Re: common denominator

[herbgottlieb@juno.com (Herbert H. Gottlieb)]

 "VERNON DEWEES" <vrdewees@tenet.edu> writes:
> Herb,
>
> What's Physics teaching like in New York City and the rest of the state?

Enrollments in physics is very high in three specialized high schools:
 Brooklyn Tech, Stuyvesant, and Bronx H.S. Of Science. In other schools
of New York City it is limited to a small fraction of the total
enrollment.
(Less than 20-30% of the graduating class.)
In the rest of the state physics enrollments have been rising but the 
number of winners in the Westinghouse Science Talent competition
is down.

> I have 116 signed up for regular Physics and 99 for honors next year. 
> only have 9 for AP, but this is not a real hard working group. I wish 
> we had something like regents exams here.

Congratulations!  It appears that your school is doing a good job of
encouraging enrollments in the physics electives. You should be 
very happy to have such good backing from your administrators
and parents.. I assume that your "regular" physics classes are 
given a type of "Conceptual" physics or possibly a watered down 
conventional course while the "honors" group is given a more 
rigorous college prep course using a text such as LeBel Physic-al.
 
> My administrators want lots of students in honors and AP, yet 
> they don't want them to fail. 

Most Physics teachers in the world would be more than happy to
have such administrators.  

> After 15 years teaching, I am one confused puppy. Education seems 
> to becoming more and more about how you appear than about how 
> you are.

With the increasing scarcity and low pay of most menial jobs, a broad 
education is now more important than ever. Unfortunately, many 
students  do not realize this and waste their time in high school.
Then, when realization hits, they flock to the community colleges
to make up for lost time. In fact some of the most satisfying
teaching that I have had was at the evening physics classes
at Queensboro Community College. Most of the students refused to go 
home at 10 pm when they became interested in resolving problems 
that arose in their physics labs

> What are your thoughts on high school students today, especially in
> Physics, versus those of past decades?
>
> Thanks, Vern

There appears to be a greater interest in science and science teaching
than ever before in our history. The turnout out of almost 20,000
teachers
 and vendors at the NSTA meeting in Las Vegas last month
is one such indication.  Also, the increasing numbers of participants at 
the summer and winter meetings of the AAPT is another indication.
New records are being set every year. Furthermore, I see more and more 
articles in the daily and Sunday newspapers discussing events related
to physics and astronomy.

Herb Gottlieb from New York City
(Where some people are dismayed that a glass is half empty...
when it is really half full.)

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