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That said, I also have some harsh words for the schools that
purported to train them as physics teachers. The ignorance of some of
the simplest principles of physics among many of the teachers on the
list is astonishing, considering that they are supposed to be
teaching the top students in their schools. Even more concerning to
me is the apparent lack of the ability to think through a problem on
their own. It does seem to me that any teacher who undertakes to
teach an AP or IB or other elite course needs to be able to solve at
least the overwhelming majority of the problems they either give
themselves as homework or test (usually from a text or other
pre-designed source), or see their students try to solve on
externally designed tests (e.g., AP or Regents). Far too many of the
queries that arise on the AP-Physics listserve are from teachers who
are trying to solve some particular problems or improve their
understanding of some basic principle. I admire their interest in
improving their knowledge. They show their dedication and for that I
applaud them. But most of the questions that are asked are at a level
that the teachers should be at before they start teaching at the AP
or IB level, and for that, we must fault the schools that prepared
them.
If we are going to fix these problems, it starts with the education
schools and the agencies that fund our school systems, and we need to
start making sure that are teachers are well-qualified professionals
and that they get treated that way. Unfortunately that seems to be
counter to the current political climate--on both sides of the
aisle.