Defying the Laws of Physics

“Why are you doubting yourself?” Mr. Kacker asked, as the students of his physics class stared at him in silence. A girl in the back of the classroom raised her hand and bravely provided her answer to a difficult physic question; she answered correctly. “I don’t get mad when you get wrong answers,” Shawn stated, “I get mad when you don’t try.”

Physics, I’ll admit, was the subject I feared the most in high school. From learning Isaac Newton’s three laws of motion to grasping the difficult concepts of thermodynamics, I have always found physics to be incredibly challenging and often times discouraging to learn. From observing Shawn’s class, I can often see this fear of physics expressed in the eyes of his students. However, no matter the level of difficulty of the topic covered each week, I constantly see Shawn’s students continuing to push themselves and actively engaging in discussion and answering questions. Their willingness to shout out answers, raise questions, and relate concepts of physics to their own everyday lives is what impresses me. The students have shown me that with a little encouragement from their teacher, they are willing to learn anything. Physics is no exception.

As the weeks pass and the time of my first health education lecture draws near, my mind continues to be filled with questions including the following: What do the students need to learn about public health or their health? Where do they see themselves after high school? Is asking about their daily lives or plans for the future appropriate or will it be too intrusive? What are their learning styles and how can I incorporate all of them into my lectures?

“The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”

-Albert Einstein


 - Alvin Tran