It’s not every day that nearly 1 million people around the world get a glimpse into a Biola University classroom. But after professor Matthew Weathers posted a video from his Oct. 28 math class to YouTube, that’s exactly what happened.

As a Halloween-themed treat for his “Nature of Math” class, Weathers — an assistant professor in the math and computer science department — started off class with a performance that is now a widely circulated Internet sensation.

In the clip, the “real” Weathers transforms into a videotaped version of himself and interacts with his class from a projected screen that blends in with the chalkboard.

Within two weeks of going online, various versions of the video had collectively racked up close to 1 million views on YouTube. During the first week of November, it was the site’s 7th most-viewed “comedy” video and the 32nd most-viewed overall.

Common sentiments among the 1,000-plus comments on the YouTube video were things like “I never had a teacher that cool!” or “I wish every teacher had this much passion for teaching!”

But why was the video such a huge hit? Weathers thinks that randomness has a lot to do with it.

“Next week, someone will happen to have a camcorder running when their cat falls into the bathtub, and that will be the hot new thing for a couple days,” he said.

But anyone who has had a class with Weathers knows that this video was more than just a lucky fluke.

“Every lecture, professor Weathers does something creative and different,” said Chase Wagner, who was in class that day. “His humor and creative approach is making learning math bearable.”