My Unexpected Journey in Becoming a Physics Teacher

Ethan Kantz, Virginia Tech

I was so disappointed the day that I received my acceptance letter from Virginia Tech – I was accepted into Tech, but for the Physics Department, my second choice to Aerospace Engineering. Even though I was explicitly told not to do this, I reluctantly accepted anyway, planning to transfer into the engineering department later.

My attitude toward Physics as a career was bleak. I was not the least bit interested in doing research. Physics just was not an avenue that I wanted to pursue; it seemed to be a dusty, dead-end subject that I found uninteresting.

But during my freshman year, I made many new friends in the physics program. Without realizing that I was settling in, I learned more in one physics class than I had ever learned in any prior class. The discussions that came out of that SCALE-UP[1] classroom were thought provoking and intriguing to me. The table discussions captivated me and led me to participate in the Physics Department’s Outreach and Enriched Physics Outreach programs.

It was in Outreach that I became fascinated with teaching. Leading hands-on physics activities with students in local schools showed me that my enthusiasm was contagious, and that planning was a necessary step in teaching, as it was there that I wrote my first lesson plan. I found that I thoroughly relished leading students in making observations and conclusions, just like I had done in the SCALE-UP classroom.

My enjoyment of the Outreach program steered me to take Teaching and Learning, which then led me to become a Learning Assistant (LA). It was there that I had my first exposure to pedagogy. Unknowingly, I had been consumed by the desire to pursue Physics Education Research (PER). I had forgotten all about transferring to the engineering program. Who was this guy that enjoyed creating physics lessons and actually teaching them? Having been reared by a mother that was a teacher and constantly fighting with a sister who is now a teacher, I never thought I wanted to teach. Could this be changing?

I went on to become an LA for introductory physics in a SCALE-UP classroom, the same course that I first took when I got to Tech; a classroom with round tables where freshman university students collaborate in learning physics. Over the next few semesters, I became a teaching assistant for about 30 students in an astronomy laboratory class and LAed for Intermediate E&M, a junior level physics class in another SCALE-UP classroom. Teaching physics began to consume me.

But my most enjoyable time was in Physics Outreach and Enriched Physics Outreach, where I helped plan and execute lessons to local K-12 institutions as well as taught college students how to deliver these demos to said places. This was where I was most comfortable sharing my passion for physics.

Still trying to find my niche as to my most desired level of teaching, I now serve as the Graduate Teaching Assistant for an introductory physics course in the SCALE-UP classroom. Grading college-level homework has helped prepare me for a career in physics teaching. While I love working with students in class and recitation, my office hours are some of the most fruitful times – this is when I am able to get more one on one teaching time with the students, answering their questions, and getting to know them.

Having had these multiple teaching experiences at many different educational levels, I am now in the Master of Arts in Education program, and I have determined that my ultimate desire is to teach high school physics. I have loved my middle school student teaching experience thus far, but I am really looking forward to my high school placement in the spring.

I cannot believe that I ever wanted to be an engineer. Throughout my years at Tech, it has become clear to me that not only does the teaching profession need intelligent teachers, but moreover, the profession needs excited, motivated and enthusiastic teachers who really enjoy their subject matter. The PhysTEC program at VA Tech has brought out all of this in me. I only wish that more people were aware of the programs and joined me in the pursuit of teaching physics.

Figure 1 Ethan Kantz

Figure 2 Ethan Kantz during a Physics Outreach visit

Ethan Kantz is a graduate student in the Masters of Arts in Education program at Virginia Tech. He plans to complete his degree and teach high-school physics. Ethan is also considering eventually returning to school to get his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership. In his free time, he enjoys helping out his friends and communities, playing video games (who doesn’t), and even does a bit of DJ work on the side.

[1] http://scaleup.ncsu.edu/

Disclaimer – The articles and opinion pieces found in this issue of the APS Forum on Education Newsletter are not peer refereed and represent solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of the APS.