The discussion revolves around perceptions of physics professors' happiness and engagement in teaching. Participants share personal experiences and observations regarding the demeanor of physics professors, exploring factors that may contribute to their perceived dissatisfaction or enthusiasm in the classroom.
Participants do not reach a consensus; multiple competing views remain regarding the happiness and engagement of physics professors, with some asserting that many are jovial while others describe them as distracted or disengaged.
Participants express varying experiences based on personal interactions and the educational context, highlighting differences in student behavior and expectations across different educational systems.
Mk said:I think it does matter:
And if you're talking about just knowing them in class, rather than out of class or during research it's going to depend entirely on whether or not it is an intro to physics class at 8 am with a ratio of students who don't care to students who do care of 99:1.
- How recently you actually went to undergraduate school in physics
- What the financial and political environment is like at your school
The reason I bring up history is because physics teachers during the time of the space age and atomic age were probably pretty enthusiastic because the field was growing, and students were interested. Today, physics is a lot more dead and produces less graduates.
(Systems theory, a child of ecology and cybernetics, however, appears to be on the upswing.)