Theodore Hodapp

As an academic, it is easy (and necessary much of the time) to focus on our personal space: teaching and research. The issues are all around us, and confront us directly: what topics to discuss in class, what approach to use in a measurement, etc. Despite this, there is a policy and political action terrain that impacts our efforts to practice, teach, and learn physics — an action landscape we may want to avoid (politics are irrational), or feel ill prepared to encounter (never took a course in this). Having waded into this arena a few times, I can tell you that not only will it reinforce the more urgent goals you have for your research and students, but it can also give you a sense of improving things on the larger stage.

Let me share a story of how this unfolded for me back in the mid 90’s. For some unknown reason I became aware that the State of Minnesota was about to toss out teacher licensure by discipline, and adopt a set of policies that would allow the state to license just about anyone to teach just about any subject in science at just about any grade (5-12, all science). This seemed stupid shortsighted to me, so I wrote a letter, and got a bunch of other people in the state to agree (several hundred faculty at institutions across the state). To make a long story not nearly as boring, the end result was that I, along with Pat Heller at the University of Minnesota and a bunch of others ended up writing all teacher-certification standards for the state. It was not what I had planned to do that year, but I learned a lot, listened respectfully to people who controlled such things, and offered rational solutions that dovetailed with their needs. All of us also felt like the system could work, and we could be a part of it.

So, my suggestion to you is: don’t shy away from wading into conversations on state or federal policy. Do visit your elected officials when you are in Washington DC, or even better, back in your local area. Do write letters to the editor. Do participate thoughtfully in discussions of how education and science is managed. Do listen, and do offer your help – you might be surprised at how willing people are to hear a reasonable and thoughtful solution. I know I was.

Disclaimer – The articles and opinion pieces found in this issue of the APS Forum on Education Newsletter are not peer refereed and represent solely the views of the authors and not necessarily the views of the APS.