New Physics Teacher, Mr. Cooper, Loves to Make His Classroom Fun

Central High Schools always welcomes their new teachers will a warm heart. This year, Mr. John Cooper joins the faculty as our new physics and environmental science teacher. Cooper is very enthusiastic about teaching students about his favorite subject.

His interest piqued in the subject in high school, in a time where many students are working hard to find their passion. Whether students are joining clubs or sports, some may actually find their fulfillment in one certain subject.

“I took the pilot ‘Project Lead The Way’ class at my school, Canandaigua Academy, and it was a lot of hands-on building and then learning about the physics of it.  I love the idea of the relationship between building something and being able to prove it with math,” Mr. Cooper explained, retelling his experience with finding his passion for Physics.

Project Lead The Way is a non-profit organization that was founded in 1997. It is used throughout elementary, middle, and high schools.

“PLTW provides transformative learning experiences for K-12 students and teachers across the U.S. We create an engaging, hands-on classroom environment and empower students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills they need to thrive,” The official website of Project Lead The Way states.

Mr. Cooper was first an engineer for about five years, but didn’t really enjoy it.

“As a project manager you could make decisions that would save people a lot of money or cut time off the schedule.  That’s your job and that’s what you should do, but at the end of the day you didn’t really make a difference,” expressed Cooper.

Generally speaking, there were many moments that made him reconsider his career, and he soon began to realize that teaching was his true calling. He was drawn to the “dramatic part of teaching” and decidedly made a home at Tyner High School 11 to 12 years.

Mr. Cooper clarified about his experience at Tyner, and what caused his decision to come to Central.

“Tyner is a great school and the students are great, but I just wanted something different.  Due to my disability, my choices are limited and Central was definitely at the top of my list!” exclaimed Cooper.

Many students are grateful to have Mr. Cooper as a teacher, however, students who do not have Physics are curious or even wary of the class. One misconception that students may have is that the subject could be uninteresting or dull.

Likewise, it is unanimous among high school students that sitting at a desk for more than six hours and listening to a teacher drone on and on can evidently drain their creativity. Therefore, Mr. Cooper and teachers alike, have found ways to engage teenagers and encourage them to participate.

“Lessons that involve action and fun will stimulate students to be more actively engaged,” Dean R. Spitzer, a popular author, once said in 1996.

Central’s new Physics teacher basis his lessons on fun.

“Projectile motion, when we mess with hot wheels cars, marble launchers, catapults or water balloon launchers,” stated Cooper as he explained his favorite lessons to teach.

While his lessons are fun, each of reflect something from the world of physics.

“There’s a lot of fun stuff we can do to make it interesting, and then matching it up with the actual mathematics in physics can be really engaging,” shared Cooper.

Mr. Cooper made it clear that he valued his job very much, reporting that he doesn’t really know where he would be without his teaching career.

All in all, Mr. Cooper seems very enthusiastic about coming to Central High School, and everyone has welcomed him warmly. It is safe to say that the engaging class of Physics is here to stay.