Sharing some good news...

As some of you may know, I have been attending night school for the last few years pursuing my Bachelors Degree in Physics. Last semester, I decided that I would get my teaching certification as part of my degree program, but I was too late to meet the application deadline for the Professional Education program, so I submitted it for this semester. I had my interview with the advisors for my department on Tuesday, and I felt that I did very well. At the end of the interview, one of the advisors asked me to submit a sample lab report from a previous experiment I had performed. (I knew that this was a requirement, but I wasn't able to provide one, because until this semester I haven't had to take a lab class (I had a lot of classes waved due to previous experience))

On Wednesday, I stopped by the advisors office to provide her with one of the labs I had completed this semester, and asked her what the next step would be. "Well, you will get an email welcoming you into the Professional Education program." "Is that what the email will say?" I asked her. "Yes," she replied, "did I just make your day?" ABSOLUTELY SHE DID! I am one step closer to being a High School Physics Teacher! 3 Semesters to go!

One piece of advice from a former high school physics student: make physics fun - show how it enters into every part of life. I was lucky; I had a teach like that. Too bad math is my mortal enemy. :-)

In the interview, they asked me how I would do that. I said one example was I could throw an egg at the wall and watch it splatter and that could be my introduction to momentum. I said, that would help keep them interested, since how many teachers do you know who throw eggs against the wall? I want to spend time with experimentation outside of lab. I would have lab reports of course, but we would do things just to see how and why things happen. They seemed to be really impressed with my enthusiasm.

Good luck with it, Thom. I come from a long line of teachers and school employees, anyway -- grandmother was both teacher and school administrator, younger brother's a junior high math teacher, my mother was a public school secretary for many years, I work for an adult ed program (clerical, I never got my degree).

My high school physics teacher was great that way. He swung on a doorknob (centrifugal force), blew things up (we made a miniature grain silo as a combustion experiment), built a barometer (which didn't work, because he deliberately sabotaged the directions for doing it so we'd figure out why it didn't work), and one of my favorites -- he had two students stretch a Slinky down the hall and pluck it to watch the compression of the waves as a general introduction to wave theories of all kinds.

It was a very small school -- he also taught biology and chemistry. Other than English, I find that I've retained more knowledge about science than any other subject I studied in high school. My hat's off to anybody who can figure out how to actually teach a subject, rather than rely on rote learning and regurgitation of facts on a test. That's the kind of stuff that works.

I had a great HS physics teacher who really inspired me to have a greater interest in the sciences. Best of luck to you - those students are so lucky to have someone as dedicated as you!

HS need dedicated teachers and desperately need great science teachers. You will be wonderful!!

:thumbsup:

My husband (TXlib) almost became one... loves teaching physics. Good luck with your future! :toast:

Yet another member of the secret liberal indoctrination group. Did your college Prof demand to see your liberal credentials before she passed you? Did you get the secret handshake and all?

Just kidding. I spend too much time at FreakRepublic. :).

I have all of one year helping "teaching" in physics - and it was fun - except for the grading - I was in my judge not phase at the time and grades seemed subjective and based only on test taking skills.

Thank God I stopped - or education in America would gone to hell in a handbasket!

I know many friends that after doing 40 years of well paying, but socially pointless work, are going back to school to get into high school teaching! It is a great profession.

Great News!

:toasts:

:-)

:toast: Congrats.

I'm a new person here. I read your good news and wanted to add my congratulations.

it's even better news for those whom you'll be teaching!

Congrats...and thanks for dedicating yourself to teaching!
:yourock:

My spouse is a second-year elementary teacher. He's loving it! We need more good teachers out there.

Physics teachers - any science teachers - are in short supply. Congratulations.

:bounce: Congratulations.

May you never have a class that makes you forget how happy you were to hear this. ;-)

Congratulations! :toast:

Congrats!! :toast:

They are greatly appreciated!

And good for you for having such a terrific goal as high-school teaching.

This is just great news all around -- keep plugging away, and you'll be an outstanding Physics teacher before you know it!

:toast:

he was my HS physics teacher -- and he was AWESOME.

1) Taught us about flying via M$ Flight Simulator
2) Took us to the ROTC gun range to learn about friction
3) Allowed us to build our own balsa-wood airplane and gave anyone an A to whoever was able to make the one that flew.
4) A lot of physics lab nearly twice a week, and every single one of 'em was fun
5) Can't forget about the Van Graaf generator and seeing his hair go up.

Hawkeye-X