Inspired by Fellow Physics Educators

Inspired by Fellow Physics Educators

Today for the Physics Alive podcast I interviewed Peter Bohacek from Pivot Interactives. I hadn’t met him before. I knew of the company he co-founded, and certainly they’ve been in “physics news” even more during the pandemic as a solution for online, remote lab learning. Some of my early interviews have been with folks that I know, if even only from a handful of conversations. But a few now – Ariel Paul from PhET, Brian Lane of Let’s Code Physics, Rosanna and Michelle from the Biomimicry Institute, and now Peter from Pivot – are with individuals who I talked to for the first time during the interview itself. I know more and more of this will happen over the years. Maybe it’s a little intimidating for everyone, maybe not. It certainly makes an introvert like myself a little nervous. Like going into the first day of class. Even after two decades of stepping into classrooms, I still have some jitters on that first day. I feel confident with the physics, but I don’t know the people I’m about to engage with.

What has been true again and again with these interviews, though, is that the teachers in the physics community are gosh darn awesome. So friendly, warm, inviting…and passionate! Passionate about what they are doing, what they are teaching, what they are learning. They want to do well by their students and give them an amazing experience. And that’s what I want, too. So we share this kinship, of common mission, common passion.

Inspiration for Everyone!

Physics Alive is for all of my educating, teaching, researching peers. The physics education community has given me so many resources the past decade or two, and I want to be able to contribute back to this community. Engaging in true physics education research (PER) hasn’t fallen into place for me. I’ve dabbled on projects, I’ve submitted a grant with colleagues that did not get funded, but a true research focus has not taken hold. Nor have my teaching positions required it. But over the years, I’ve gained more knowledge and connections about and in the PER community, and what I’ve found missing is more people sharing the message, sharing the research, and spreading all of the great work to teachers everywhere. Right now, that feels like a great place for me to contribute, and this podcast is a way to do it.

For all of the teachers and education researchers out there, I hope you find inspiration, energy, ideas, and a new spark with each episode of Physics Alive. I hope you experience the same feelings that I do as I talk to the amazing folks in our community. We all care so much about our students. Let’s inspire and help each other reach our fullest and our students’ fullest potential. And let’s also be compassionate and not push our colleagues, our students, or ourselves too hard. Some days, some months, some years are more challenging than others, and there is also space to NOT do something new and NOT exceed expectations. That’s a tough line to balance on. I’ll try to model this tightrope walk in each my episodes.

And Inspiration for Me

After every single interview I’ve finished, I’ve felt energized, motivated, and inspired. I love learning new things, sharing ideas, gaining new perspectives. As an introvert, big gatherings and too many people in the room are tough for me. Small talk is totally uninteresting. But if I get to talk one-on-one with someone about an idea, a vision, some pedagogy that we are both passionate about…well, I gotta say, that’s the crux of LIFE for me. It’s the number one reason I married my lovely lady Lena! We engage in these conversations so often.

These interviews for Physics Alive; they have been a new source of inspiration and motivation in my life. In that sense, the podcast is a very private pursuit for myself. Having a child, moving multiple times in the last four years, and a combination of other life events that have and haven’t worked out, have left me searching for new outlets for my creativity and new ways to open my energy to the universe of possibilities. I’d love for something to “happen” as a result of this podcast. Honestly, I have no idea what it will be. I don’t have a plan for that “happening.” Whenever I try to put borders on it and define what may come, I’m at a loss, and it doesn’t feel right. So whatever will happen will happen of its own momentum, its own will. The only way to manifest is to put oneself out there and go wherever the internal and external flow demands. Although I’ve always known this internally, words of wisdom from a book such as The Law of Attraction or podcaster Cathy Heller, go a long way to help buoy my spirit.  So in that way, the podcast is a private venture.

My Hopes for You

For all of the teachers and education researchers out there, I hope you find inspiration, energy, ideas, and a new spark with each episode of Physics Alive. I hope you experience the same feelings that I do as I talk to the amazing folks in our community. We all care so much about our students. Let’s inspire and help each other reach our fullest and our students’ fullest potential. And let’s also be compassionate and not push our colleagues, our students, or ourselves too hard. Some days, some months, some years are more challenging than others, and there is also space to NOT do something new and NOT exceed expectations. That’s a tough line to balance on. I’ll try to model this tightrope walk in each my episodes.

But no matter how much energy or bandwidth you have to try something new, I hope that you will always feel inspired and energized and encouraged by each episode of Physics Alive. Be well!