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The Awesome Life of a Physics Teacher
Hardcover
ISBN13: 9789811298653
Publisher: World Scientific Publishing Company
Published: Oct 7 2025
Pages: 304
Weight: 1.27
Height: 0.75 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
This memoir provides a peek into what it's like to be a physics teacher, illustrating how teaching can transcend a profession and become a lifetime passion. The book begins with the author's early years in Massachusetts as an amateur boxer and sign painter, before being drafted into the US Army in Colorado. After being discharged from service, he ventured into uranium prospecting but had no luck striking it rich and returning to Boston. Instead, he started pursuing education with the aid of the GI Bill, despite it being rather late. He recounts the rough spots he faced as a student, which ultimately led to his decision to pursue a career in teaching, beginning at City College of San Francisco.
The author details his progression from making physics understandable to making it delightful. Five years into his teaching career, he wrote a book of notes that reflected his teaching style - focusing on concepts rather than algebraic problem-solving, which was uncommon in mainstream textbooks at that time. These notes caught the eye of publishers, and the resulting work, Conceptual Physics, quickly became the leading textbook nationally for college nonscience students. Now in its 13th edition, it remains a leader in its market. This success was followed by another textbook, Conceptual Physical Science, which introduced conceptual physics to a broader audience.
His mission to teach physics to all was furthered through guest lecturing at UC Berkeley and other universities. An exciting decade of teaching at the San Francisco Exploratorium was offered by its founder, Frank Oppenheimer. Greater coverage of his teaching occurred via the TV studios at the University of Hawaii. The author also narrates his travels around the world, guest lecturing and attending science and educational conferences. Finally, he reflects on how his teaching experiences at universities, conferences, and workshops worldwide have shaped his attitudes, opinions, and hopes.
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