[Music]
let me begin by answering one of the
most pressing and personal questions
students have asked me since I started
teaching here how many flannel shirts do
you own perhaps coming as a surprise to
many in the audience the answer to that
question is only three so now that we
already have that taken care of
I guess I should take up the rest of my
time here on stage by answering another
frequently asked question why did you
decide to teach I have spent nearly all
of my life in a school of some sort
navigating through a ph.d program and a
postdoc research position at two of the
world’s top academic institutions
afforded me the chance to change lives
with my research though ultimately I
found that path to be unfulfilled I
needed to be more connected more
personal and more proximate in the
impact of my work if changing lives
sounds too ambitious I at least wanted
to change perception of what it means to
learn to inspire thinkers and risk
takers not educated sheep on the pursuit
of superficial standards for success
every kid is inherently curious as
infants we learn by observing and
imitating as we learn to gain control of
our bodies we start to explore the world
around us through more than just our
eyes we reach out we grab hold of things
we feel texture and temperature we learn
that dogs are cute and a cat that
exposes its belly is just an imitation
for cruel and unusual punishment we
learn so much through those curious
childhood explorations school teaches us
how to properly quantify things that
books and the experts and the advice and
coaching from those who have come before
us has allowed each of us to learn at a
rate that far exceeds what could be
gained through curious exploration alone
what bothers me
though is that many students coming
through the classroom seem to have lost
the curiosity that once dared them to
take risks fear of failure has precluded
a willingness to even try yet the most
rewarding experiences in life are
overcoming the very things that were the
most challenging I am three years and
however many days into teaching as a
career so I don’t necessarily feel
qualified to stand on the TEDx stage and
deliver some kind of wisdom about
pedagogy in the classroom teaching high
school is the most difficult thing I
have ever done I’m lucky if I get to sit
down eat lunch or even go to the
bathroom during a typical school day if
any of you think that is an exaggeration
I invite you to shadow me for a day or
better yet an entire week to be honest I
am standing here exhausted thinking
about the stack of papers I need to go
home and grade the project feedback I
need to give and wondering when I’ll get
to spend a full weekend with my wife I
know there are so many teachers out
there who deal with a lot more than I do
on a day-to-day basis so I have a
newfound respect for teachers everywhere
our job goes way beyond simply
delivering subject matter the teachers
role is one of constant change and
adaptation I want my students to learn
something far more than the subject I
teach after all delivering subject
matter is the easy part to be ordained
as the best physics teacher ever on a
framed piece of binder paper is quite
the honor and I mean that humbly and
wholeheartedly that students would make
the effort to get dr. Derek Muller
creator the YouTube channel veritasium
to bestow such a gift is beyond
impactful so let’s just ignore the fact
that I’m also the only physics teacher
they’ve ever had
[Laughter]
and I want to acknowledge and thank my
own high school physics teacher mr. Khan
as he is one of the primary inspirations
that has led me to this stage tonight in
his own words you have to think
objectively back is one of the only ways
for me to obsess how impactful I am on a
student’s learning so instead of
standing here and talking to you I’ll
share some of their feedback with you
now stop and star so play me baby like
an old guitar
[Music]
so plain
[Music]
like you know
[Music]
it’s been too long
[Music]
just the two classes I had with you
changed my whole experience at York many
of my best high school memories came out
of your physics class physics was one of
the only classes I got to apply the
knowledge I learned to a hands-on
project
I remember that I always looked forward
to my algebra 2 class I believe I went
from a skeptical physics student to a
curious independent thinker in your
class i tribute much of my success as a
student in high school to your guidance
you never let me quit in the middle of a
problem but challenged me to push
through uncharted intellectual territory
even if I didn’t understand something
you made me feel comfortable and
learning for my mistakes and finding
ways to fix them for the next your
teaching encouraged me to challenge
myself more when it came to academics
this strong foundation rebuilt my
confidence and my ability in math I’m so
thankful to have been and continue to be
a part of robotics 4 it has made a huge
impact and helping me decide what major
I wish to apply for you were
instrumental in giving me the foundation
and confidence to take on new challenges
in the physics class I took at New York
was not just a regular physics class I
did not expect to complete two
engineering projects that were planned
designed constructed and tested solely
by students you have forced me far past
my comfort zone and seen me through both
success and failure all the while
assuring those provided the room to grow
as a person your physics class was the
closest thing I’ve ever had to a
project-based learning course I learned
how important a passionate teacher is to
a student you’ve truly helped me realize
any passion for the sciences and I
sincerely thank you for that teaching
has given me the opportunity to stand
here tonight and share the stage with
the former astronaut and while that is
something I will certainly remember from
this experience so too is the chance to
share the stage with such wonderful
promises of the future those promises
are the reason I teach to quote The
Avett Brothers from their aptly named
song head full of doubt Road full of
promise decide what to be and go be it I
am a teacher
a coach I am a friend what do you want
to be thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
