Formative Experiences of a Career Changing BS Physics An Environmental Consultant Becomes a Physics Teacher through Alternative Certification Nicholas Golembieski1 and Dan MacIsaac2 1 Science Department Pine Valley High School 7755 Rt 83 South Dayton NY 14138 USA 2 Department of Physics SUNY Buffalo State College 1300 Elmwood Ave SC222 Buffalo NY 14222 USA E mail ngolembieski pval org and macisadl buffalostate edu Abstract The first year of a teaching career is filled with challenges and rewards Both of these are addressed by a person who became certified to teach via the Alt Cert Physics Program at Buffalo State College The factors that played into the decision of becoming a teacher and a brief over view of the Alt Cert Physics Program at Buffalo State College are also discussed Introduction In this paper I will discuss my experiences as a new teacher coming from the Alt Cert Physics Program at Buffalo State College and how these experience have changed and shaped my life as a first year teacher Throughout my first year as a physics teacher I went through a series of emotional mental challenges and rewards Some of these I was prepared for and for some I asked myself What in the world am I going to do Thankfully when I got to a challenging time in my new career I had guidance and support to help me plan adjust and manage my career change When the rewarding moments came they were some of the most substantial moments in my professional life I had never felt such appreciation or intrinsic satisfaction in my career before This hooked me and from then on I knew I had made the correct choice in changing careers Discovering that my love for science curiosity and enlightenment could be challenged expanded upon and shared changed my view of what work is 1 The Decision I received a BS in Physics in 2002 from SUNY College at Fredonia I had anticipated moving upon graduation to an area of with more opportunities in Physics California but family matters kept me in Western New York This led to my searching for a local job in physics While this search was being conducted I went to work as an environmental consultant The work was easy and the pay was enough to get by but I wasn t getting anywhere With little need in Western New York for an employee who has a BS in physics I spent the next couple of years as a consultant moving laterally through a business with little room for growth The day I found out I was going to be a father I knew I had to change what I was doing There was now a need to get out of the redundancy I had found myself in This is when I began researching graduate programs While debating what field to move into I had a conversation with a close relative who was a retired teacher He reminded me of how good it feels to share ones passion with others and how rewarding it can be to work with kids I had been a TA for a couple of physics labs while working on my BS and remembered how good it felt to motivate and captivate people with physics After that conversation I narrowed my research to education This is where things began to get a bit easier I reviewed the physics education education programs from all the local Western New York institutes and Buffalo State College shadowed all others in comparison The Alt Cert Physics Program at Buffalo State College is streamlined to help expedite the transition to physics teacher tailor made for professionals with science engineering backgrounds and utilizes Physics Education Research curriculums After my first contact with Dr Dan MacIsaac from the Physics Ed program there I knew exactly where I would be going to graduate school I explained to him that I did poorly as an undergrad but I had matured immensely over the past couple of years He was personable and understanding of my background and situation Back to School The jump back to college wasn t as easy as I had anticipated My first semester at Buffalo State College I took three classes and worked full time This left little time for much else I did find that I was more than capable of doing this and discovered that I had matured immensely in the year since my days at Fredonia State Those years were filled with little responsibility and a lot of fun I believe that was a partial contributor to my lack of physics knowledge that was evident after my first day of PHY 620 Powerful Ideas Quantitative Modeling Force Motion and Energy PHY 620 is one of three 100 hrs intensive courses that make up the backbone of the Alt Cert program at Buffalo State 1 I had always considered mechanics to be the strongest area of my understanding of physics This was challenged immediately By confronting my preconceptions and learning about modeling I began to understand how knowledge of physics is built upon and constructed This was new and exciting to me I finally seemed to gain an understanding of physical phenomena and now could do more than crunch numbers that I was never sure what they actually meant From then on I knew how physics should be taught and 2 experienced This enlightenment continued throughout my physics education courses at Buffalo State College Through the use of PER Physics Education Research the faculty at Buffalo State College was able to create a program that not only helped to address the need for physics teachers but also produce instructors that have the ability to guide students in the 0understanding of physical phenomena After attending Buffalo State College for three full time semesters and two intense summers I jumped out into the world of public education and put my new understanding and knowledge to the test The First Year I began teaching regents physics with the accompanying lab physical chemistry and general science in September of 2005 Having no experience as a high school teacher I was nervous and excited at the same time I could not wait to put all my new knowledge to the test and begin shaping the minds of tomorrow The next two topics Curriculum and Classroom Management are where I found my lowest valleys to be at I will discuss those valleys how I was able to climb out of them and sometimes even turn them into a peak The Curriculum A couple of weeks before the first day of school I began going to my new classroom to do inventory and check out any curriculum maps that might be available To my horror instead of curriculum maps I found vague descriptions of what topics were covered each month and not much else That moment was the first major valley in my high school teaching
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