Top Teachers
Saturday, March 20, 1999Theresa Bauer
HAWAII'S PHYSICS TEACHER OF THE YEAR
"I'm overwhelmed. But I also believe there are lots of other
people out there who are really deserving, too. There are a lot
of dedicated teachers out there doing a wonderful job."Local physics teacher
By Helen Altonn
lunching with laureates
Star-BulletinA McKinley High School physics teacher will represent Hawaii at a luncheon with more than 40 Nobel laureates today in Atlanta.
Theresa Bauer, 54, was chosen Hawaii's Physics Teacher of the Year as part of an American Physical Society centennial celebration.
The society and Coca-Cola are hosting the luncheon to recognize outstanding physics teachers from each state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.
Teachers and students will have an opportunity to meet some of the people responsible for the greatest scientific discoveries of the past century.
Bauer was nominated by physics professors Pui Lam of the University of Hawaii and Maria Bautista of Kapiolani Community College.
Bauer said she's "very honored that my colleagues would have thought highly enough of me to do this. I'm overwhelmed. But I also believe there are lots of other people out there who are really deserving, too.
"There are a lot of dedicated teachers out there doing a wonderful job."
Bauer, a Hawaii native, has taught physics for about 10 years. She's been a teacher for 30 years and at McKinley for 15 of those years.
Many changes have occurred in science teaching because of technology, she said. "We're starting to have to learn different ways for data collection in the lab. Kids are using computers for things now. All kinds of interfaces link to computers."
Also, she said: "We're requiring kids to be out in the field doing research, not just in a classroom. . . . Kids are going out in partnership with organizations and government agencies."
She said two physics teachers are needed at McKinley to accommodate students interested in physics.
But she acknowledged a declining interest in science as a career. "They take the science they need for technical fields, but it doesn't mean they'll go on to major either in physics or chemistry."
This is largely a result of the economic situation, she said.
"If the job market was there, you'd have majors."
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