let me begin by answering one of the
most pressing and personal questions
students have asked me since I started
teaching here how many flannel shirts do
you own perhaps coming as a surprise to
many in the audience the answer to that
question is only three so now that we
already have that taken care of
I guess I should take up the rest of my
time here on stage by answering another
frequently asked question why did you
decide to teach I have spent nearly all
of my life in a school of some sort
navigating through a ph.d program and a
postdoc research position at two of the
world’s top academic institutions
afforded me the chance to change lives
with my research though ultimately I
found that path to be unfulfilled I
needed to be more connected more
personal and more proximate in the
impact of my work if changing lives
sounds too ambitious I at least wanted
to change perception of what it means to
learn to inspire thinkers and risk
takers not educated sheep on the pursuit
of superficial standards for success
every kid is inherently curious as
infants we learn by observing and
imitating as we learn to gain control of
our bodies we start to explore the world
around us through more than just our
eyes we reach out we grab hold of things
we feel texture and temperature we learn
that dogs are cute and a cat that
exposes its belly is just an imitation
for cruel and unusual punishment we
learn so much through those curious
childhood explorations school teaches us
how to properly quantify things that
books and the experts and the advice and
coaching from those who have come before
us has allowed each of us to learn at a
rate that far exceeds what could be
gained through curious exploration alone
what bothers me
though is that many students coming
through the classroom seem to have lost
the curiosity that once dared them to
take risks fear of failure has precluded
a willingness to even try yet the most
rewarding experiences in life are
overcoming the very things that were the
most challenging I am three years and
however many days into teaching as a
career so I don’t necessarily feel
qualified to stand on the TEDx stage and
deliver some kind of wisdom about
pedagogy in the classroom teaching high
school is the most difficult thing I
have ever done I’m lucky if I get to sit
down eat lunch or even go to the
bathroom during a typical school day if
any of you think that is an exaggeration
I invite you to shadow me for a day or
better yet an entire week to be honest I
am standing here exhausted thinking
about the stack of papers I need to go
home and grade the project feedback I
need to give and wondering when I’ll get
to spend a full weekend with my wife I
know there are so many teachers out
there who deal with a lot more than I do
on a day-to-day basis so I have a
newfound respect for teachers everywhere
our job goes way beyond simply
delivering subject matter the teachers
role is one of constant change and
adaptation I want my students to learn
something far more than the subject I
teach after all delivering subject
matter is the easy part to be ordained
as the best physics teacher ever on a
framed piece of binder paper is quite
the honor and I mean that humbly and
wholeheartedly that students would make
the effort to get dr. Derek Muller
creator the YouTube channel veritasium
to bestow such a gift is beyond
impactful so let’s just ignore the fact
that I’m also the only physics teacher
they’ve ever had
[Laughter]
and I want to acknowledge and thank my
own high school physics teacher mr. Khan
as he is one of the primary inspirations
that has led me to this stage tonight in
his own words you have to think
objectively back is one of the only ways
for me to obsess how impactful I am on a
student’s learning so instead of
standing here and talking to you I’ll
share some of their feedback with you
now stop and star so play me baby like
an old guitar
[Music]
so plain
[Music]
like you know
[Music]
it’s been too long
[Music]
just the two classes I had with you
changed my whole experience at York many
of my best high school memories came out
of your physics class physics was one of
the only classes I got to apply the
knowledge I learned to a hands-on
project
I remember that I always looked forward
to my algebra 2 class I believe I went
from a skeptical physics student to a
curious independent thinker in your
class i tribute much of my success as a
student in high school to your guidance
you never let me quit in the middle of a
problem but challenged me to push
through uncharted intellectual territory
even if I didn’t understand something
you made me feel comfortable and
learning for my mistakes and finding
ways to fix them for the next your
teaching encouraged me to challenge
myself more when it came to academics
this strong foundation rebuilt my
confidence and my ability in math I’m so
thankful to have been and continue to be
a part of robotics 4 it has made a huge
impact and helping me decide what major
I wish to apply for you were
instrumental in giving me the foundation
and confidence to take on new challenges
in the physics class I took at New York
was not just a regular physics class I
did not expect to complete two
engineering projects that were planned
designed constructed and tested solely
by students you have forced me far past
my comfort zone and seen me through both
success and failure all the while
assuring those provided the room to grow
as a person your physics class was the
closest thing I’ve ever had to a
project-based learning course I learned
how important a passionate teacher is to
a student you’ve truly helped me realize
any passion for the sciences and I
sincerely thank you for that teaching
has given me the opportunity to stand
here tonight and share the stage with
the former astronaut and while that is
something I will certainly remember from
this experience so too is the chance to
share the stage with such wonderful
promises of the future those promises
are the reason I teach to quote The
Avett Brothers from their aptly named
song head full of doubt Road full of
promise decide what to be and go be it I
am a teacher
a coach I am a friend what do you want
to be thank you
[Applause]
[Music]
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