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MsMoser
- 3
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Hello. I teach high school physics in a (relatively) small rural school in northeast Ohio (we are the Appalachian edge of the midwestern US).
My BS is in biology with a chem minor and I worked in environmental resource planning for a number of years before going back to get a masters in education and teaching credential. My teaching license is "integrated science", meaning I am qualified to teach any science grades 7-12 (I did have to take additional undergraduate course work in geology and physics).
Biology was always my great love and I started off teaching biology, then got physical science (a general science type course for freshman composed of 1/3 "baby" physics, 1/3 "baby" chemistry, and 1/3 "baby" Earth science). 2 years into teaching we had a retirement and I was asked to teach chemistry. I felt unprepared, but quickly grew to (really) love it. Then 6 years ago, due to changes in the state qualification rules, I became the only person in my department qualified (on paper) to teach physics. So, physics it was. I did not take high school physics, and always felt like I was behind the curve in college physics (due largely to the lack of preparation). My math is very solid (up through calc 2), but I never felt able to apply it to the physics.
After teaching physics for a few years I finally felt able to say I understood it. Now, 6 years on, I feel that I can say I am a good physics teacher (not great yet, that is my goal!). I joined the forum to have a pool of physics professionals to query and to learn from.
My BS is in biology with a chem minor and I worked in environmental resource planning for a number of years before going back to get a masters in education and teaching credential. My teaching license is "integrated science", meaning I am qualified to teach any science grades 7-12 (I did have to take additional undergraduate course work in geology and physics).
Biology was always my great love and I started off teaching biology, then got physical science (a general science type course for freshman composed of 1/3 "baby" physics, 1/3 "baby" chemistry, and 1/3 "baby" Earth science). 2 years into teaching we had a retirement and I was asked to teach chemistry. I felt unprepared, but quickly grew to (really) love it. Then 6 years ago, due to changes in the state qualification rules, I became the only person in my department qualified (on paper) to teach physics. So, physics it was. I did not take high school physics, and always felt like I was behind the curve in college physics (due largely to the lack of preparation). My math is very solid (up through calc 2), but I never felt able to apply it to the physics.
After teaching physics for a few years I finally felt able to say I understood it. Now, 6 years on, I feel that I can say I am a good physics teacher (not great yet, that is my goal!). I joined the forum to have a pool of physics professionals to query and to learn from.
