The New York Times reports about a teacher at the Louisville (Ky.) Male Traditional High School, which is now coed despite the name.
Physics lessons have a way of making us contemplate the meaning of the universe, with questions like, Why are we here? after we learn how things are connected and function. Something about gravity, which keeps our planet revolving around the sun and sustains us by providing energy, hits a note with our curiosity. Something about the physical and chemical properties of water, of carbon, of oxygen, and so on, naturally lead to questions about why these chemicals interact with life in such a perfect way.
And this curiosity in teenagers leads to questions about the meaning of it all. Enter Jeffrey Wright, a 23-year veteran teacher of physics, who is more able than most people to address these tricky questions with his students. His son, Adam, was born with a rare disorder that has made him blind and unable to control his movements or rapid breathing. Adam opened Jeffrey’s eyes to the meaning of it all, he told the Times, and now he’s passing that on to his students.
“When you look at physics, it’s all about laws and how the world works,” the paper quoted him as saying. “But if you don’t tie those laws into a much bigger purpose, the purpose in your heart, then they are going to sit there and ask the question ‘Who cares?’
“Kids are very spiritual—they want a bigger purpose. I think that’s where this story gives them something to think about,” he said. Among all the wonders of our universe, we care about each other very much, his lessons seem to convey.
He presents one lecture every year about his son, sharing with his students, in an often emotionally draining way, the “why” behind the “what” and “how” that science provides. The meaning, he says, is love. The one lecture seems to be enough.
You can argue that this teacher is wasting valuable time by not teaching his students another physics lesson from the state’s science curriculum, but that would be a short argument, in my opinion. I see this as a teacher who is responding to his students, meeting them where they are by answering queries they have, whether or not their consciousness is aware of those queries.
Furthermore, demonstrating a meaning for science lessons through real-life examples has a way of inspiring students. He hopes some will pursue scientific endeavors later in life. “Who knows? We might be able to come up with something we can use to help Adam out one day.”