Here’s how to fix Florida’s shortage of physics teachers

I suppose I could have become a Physics teacher. That wouldn’t have gone well for the students mind you. It helps if the teacher understands the material

 

Me, too I wonder where we're going to be able to conjure up these physics folks to teach an advanced curriculum?

Teach or double my income and not have to put up with numbnut politicians? Tough choice.

 

This is true. The physics 1 lecturer at UF I had was a nice guy. Big accent and surely super smart. I remember one lecture he spent the entire class filling the massive white board in the lecture hall of the New Physics Building. He had formulas and numbers all over the place. At the end he backs up and looks at it with a perplexed look. And says he will have to find the error lol (it’s been a while but that is close to my memory of that day). That professor was the wrong guy for that kind of teaching.

 

My son is doing the same major. Starting UF in the fall. He likes chemistry and stuff so he should be fine.

 

Exactly. I struggled the first few weeks in physics until a light bulb went off and it was the two variables with two unknowns. Every problem seemed to give you extra information that you didn't need but that was the formula that you needed to get the other variable filled in. After that, piece of cake.
Calc 1 was difficult but for some reason calculus 2 and 3 were much easier for me. Got a C in the first one and A's in the others.

 

Your argumentum ad hominem aside you apparently have no idea what a STEM education is. Again it has nothing to do with finding physics teachers.

 

Science
Technology
Engineering
Math

Psychics and astrology not included.

I remember my HS physics teacher was a mean taskmaster, but the physics at UF was pretty straightforward except for understanding all the non english speaking GA’s. (70’s). No American GA candidates speaks to the issue. But Art and Dance…..

 

LOL…

You would find a way to disparage DeSantis if he put forth that he was investing in Physics and STEM knowing an investment in STEM is an investment in Physics.

But you are right. I have no clue what a STEM education is. We are paying for our younger ones to attend a STEAM school instead…

 

I have undergraduate degrees in both Physics and Math. My graduate degrees are in Material Science and Engineering. I made a lot (for the time) of money tutoring students in physics and math during my college years. I had, I think, a good reputation and through word of mouth and a pretty good business going. I made math visual, beyond just the equations. People seemed to respond to visual demonstrations better than any equations or text book graphics. Sigma Pi Sigma (Physics fraternity - if you can call it that) used to go to local schools and do science demonstrations to teach simple concepts we wrote out in equation form then matched to the demonstration. That always resonated with me how much faster people learned by putting their hands on something and acting out the concepts when possible.

Physics via video is better than nothing. But, it in no way creates the connection that an engaged teacher, who spends their own time (and usually money in that cheap arse state of Florida) to create experiments or visual examples for students. This is what Florida schools are lacking and where they are failing.

As for teachers, for 1 nano-second many years ago I considered becoming a Physics teacher, but then sanity set back in and I chose graduate school and a path to greater financial opportunity. I also sought a path to respect (unlike what teachers in Florida receive) and a position that rewards free thinking, creativity and embraces diversity of ideas. That pretty much rules out the state of Florida and especially being a teacher there.

 

This is more of an economic problem than a shortage by itself. For a teacher to have the knowledge to teach a HS Physics course, especially AP Physics, they would have to have a STEM major. This most likely means they would make a lot more money doing just about anything than teaching at a HS. The counties and state can't really afford to pay for the salaries to bring those kind of folks into the fold, so I don't see much better options than what Texas is doing. Unless you all want to pay more sales tax or property tax, it's not going to get better in the K-12 areas at least.

 

You want good physics teachers in Florida, you gotta pay 'em or they'll teach in another state. According to the report linked below, the median salary for high school physics teachers is $48,635 with the 90th percentile at $69,029.

Physics Teachers Salary in Florida | Salary.com.

My kids' high school physics teacher' base salary is $119,327 with a total package coming in at around $140k. Some of the other STEM teachers are making over $170k. This is nowhere close to teacher salaries on the north shore. It's simply a matter of how much you value public education.

https://intranet.oprfhs.org/board-o...or and Teacher Salary and Benefits Report.pdf

 

Maybe if Florida stopped spending money on fake COVID reports, antagonizing about the only meaningful industry in the state and spending money seeking to destroy the state university system there would be more money for paying teachers. Just a thought.

 

Dr. Rick Field learned me good!

 

Probably right as to effort, but the teacher has a lot to do with motivation, especially in HS. That was the last physical science class I ever took. Thankfully, physics wasnt required for Finance majors.

 

Funny, I always found English/grammar to be pretty easy. In fact, I Clepped out of it in college. Never had an English class after 11th grade. To each his own as they say. As for puzzles, that could easily be Finance/Accounting.

 

I know you’re joking but in reality it’s black and white.
F=ma, regardless of how it makes you feel, no individual truths there.

 

My HS physics teacher was good. Former West Point instructor. Sadly it was my senior year and I didn’t take full advantage. When I took it in college it all made sense as was easy to me, guessing some stuff made it in irrespective of my profound lack of effort in HS

 

Math and science were never my interest or strength; physics didn't make sense to me in high school, and the highest math I got through was business calculus.

The one area of interest that has caused me to regret my deficiencies is meteorology. I don't think I could ever get through the courses needed to really understand it. I'm struggling enough with skew-t charts and hodographs conceptually. That said, I still get enjoyment watching radar and storm chasers even though I don't understand the math and science behind the forecasting.

 

So much to agree with until the biased nonsense at the end. Sad!

 

UGH English, all those damn exceptions.
Lit was fine but I always wondered how they knew for sure that the writers were trying to make such deep and profound points.
How did we know they weren’t just telling a tale..