• be happy
• don't give up
• You can do it.

The cultural references:

• Hakuna matata
• deus vult
• That's my secret, I'm always dancing.
• age quod agis
• just keep swimming
• You do you.

Those aiming for moderation:

• no worries
• it's gonna be okay
• whatevs
• Everything is okay.
• #flawless
• Learn. Think. Create. 
• while (alive) { live() }

The climbing-based mottos for climbers who climb enough to justify a climbing-based personal motto, which to my astonishment is a set containing more than one student:

• More chalk
• Always heel hook

The unfortunate: "sleep deprived since 2014!"

The decidedly pessimistic note goes to "Never address your problems," and the could-go-either-way pin goes to "Don't care unless it helps you."

The Non-Sequit-Award is tied between "look at dogs a bunch" and simply "bird". (Is "bird" a verb now? What are these youths doing with language nowadays? *shakes fist at sky, mumbles to self*)

This post's theme word is bovarism (n), "a romanticized, unrealistic view of oneself." My motto: be the bovarism I think I am already!

Quoth the raven

I take attendance by having the students answer a question.

Quoth the raven, "________________". (See previously.)

Traditionalists were numerous (four!), some with a modern take:

• nevermore (x 4)
• forevermore (I know this b/c the Simpsons)
• evermore
• never (Swarth)more
• To Whatever End

Alternate animal noises:

• tweet
• moo
• woof
• quack?
• "caw"
• skrrrrt
• caawwww

Some students apparently thought the raven was trying to politely decline something, or greeting someone, or continuing an ongoing conversation:

• hello
• sup
• suhhhh
• hi
• no
• eat my shorts
• I'd rather not
• party like it's 1999
• I'm ravin' mad

I have no idea how a raven would pronounce ":(", but I'd like to see it attempted. Similarly, "burp" could be an interesting spectator event.

The "Modernity Makes Me Feel Old" Medallion goes to "that's so raven", for taking my highfalutin' literary reference and turning it into a pop-culture reference accessible exclusively to tween-targeting advertising conglomerates.

The Non-Sequitur Plaque goes to the student who wrote, "*drops cheese". Runner-up is "swallowing in sadness", about which I can only say: [sic].

This post's theme word is otic (adj), "relating to the ear." In a moment of otic confusion, I hallucinated a chortling, cheese-dispensing raven.