I’m a graduate student in theoretical particle physics at the University of California, Davis, and I majored in physics and math at the University of Chicago. Now, I’m applying for jobs teaching physics and math in high school.
I found my passion for teaching in graduate school, helping students understand how the universe is more profound and beautiful than we ever could have expected. I love crafting just the right questions and lessons to help them get there.
Working as a physics TA at an academic summer camp, I discovered that I love teaching and mentoring high school students. I want to help students understand the universe, and I want to help students grow into more curious, passionate, and confident versions of themselves. Teaching high school students offers opportunities to do this kind of mentoring much more deeply than in college lecture halls, so after my PhD is finished, I hope to work at a high school where I can be the kind of physics or math teacher who teaches and mentors students at a high level.
Example Syllabi:
I have been the Instructor of Record for two introductory physics classes at UC Davis. These are my syllabi: Physics 7A (Energy and Thermodynamics), for pre-med, pre-vet, and lab science biology majors Physics 1B (Waves, Optics, Electricity and Magnetism), for ecology and wildlife conservation majors I recommend looking at the sections on “About this Course,” “Discussion Labs,” “Inclusion and Accessibility,” and “Where to Go for Help” to see my approach to course design and how I talk to students.
While I was only a TA in this course, I also made a syllabus for my discussions in Physics 104A (Math Methods of Physics) and how I graded participation. This is a good example of how I talk about how “being wrong” is a critical part of the learning process and how I set the tone for my classroom.
In terms of study habits, I put a lot of my best advice into “How to Succeed in Physics 7A” when I was the Instructor of Record.
This is me holding office hours for “Principles of Quantum Mechanics.” Several of the students in this picture have gone on to graduate school at places like UC Berkeley and UC Davis!
Videos:
I gave a guest lecture to Physics 9HA (Honors Introductory Mechanics) at UC Davis on pendulums and simple harmonic motion. I recorded the lecture and cut a video of highlights from my lecture: when I broke from lecture to give students activities, when I gave history anecdotes or got on my soapbox on the importance of asking questions, and when I got a round of applause at the end!
At the end of my guest lecture on Bell’s Theorem for Quantum Mechanics II (which is, for the most part, much too technical to matter for my high school teaching), I gave a short speech on how we should be awed and humbled by quantum mechanics – and also got a round of applause at the end!
For something in conventional high school math, I recorded and edited an original lesson the Law of Cosines, and how we can “guess” our way to the formula by practicing good mathematical reasoning: how to make sure it agrees with simple cases we understand, how the variables grow and shrink together in the right way, and how the units agree. When I taught this lesson in a private tutoring session, my student asked me why he wasn’t taught the Law of Cosines this way the first time – and I told him it was because I just wrote the lesson yesterday!
I work as a “TA Consultant” at UC Davis, where I do classroom observations for other graduate students to help them with their teaching. I also lead pedagogy workshops for graduate students with other TA Consultants. I coauthored these original workshops: –“Activating Lectures” –“Metacognition in Teaching” –“Surveying Students” (this uses much of the same content from “Metacognition in Teaching” and was delivered to a class of new math graduate students TAing for the first time)
Here are some highlights from what students have said about my classes!
When I TA’ed for a high school summer physics program:
“I want to be just like you when I grow up!”
Q: “What was most helpful for your learning in this class?” A: “Study hall with Ben.”
Q: “What can we do to improve this class next year?” A: “More Ben.”
“You were the absolute best TA ever. You not only taught me about physics, but also how to be a good person. Thank you for making camp what it is.”
When I TA’ed for introductory physics classes for non-majors:
“Literally the best TA I’ve ever had. […] He is so good at explaining things. […] He is also extremely kind and patient, and I felt so comfortable with asking him questions even when I felt like my questions were stupid. Like seriously he’s the best ever.”
“Ben really created a welcoming and encouraging environment, especially for those intimidated by the subject. He is always open to questions, walks around and challenges your thinking to make sure you are confident in your answer. Overall really great TA and prioritizes your learning.”
“I just recently returned to Davis after an 8-year break [from college] and I am extremely grateful to have had you as a TA. You have made the transition back into college a little less terrifying and have given me hope as I finish my degree at Davis.”
When I was the instructor of record for introductory physics classes for non-majors:
“I just wanted to reach out and thank you for your hard work and efforts this past quarter. I have always been wary of physics – I even avoided it entirely in high school! – but I cannot describe in words how grateful I was to have you as my instructor for my first physics class at Davis. Your patience, knowledge, and guidance through this class carried me through the entire quarter, and your office hours/review sessions were beyond helpful.”
“Ben is absolutely amazing! He truly cares about his students and is very accessible outside of class. He has an excellent way of explaining concepts by tying them to real life examples. I was very nervous to take physics but this class turned out to be my favorite yet. Highly recommend going to all of his office hours as they are great!”
“Firstly, thank you for being a good lecturer! I was always engaged & could follow along with relative ease, making it easy to get a good initial grasp on nearly every concept we went over. […] On a more personal note, I wanted to thank you for being a nice person, as you truly worked with me this quarter through the many difficulties I faced and, despite the potential inconvenience(s) to you, sought to help me out by meeting with me 1-1 & trying to make office hours that work with my difficult schedule. Professors rarely take such care of their students, let alone a single student, so I wanted to make sure I extended my thanks to you.”
When I TA’ed for advanced physics major classes, like quantum mechanics:
“Thank you for everything you’ve done as a TA this quarter […] On the whole you have had an incredibly significant impact on my education over the last 1.5 years or so and I hope you’re aware of this. You’ve taught me lots of interesting physics, helped me succeed in four courses in which I may not have been as successful without you, and most importantly you’ve always gotten me excited about the next bit of physics down the road. I am deeply grateful for all that you have done as my TA.”
“Thank you for not letting education prevent learning. I look forward to a textbook of your own.” -Note a student wrote in a textbook they gave to me as a thank-you gift
Ben Eustis-Guthrie 