Professional Physicists - Teaching

High school teachers instruct students in physics and other sciences and provide the foundation for an education in physics.

Job title:
High School Physics Teacher (independent school, not public)

Educational background:
Undergrad: double math/physics major
Grad: Master's in Physics

What do you do?
I teach four sections of physics (three different levels, largest class size is 20), advise seven students (check in with them regularly, liaison with parents, help them with academic difficulties), coach an extracurricular club (the "engineering team"), meet with juniors in spring to plan their schedule for senior year, and maintain the lab equipment.

Why did you decide to pursue a physics-related career?
I was good at math. I actually wanted to learn computers and databases but I didn't realize before I chose the college how weak the math and computer science department was. Some of my friends encouraged me to switch to physics during my sophomore year. I also prefer real-world applications of math to abstract math.

How has your physics background helped you in your career?
Unfortunately, there are many people teaching high school physics who majored in chemistry or biology. While many are very good teachers, I think many struggle to learn the material the first year; textbooks can be very dry and there are not very many good lab manuals out there. I appreciate having the broader context of applications; I can answer questions about where one uses certain ideas as well as questions that go beyond the textbook. It also made me much more comfortable with the lab equipment and tinkering with stuff to build demos.

How have you balanced family and career commitments?
My partner and I have chosen not to have children. But, it is not because of my career.

Do you have any advice for college students who are interested in pursuing careers in physics?
I have heard that medical imaging is a hot field right now.

If you are interested in going to graduate school, you should work in a lab during at least two of your summers in college so that you gain experience and determine whether working in a lab suites your personality.

If you head off to graduate school with a weaker background, it may take you longer to graduate - and you just need to be aware that if you are in school for 6 to 8 years, you are at risk of jeopardizing your retirement - you will have to contribute more later or work longer to make up for the fact that you were a "poor" grad student during the time that those who don't go to grad school are earning larger salaries and starting to build their retirement savings. If you do choose to go to grad school, make sure you contribute at least a thousand dollars a year to TIAA-CREF retirement plan.