Dear Parents and Guardians,
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome your son or daughter to my physics class. Physics is a challenging subject, that unfortunately, brings negative perceptions for many people. I wish this was not the case, as physics is a fascinating class and the foundation for all of science and engineering. Over the last several years, I have continually asked myself, “How can I better teach this course?” Luckily, many other Physics teachers have asked this very same question, and they have actively researched the answer. What the research is showing is that physics teachers need to stop talking about physics, and start helping their students do physics.
One quirky way I’ve seen this transition described is the teacher needs to change from being a “Sage on the Stage” to a “Guide on the Side.” What I mean by that, is research shows students need to be actively engaged in deductive reasoning to determine the laws of physics from experiment rather than passively listening to a teacher describe those laws. In the process of helping students do physics, those students learn better problem solving skills, critical thinking skills, and communication skills. Unfortunately, most students haven’t been exposed to learning through guided inquiry, so many students feel uncomfortable early on. For most students, this discomfort eases part way through the first quarter. If your son or daughter feels lost at any point, please have them come and see me, and I will be happy to do what I can to help them.
In the end, my hope is to create an interesting and enjoyable way for your son or daughter to learn physics. I continue to try to find better ways to try to do that. Along the way, I hope your child will learn skills essential for college and their future job, even if he or she has no interest directly in the subject of physics. Who knows, maybe your son or daughter will decide that pursuing a career in physics is for them too!