Last week, math teacher Lori Seo suddenly resigned, leaving a staff vacancy and causing many students to feel disappointed to see her go.

“Ms. Seo is one of the best math teachers I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with,” Principal Armen Petrossian said. 

On Feb. 16, Seo sent out an email to the staff of Daniel Pearl Magnet High School, letting them know she wouldn’t be returning. The following day, the news was spread among the student body and no one seemed to take it too well. Seo didn’t respond to an email request for an interview. 

“We talked every day,” math teacher Tuan “Duke” Huynh said. “We worked together. We shared students. We shared ideas. We shared lunch. We were partners in crime, hence the reason I’m sad.” 

Seo’s first year of teaching began at DPMHS in the 2018-2019 school year. Since her first year of teaching at DPMHS, upperclassmen who have had her for either three or four years have said they’re disappointed with her leaving the school.   

“It’s going to be weird not seeing her around school,” junior Jasmine Orozco. “It sucks when a teacher you’ve had before leaves because it feels like you have a small connection.” 

Students have expressed their concerns with Seo’s sudden departure, as well as how math students will finish the semester. Some students are concerned that if a permanent teacher isn’t found, then those taking Intro to Data Science and precalculus this semester will possibly have to take them over the summer or next school year. Some underclassmen are simply disappointed that they won’t get the chance to take more classes with her. 

“I’ve only had her for a little bit but she seemed very friendly,” sophomore Josiah Lands said. “I was looking forward to being in her class more and learning more from her.”

Petrossian has said that the school is looking for a long-term substitute who is qualified to teach the subjects that Seo was teaching this semester, including Algebra 2, precalculus and Intro to Data Science. The long-term substitute will be filling the position just until the end of the semester or until a full-time teacher is found. 

“When I found out Ms. Seo was going to leave, I was very sad I wasn’t going to be working with (her),” Petrossian said. “So right now we’re trying to find someone qualified to fill that position with someone, hopefully, as awesome as she was.”