The Stress of Teaching Physics (and the potential joy!)

The Stress of Teaching Physics! Wrestling with Invisible Forces, Imaginary Concepts, and Misleading Language

Teaching is one of those rare professions where the highs are incredibly high, and the lows can be downright crushing. When everything is clicking, when students are engaged, curious, and lighting up with understanding, it feels like the best job in the world. There’s a deep satisfaction that comes from seeing the spark of knowledge take hold. But when it’s going badly, teaching can feel like the worst job imaginable—an intensely personal struggle with a damning audience of disengaged or frustrated students who seem more bewildered than inspired. And nowhere does this pendulum swing more dramatically than in teaching physics. Physics has a reputation for being difficult and abstract, a subject where many students walk in with negative perceptions, expecting to struggle or fail. This cranks up the pressure even further, making the experience all the more challenging for both teacher and student alike. If you are, like the majority of teachers teaching physics, not a physics specialist the stakes are even higher.

The Two Pillars of Physics: Forces and Energy

Physics, at its core, is built on two seemingly solid pillars: forces and energy. Yet, these pillars are anything but straightforward.

Forces are what we use to explain the interactions between objects.  However,  can't see them, touch them, or directly observe them in any way. Their existence is implied only through the actions they produce—like how the wind bends a tree or how a ball accelerates when kicked. From the perspective of a student, asking them to believe in something they can’t see isn’t very persuasive.

Energy, the other pillar, is even more elusive. Unlike forces, which at least have tangible effects, energy doesn’t really exist in a physical sense. It’s a mathematical concept, a tool for accounting that helps us keep track of how much work can be done in a system, akin to the way money helps us keep track of wealth. You can't hold energy in your hand or put it in a jar. It’s just a number, a way to quantify changes, but it’s not something you can point to in the real world. This abstractness often leaves students baffled, as they’re told that this imaginary entity is one of the cornerstones of understanding the universe.

Challenging Reasonable Misconceptions

Students come into physics with what they believe to be a reasonable understanding of how the world works. For instance, they might think that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones because, intuitively, that’s what happens when you drop a brick and a feather. They might believe that objects in motion naturally come to a stop unless something keeps pushing them, because that’s what happens when you roll a ball across the floor or stop pedaling on your bike.

When we challenge these beliefs with concepts like Newton’s first law—an object in motion stays in motion unless acted on by a force—students often react with skepticism. The idea that a ball would keep rolling forever if not for friction and air resistance sounds more like science fiction than reality. Asking them to replace their straightforward, experience-based beliefs with abstract, counterintuitive principles of physics can be like asking someone to deny the evidence of their own senses. So we are challenging a belief system in the same way as if we were trying to convince the believers of a religion that theirs is the wrong religion and you are a prophet of the religion they need to follow (in order to pass the exams!)

The Disjunction Between Physics Language and Everyday Life

As if the invisible forces and abstract energy concepts weren't challenging enough, there’s also the significant disjunction between the language of physics and everyday terminology. Words that have specific, nuanced meanings in physics often have completely different connotations in the real world, leading to even more confusion.

Take the word “weight,” for example. In everyday language, weight is often used interchangeably with mass—the amount of matter in an object. But in physics, weight refers specifically to the force exerted on an object due to gravity. It’s the product of mass and the acceleration due to gravity, which means weight can change depending on where you are in the universe. Try explaining that to a student who’s always thought of weight as something you measure on a bathroom scale, and you’ll quickly see the challenge.So astronauts in orbit are not as they are usually described outside physics as weightless and the slimming organisation Weightwatchers should really rename themselves as Masswatchers. 

Energy, too, suffers from a similar issue. Outside the physics classroom, energy might be something you feel after a good night’s sleep or what powers your smartphone. But in physics, energy is a quantifiable property that objects or systems possess, which allows them to perform work. It’s not something you can “use up” in the way we think of running out of energy during a workout; rather, it’s not even something that transforms from one form to another, always conserved but never lost. Bridging this gap between everyday understanding and the precise language of physics is another hurdle that makes teaching the subject so stressful. We have to constantly model the language we want them to use as we are likely to be the only people who are using it. 

The Stress of Rational Persuasion

Trying to replace these misconceptions with rational explanations is where the real stress of teaching physics comes in. You have to convince students that the way the world appears is not always the way it truly is. But logic and rationality don't always win out, especially when they contradict what seems to be common sense.

It’s no wonder that some students stare back with eyes full of doubt, thinking that physics is less a science and more some sort of elaborate trick.

As a teacher, you must navigate this skepticism, guiding students away from their preconceived notions while trying to keep them engaged and motivated. This can be incredibly stressful because success isn't guaranteed. Some students will resist, clinging to their intuitive understanding of the world, while others might simply give up, overwhelmed by the abstract nature of the subject.

Finding Balance

The challenge, then, is to find a balance between guiding students through the rigorous logic of physics while acknowledging that their initial misconceptions are not only reasonable but rooted in their direct experience of the world. It’s about gradually leading them to see that the universe is often more complex and surprising than it seems. We have to deconstruct their misconceptions and errant beliefs before we can reconstruct with the essential base of physics that allows them to see the interconnections between what they have always thought of as separate concepts. 

But let’s be honest—this process is exhausting. It requires patience, creativity, and a deep understanding of both the subject matter and the human psyche. You’re not just teaching physics; you’re also helping students reshape their worldview, which is no small feat.

In the end, the stress of teaching physics is a testament to the subject's depth and complexity. Forces may be invisible, energy may be an abstract concept, and the language of physics may seem at odds with everyday life, but the impact of understanding these pillars of physics is profound. When students finally grasp these ideas, the reward is immense—not just for them, but for you as a teacher. Because in those moments, you’re not just teaching them about the universe; you’re helping them see the world in a whole new light.

Would you like some guidance? See the supporting physics teaching courses I have on this site including individual and/or group mentoring.