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Virtual Coffee with the Principal
Virtual Back to School Night
Attendance:
Starting Monday, September 14th, you will start receiving phone calls/emails to say if your student was marked absent from one or more periods. So when upon receiving these calls/emails and you feel that this absence is an error, please check your parent portal and email the teacher to discuss this absence.
Need Power School?
Parents, please keep checking your Parent Portal for information on your students’ grades and attendance. If you are having problems getting into your parent portal or you need help in creating a parent portal, please email wmssec@sandi.net, and we will create an account for you and email you the information.
The grading period for the first progress ends on October 2nd. Parents can view the progress on parent portal on October 9th.
Wildcat Parents, we need you!
You can join the PTA online! https://jointotem.com/ca/san-diego/wangenheim-middle-school-ptsa/join
Please enjoy this fun version of "Zoom Where it Happens" created by Farragut PTA in Culver City, CA...
Please Welcome Honseng (Hon) Tu - Music Teacher
About School Life
Are there any embarrassing teaching moments you're willing to share?
My students will eventually come to know that I love telling stories. Once upon a time, I had to videotape myself teaching a lesson to 4th-grade clarinet students for a project at SDSU. This was when I was training to become a teacher. After recording this lesson, my classmates would then watch the video and give me critical feedback on how I did. Luckily, we were all assigned a group to help with the recording process. You know that feeling when you get teamed up with your best friends for a project? Well, that happened. It was not a good thing.
Anyway, I began teaching the lesson with my friends videotaping me from the back of the classroom. Did I mention that these students have only been playing clarinet for a few days? Well, I didn't know that.
So, they began playing.
Have you ever heard those seals and sea lions barking at SeaWorld? It kind of sounded like that (really awesome kids, though). Once they finished playing what I think was "Hot Cross Buns [I still wonder to this day]," I stood there. I had a blank expression on my face with literally no idea what to say. My friends were laughing hysterically, and one of them could barely breathe. The video footage was mostly her shaking uncontrollably from laughter. Thanks, Jessica. After probably about thirty seconds of seriously awkward silence (it felt like thirty minutes), all I could say was... "Okay! Moving on!"
I did not get a good grade for that assignment.
About the Students
How do you remember all of your students' names?
Every year (when classes are in person), I challenge myself to remember every student's name by the second week. To hold myself accountable, I leave a box on my desk and ask students to put the names of songs into it. Then, on a specific day, I have to name every single student from memory. If I fail the challenge, I have to draw a song from the box, learn it, and sing it in front of the class. Although I've only lost once (I mispronounced the name), the students usually enjoy picking the worst possible songs that are clearly out of my vocal range. Back in 2016, the song I had to sing was "Super Bass" by Nicki Minaj. Yeah, I even rapped.
About Life Outside of School
What would the students be surprised to find out about you?
I love food. I dig learning about the cuisine of other cultures. I enjoy talking about it and can do it for hours. The majority of the things I read, watch, and listen to (other than music) usually involve food. The final reason why I like food is that it brings people together. Having a meal with friends, family, or even students during lunchtime is one of the delights in life that I enjoy.
About Nothing — Just for Kicks
In which Hogwarts house would you be sorted?
Definitely Slytherin, no question. First, I will say that snakes are among my favorite animals. I actually was about to study to become an exotic veterinarian before I made the decision to be a teacher. Usually, people assume my reason for choosing Slytherin is because it's the house that contains the majority of the antagonists from the Harry Potter universe. Although true, I'd like to say that many of the traits of a typical Slytherin student can be good! They value ambition, determination, and resourcefulness. As the students will eventually realize, I tend to exhibit all three of these traits (sometimes a bit too much, I'm working on it, okay?).