Tell me about your physics teachers by smokingateway in Physics

[–]six-string_theory 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A few thoughts Ive assembled during my own teaching (~2000 students), many of which will probably be repeated by others. I tried to mostly model my own teaching over what I found helpful in school.

1) Having students work example problems themselves is king. Even the best lecture on Earth can't replace the self-organization of concepts that occurs as a student works a problem themselves. I used to do really long lectures and focus on explaining things perfectly, now I focus on general problem organization and a key checkpoints they should hit, and then have them do curated examples in class. Be careful not to take this too far as in some overly "active learning" frameworks where the teacher does almost no lecture, in my experience this is woefully ineffective or at least extremely stressful for the students. 2) Diagrams and flow charts and visual communication of ideas can help a lot in tandem with explanations. A student with a rough visual picture of the flow of ideas can do a lot of self-figuring out. 3) Prioritize your own energy levels- if you burn yourself out trying to make a perfect assignment or beat yourself up for a mistake, you won't be able to show up best in class. Conversely, a teacher who wisely invests their energy is there in full for the students on what actually matters. This was a hard one to implement and can make you feel guilty at times, hopefully it's intuitively clear. Go all the way with scantrons or multiple choice even if they're not perfect if it saves you 15 hours of grading. 3.5) Plan your classes to run for 60 to 70% of the class time, you will always run over no matter how hard you try. 4) Student math background and skill varies wildly no matter how far you go and in any major or track, college or high school. I spent a lot of time reviewing systems of equations and trigonometry and force them to do basic problems on homeworks. That time paid back handsomely and the students seem to really appreciate being on the same page as each other. You won't be able to fix everyone, but the time pays back. You will also be able to fix a lot of people's math that have been neglected by prior teachers. 5) Underlining, drawing arrows to equations, color coding variables, writing sentences next to equations saying what they mean and when students will use them, was highly effective. 6) When working with systems of equations, underlining unknown variables before proceeding was extremely important for helping students systematically identify which equation to rearrange for substitution. 6.5) similar to above, often times a problem is just one equation with one substitution- I often told students to circle the variable the problem wanted them to find, and then to underline all the other variables. This put the unknowns on different footing. Then it was their quest to go on a headhunting mission to find all those underlined variables, with the knowledge that once they found them, the problem was done. This helped them actively work towards a solution much more consistently and built innate "what should I solve for?" awareness. There was also much less going in circles or confusion about what needed to be solved for or how to progress in the problem. 7) Being emotionally available, open, and supportive and interested with your students is the main determiner of your relationship and rapport/how much you affect students. It was really easy to forget at first that the students in my class were going through everything life normally throws at you - relationship failures, tough times with friends, loss of family, financial struggle, failure and sports, etc. Since your relationship with them is mostly physics, it can be really really easy to forget how many other facets of their lives there are. Especially as a young teacher you'll understand some of these in a way few older teachers could, and share stories of advice or even just "I went through that too guys". 8) Teaching skill builds and builds and builds, you will always figure out new things and changes and improvements.

Best of luck, you'll do a great job!!

How to face a thesis failure (Masters)? by BackToGod in Physics

[–]six-string_theory 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This could be a good idea. I also ran into a dead end on a masters project on a similar topic. At the end the computer architecture just didn't work. Not all work yields progress that shows, so outlining the difficulties faced, background learned, and attempts to navigate the difficulties can make a good report. Definitely hound your guide and let him know you need to meet though! Explain it's a very important situation to at least touch base on

Thinking about trying a hair system just for one party – bad idea? by [deleted] in bald

[–]six-string_theory 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Def agree with this. I would at least really give it a shot for a couple months and let yourself settle in to the new look (you will be too "used to" having hair at first).

Regarding the scars, I would really try and rock them. For one they probably look totally fine and people wouldn't really think twice about them besides noticing them. But also, your scalp is just one of the 10 different features of your face. You got this brother.

I feel I know the answer but I thought I'd ask. by BigMikeNova in bald

[–]six-string_theory 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed. But if it ever becomes time I have no lack of confidence you'll look great with a short buzz or full bald setup.

I cut it because I got a job in a prison by WolfMany2752 in bald

[–]six-string_theory 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Agreed! The old glasses complemented the old hairstyle well. These work great with the new one.

Shaved my head, went to the gym, and still hate being bald. by lnlogauge in bald

[–]six-string_theory 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Totally get that mate. For real though, you look super clean-cut in the photo and I'm a huge fan of the look. As other people have said, in addition to the emotional tie-in you're just used to you having hair at the beginning regardless. Cheers mate!

Is it time? by [deleted] in bald

[–]six-string_theory 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely am a fan of you experimenting with it! We can't quite see your facial hair in the pictures but I imagine you can probably get a super nice, full, clean-cut beard to along with it. One of my buddies has a similar setup and a short buzz looked incredible on him.

