Brewster Teacher Joins Elite Nationwide Group

Each year, a group of just 150 teachers in the United States are selected to participate in a premiere physics educator ambassador program. Recently, Brewster physics and astronomy teacher Emily James has been invited to join this highly skilled group of educators.

The Physics Teaching Resource Agents (PTRA) program, sponsored by the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT), began in 1985 with the mission of improving the teaching and learning of physics and physical science for all teachers and students in the United States. The program provides professional development on physics content, teaching techniques based on research in physics education, and integration of technology into curriculum. To be selected, according to the AAPT, teachers are judged on physics content mastery, creativity, successful teaching experience, familiarity with physics education research, and the capacity for professional leadership. All of which James has in abundance, according to Science Department Chair and Instructional Coordinator Tom Owen. “Emily is one of the most caring and hard working individuals I know,” he says. “It is rare not to find Emily in the library on a weekend, working with her students. She truly goes above and beyond to serve the student body, and she is a heck of a scientist!” 

James, who was also selected as a PTRA from 1995 to 2001, explains that each year the annual training covers different topics. “This year the focus was on astronomy, and I felt it was a sign that they were calling me back,” she says. “I really enjoy networking with other top physics teachers as well as helping others teach this difficult topic better and more effectively.”

James will attend the intensive summer workshop in Provo, Utah, ultimately receiving certification as a PTRA. The group then leads workshops for other teachers across the country, and James plans on focusing on the Granite State. “When I tell people I teach physics, I often hear stories of how ‘bad’ their physics experience was. Partly this is because there are people teaching physics who don’t have a good background in the subject,” she says. “Helping teachers better understand their subject and what best practices look like in physics is highly rewarding!” 

After earning her Masters degree in Astronomy at Columbia University and her Bachelors degree in Physics and Astronomy at Smith College, James began her teaching career, arriving at Brewster in 2002. “With the variety of learning styles at Brewster, I love the challenge of reaching all learners,” James says. “I teach people how to think logically and sequentially—and how to communicate their ideas fully. Physics is one of the best ways of helping people enhance their ability to think. I love watching students go from frustration, to tentative understanding to robust understanding! It takes work but in the end they can be proud of what they have accomplished.”

James volunteers her time in several professional roles, including serving as president of the New England Section of the AAPT from 1998 to 2001. She is also a force within our state for resources that help children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

“Emily’s acceptance into this competitive physics education program is just one more piece of evidence that demonstrates the high-quality teachers Brewster students get to work with on a daily basis,” says Owen. “I am excited to learn from Emily as she collaborates with an elite group of teachers from across the nation and then brings her knowledge and practices back to campus for us—and the rest of New Hampshire.”

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