Are you, in fact, here?

I take attendance by having the students answer a question. Usually I try to make it something creative or interesting, but sometimes I, like everyone else, just time out on creativity and come up entirely and completely blank.

Are you, in fact, here?

Everything along the spectrum of yes-to-no:

• Yup
• yea
• I was here on time :)
• alarm broke but I'm here
• shockingly
• yes
• contrary to popular belief, yes
• basically lol
• physically, yes
• briefly yes, from 9:30-9:30.5
• Just so I don't get fined
• Yes (probably not when you're reading this)
• Yes. maybe
• I hope
• I don't know
• physically, yes, mentally, maybe
• perhaps?
• Well. Maybe. I don't know. I don't know anything
• in theory
• No, I'm [first name]
• NO
• we are not here
• No, my soul is somewhere else
• No, I was here.
• No one is here
• 24 hours late

And then the other sort of answer:

• are you?
• who's "here"?
• carrot
• VC \leq_p WVC

A lot of existential waffling this morning.

This post's theme word is Bulverism (n), the logical fallacy of assuming that your opponent is wrong and explaining their error. Some uppity students are verging into brief Bulverism with their responses to attendance questions.

What is your greatest victory in life (so far)?

I take attendance by having the students answer a question.

What is your greatest victory in life (so far)? (Previously asked in 2016.)

(I want to give them the leeway to still be aiming for an even greater victory!)

Many students replied in earnest celebration of their victories:

• ran 2 marathons
• being the 1st in my family to go to college
• getting into Swarthmore
• becoming a zygote
• making it through 2 years of college
• going abroad
• making it to senior year
• being born

Others were more creative in their replies:

• I solved Independent Set
• solving 2+2
• I solved SAT

Some were more unusual:

• "stealing" 6 mattresses
• can't think --- concussed
• please let me know when you find out
• nothing so far

To all the tired, striving brains out there: good luck with the end-of-semester, and try not to bonk into anything!

This post's theme word is contund (verb tr), "to thrash or bruise." Please do not contund your noggin.