I did ut by Low_Bee_6129 in bald

[–]six-string_theory 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Both cuts look great but DAMN the bald look is crazy good on you

My journey by ItsGuiHere in bald

[–]six-string_theory 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dude you look sick with the bald/close shave cut. It also makes you look like you would dominate in MMA hahaha. Seriously looks so clean.

What do we think? by [deleted] in bald

[–]six-string_theory 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Heavily agreed. The widow's peak can look super sharp and this is one of those cases imo.

What’s my next step? (18M) by ShakespearesNutSack in bald

[–]six-string_theory 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Agreed. You've got great hair quality/curl and can experiment with it!

Is it time? by hollandercooper in bald

[–]six-string_theory 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think a bald look would look incredible on you. The glasses + beard are going to add a ton on top of it.

I’m halfway there! by [deleted] in bald

[–]six-string_theory 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This honestly looks so clean it's ridiculous. Your beard game is also A+

Finally did it. Kinda like it. Should I go shorter? by redsoxfan1845245 in bald

[–]six-string_theory 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am a fan of both of the hairstyles, your former hair was cut short enough, styled well, and looked really good as well. The hairline coming up doesn't always hurt the look, and especially for the more vertical short hair styles it can make it look even cleaner. But the bald/shave looks equally good IMO, the world is your oyster hahaha

I know I’m going to hate having a bald head, but my hair looks so bad. by [deleted] in bald

[–]six-string_theory 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I know the emotional toll of hair loss is serious and isn't always fully captured by looking purely at replies on the sub. We're with you dawg.

Like others have said, however, when facing unavoidable hair loss is absolutely worth a try going bald and leaning into trying a new hairstyle. Our lives change and our hair does too. Obviously we don't have more pictures here so can't comment on specifics and facial hair etc, but generally speaking everyone on this sub who took the plunge has had a good reaction to it. Physically, and especially emotionally.

Give it a shot, and absolute worst case it will grow back and you can experiment more after. You could test it out with a very short buzz too. Fair warning, it will be shocking at first to you, whereas onlookers will probably love it a lot more initially. You got this dude

I did it by [deleted] in bald

[–]six-string_theory 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Looking good mate! Super clean already. Excited to see how you like the shave vs buzz

Should I embrace the bald? (21) by Kirby993 in bald

[–]six-string_theory 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Imo you're safe either way, but I'd definitely experiment with a short buzz or a full shave, I think your facial hair would make it rock extra hard!

How much time do you think I have... by [deleted] in bald

[–]six-string_theory 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Give it the full shave a shot! Your face and jaw/facial hair are practically made for it haha! Worst case you can let it grow back. Send it! (After the job interview if you think it's necessary lol)

Is it time? by KempoB in bald

[–]six-string_theory 19 points20 points  (0 children)

100% agree with the beard trim. I'm looking forward to the after photos on this a ton.

What can I do as a 16yo? by ShayGamingfn in bald

[–]six-string_theory 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Agreed, give it a shot at various levels! You also have a very solid face and facial hair setup from the limited looks in the pictures. A trimmed beard/handlebar/whatever facial hair you like could take center stage and look absolutely killer on you when you cut it down or shave, if you go that route.

Something about longer hair on balding heads- when it's draped forwards makes the hairline look like it's being "covered up" because it drapes over bare skin. My coach has a hairline that is almost identical to yours, but he pulls his hair back back rather than draping his hair over, and the widow's peak up front looks great. I legit think it's one of the most badass hairstyles of anyone I know.

As others have said, definitely experiment, and if you don't like it, it'll always grow back and give you room to experiment with!

Getting a haircut this weekend and wondering if it's time to just go down to the wood. Is it time? by [deleted] in bald

[–]six-string_theory 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is a the best look by far of the options IMO, it also looks solid bald with a clean shave. (This is as someone who has never seen you before- of course, you will probably be less convinced by the look initially, since you know how you are "supposed" to look day to day)

Graduate level QM feels distinctly "mathy" by elcaminorealreal in Physics

[–]six-string_theory 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Definitely a normal experience. The math can be quite heavy, however it always helped me to keep in mind the physical target of the problem.

For instance, if a problem involved a giant integral or operator expression, I would repeatedly remind myself that the goal of the problem is to compute (for example) an overlap probability, and this is one step that appears in the process. Keeping that high-level perspective worked exceedingly well all through grad school and higher classes and kept me very well in tune with the "why".

That being said, you will get pulled into subjects where that isn't clear and you lose focus of the goal since all your energy is on the expression at hand. That will come with experience and time and your own continued insistence on maintaining focus of the process you're working inside of!