When one thinks of a math joke, they usually think of how seven “eight” nine. As corny as they may be, math teacher Dr. Doug Wagner uses jokes during classes to connect with students and keep them focused. With the high level of stress that students face throughout the day, Dr. Wagner lightens the mood to keep kids attentive in class.

According to the comedian himself, “humor tends to draw people in, help them pay closer attention, and lightens the mood of the class.”

Whether it involves the specifics of that day’s topic or if he just goes on a “tangent,” Dr. Wagner has made a name for himself as one of, if not the, funniest teachers at St. Pius X.

Jokes help Dr. Wagner provide different ways for students to learn a concept. According to junior Witt Hollensbe, who is in his Analysis/Pre-Calculus class, one of Dr. Wagner’s running gags is to ask his students “what do we do when we encounter any problem in life? We to take a global look and ask yourself, self…”

“Its always really funny. Like the joke is bad, but funny, and when he starts with the joke everyone basically starts chanting it,” Hollensbe said.

As daunting as high-level math may be, Dr. Wagner makes the subject enjoyable and exciting for his students. With the mixture of jokes and math, Dr. Wagner has certainly found his “function.”

As a comedy legend and Georgia Tech graduate, one of his most popular topics to joke about is the University of Georgia. This rivalry provides plenty of fodder for Dr. Wagner as almost all students are partial either way. They really create a “buzz” throughout the classroom and can pick you up on a “ruff” day.

He has been cracking up his students throughout his 38-year teaching career. Dr. Wagner describes his jokes as “like fine wine, they get better with age.” He has perfected them and seamlessly incorporated them into his lessons.

Dr. Wagner credits his inspiration to his Scoutmaster when he was younger.

“I still remember some of the jokes [he] used to say in scouts,” he said.

So where do these jokes come from? Dr. Wagner said they either come to him while teaching or he has “heard ‘em through the years.”  

Many quips are born from experiences in his life. For example, senior Will Briones loves “when he talks about how he worked for Campbell’s Soup and calculated the distribution of carrots per can of soup.” It was “soup-er” helpful when their Analysis/Pre-Calculus class was learning about functions.

Not all of the jokes are a hit. After some of Dr. Wagner’s puns, Hollensbe “audibly rolls his eyes,” while junior Anna Galvin said, “sometimes I don’t even process them.” Senior Shemar Etienne most of the time “[doesn’t] know what to do.”

Even if the jokes don’t land with the students, there will never be a dull class with Dr. Wagner teaching. “The class is pretty amazing,” Hollensbe said.

In between the laughter, Dr. Wagner still finds time to squeeze in a math problem or two. If students don’t understand a concept, he said he “will try to explain it to them if they don’t get it, to add to their enrichment.”

Dr. Wagner has had a lasting impact on his students and is a “prime” example of a way our school and faculty distinguishes itself from other schools. His jokes are just another way he helps make his class easy as “pi.”