Funny Things My Students Have Said Over the Years
- Vasudha Uddavan
- 11 minutes ago
- 5 min read
One of the unexpected joys of tutoring isn't just watching students grow mathematically.
It's watching their personalities come out along the way.
After years of teaching Beast Academy, AoPS, and competitive math, I've collected quite a few funny things my students have said that still make me smile. Here are some of my favorites.
Funny Things My Students Have Said: The Family I've Been Teaching for Nearly a Decade
I've taught many of my friends' children over the years.
One family in particular has been part of my tutoring journey for almost nine years. I now teach both siblings, and somewhere along the way, I've apparently become part tutor, part family friend, and part referee.
Recently, their mom was telling a friend about my classes. She asked her daughter:
"You didn't like math before. You like your math classes now, right?"
Her daughter just nodded.
Before either of us could say anything else, her older brother jumped in:
"I'll endorse and vouch for her."
Their mom laughed.
"What makes you an expert?"
Without missing a beat:
"I've been with her for eight years! A lot longer than my sister!"
The same family has also developed a very unusual way of handling disagreements.
When his mom annoys him, he complains to me:
"Your friend is bugging me."
And when he isn't listening to her, she messages me:
"Your student is not listening to me. Ask him to listen to what I say."
Most recently, I asked his mom if she'd be willing to write a recommendation for me.
Her response was:
"Why do you even need a recommendation? Anyone who does even one class with you will see the difference."
She did eventually write one.
Considering I've taught her son for almost nine years, her daughter now learns with me as well, and she somehow trusts me enough to referee silly family disputes, I suppose she was qualified to comment.
After nearly a decade of classes, she's watched the journey from every angle—parent, friend, and now parent of two students.
The Student Who Voluntarily Woke Up at 5 AM for Math
Several years ago, I taught three brothers.
Their evenings were packed with sports, so we scheduled classes before school—usually around 6:00 or 7:00 AM.
Their mom had one rule: the boys had to finish their prayers before class, which meant waking up around 5:15 AM.
One morning, she was surprised to find one of her sons already awake and doing his prayers without being reminded.
Naturally, she asked:
"Why are you up so early?"
His answer:
"I have Sudha Auntie's class today."
Then he added:
"And I'm taking my brother's spot."
Apparently, he had been struggling with a few math topics and had quietly arranged extra classes with me directly.
His mom later messaged me, laughing:
"I didn't even know he was struggling! Even on normal days it's a battle to get him out of bed. Now he's up at 5 AM, doing his prayers without being reminded, just so he can make it to your class."
As a tutor, there are few compliments better than a student voluntarily waking up before sunrise for math.
"Can She Help Me in College Too?"
I worked with one student for more than three years. One day, his mom asked:
"When are you going to stop holding Sudha Auntie's little finger for math?"
His immediate response:
"Maaa... never. I'll tutor with her if I need math for my work."
Then he turned serious and asked:
"Can she help me in college?"
His mom messaged me afterwards:
"You spoiled him too much. Every year when we reevaluate classes it's always, 'Please keep Sudha Auntie's class. I'll do anything you ask.'"
That student is now a pre-med student, but I still laugh whenever I remember that conversation.
V is the student
The Zoom Name Prank
One of my students' parents used to teach her son and his friends years ago. Now I teach the same group. Recently, she told me about a prank one of the boys once played on her during a Zoom class.
He changed his Zoom name to hers. She thought he had left the meeting and eventually said:
"Maybe he left. Let's continue the lesson, and we'll redo this part when he rejoins."
At which point he burst out laughing and yelled:
"Gotcha!"
Naturally, I decided this story contained an excellent educational opportunity.
(By "educational opportunity," I mean "payback time.")
So during one of our classes, I quietly changed my Zoom name to his.
A few seconds later:
"Sudha Auntie... I think the computer is glitching." "I can't see you." "I see my name twice."
The confusion lasted only a few moments before I started laughing and revealed the prank.
He thought it was hilarious, and ever since then, for several classes afterwards, this was basically his screen setup.
When Your Students Know You Too Well
While working through an Honors Geometry course, I was deciding which problem to assign next.
Before I said anything, my student asked:
"Question 22?"
I looked up.
"How did you know I was going to say that?"
His answer:
"Because that looks like the hardest problem, and you always choose that one."
I couldn't even deny it.
The Student Who Started Quizzing His Mom
A few weeks ago, I had my first class with a new student from New Jersey.
We spent the entire lesson working through challenging geometry problems.
At the end of class, I asked how it went.
His response was a very typical teenage:
"It was fine."
Fifteen minutes later, I called his mom for feedback.
She laughed and said:
"Oh, he loved it. He's been quizzing me for the last few minutes and correcting me while I solve the geometry problems."
That's one of my favorite signs that learning has really clicked.
Students don't just solve problems.
They immediately want to teach them.
When people ask me what I enjoy most about tutoring, they often expect me to talk about competition results, grades, or advanced math.
Those things certainly matter.
But some of my favorite memories are moments like these—the jokes, the conversations, and the relationships that develop over years of working together.
The math is important.
The people are unforgettable.
About Sudha Aunty
Hi, I'm Vasudha — but my students know me as Sudha Aunty.
I've been tutoring math for more than 18 years, working primarily with students in Grades 3–8. I teach Beast Academy, AoPS, and competitive math, with a focus on problem-solving, mathematical reasoning, and thinking deeply about how and why things work.
I've been teaching AoPS for 10 years and teaching math online for more than a decade. Many of my students stay with me for years—some of the stories in this post came from students I've taught for nearly a decade.
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