To many students at Forest Hills High School, Mr. Salamon is “the most impactful teacher in their high school career.” He has been teaching at Forest Hills High School for over 10 years, and has strongly impacted thousands of STEM students.
For Mr. Salamon, his interest in physics began during his childhood, where he grew a natural curiosity for how this world works. The first time he heard about Einstein’s theory on relativity and time travel, it introduced him to the world of physics.
Einstein had opened up an entirely new world for Mr. Salamon, where he continued to pursue that interest all throughout his life, now choosing to pass his wisdom onto others.
Oftentimes, he felt overwhelmed and confused by the course workload, resulting in him ruling out “physicist” as a career. Furthermore, he mentions the instability and high risks associated with the job, leading him to pursue a career in teaching physics.
During the first moments he taught physics class in this high school, he committed himself to ensuring that every student learned the core concepts of the class while also making funny jokes here and there to engage them in the classroom.
He also wanted to have fun lab activities where students are given the opportunity to test out these concepts through actual experimentation via machinery. His favorite lab activity that his regents physics class does every year is the “Atwood Machine,” in which students can clearly see the interaction between various blocks in the pulley system.
Mr. Salamon, like other students, struggled with core physics concepts during his high school years. He mentions that “the curriculum is a lot more expansive and difficult on a conceptual level compared to the times that I took the courses.”
For students that are struggling in his classes, he encourages consistent reinforcement. “Students should mainly do a lot of practice in class and at home to ensure they completely know how to apply these concepts to real life. Also, visualizing the problem in your mind helps your understanding a lot,” he says.
Ultimately, he hopes that his students can walk away with stronger analytical and thinking skills through all of their practice. Moreover, Mr. Salamon wishes that they can apply their physics knowledge to everyday scenarios, such as weightlessness on roller coasters or the changes in apparent weight on an elevator.
