Counter Appeal to MTSD Science Department Reevaluation

Physics is basic and key for future. Not sure why there is even a discussion of not having physics first. It would be doing injustice to the entire system by making this change

I really support Physical first program, and completely agreed with the points raised by this petition. We should find ways to improve the program, not erase it. Rigorous STEM education is very important for the future, math and physica are foundations of science.

Physics First is Number One.

The people who are failing physics honors should just go to cp

Removing Physics First is not the solution to the issue at hand. Students are going into freshman year of physics with absolutely no prior or background knowledge. How are they supposed to do well when they don't know what they're learning? Next, they should have a stricter placement test. The current placement test is composed of fifteen basic mathematical questions that a student in third grade could answer with ease. By making the placement test challenging, teachers will be able to filter the students who truly belong in the honors program from those who do not.

Again, for those who are voicing support for Physics First/ opposition to the abolition of Physics First, please comment on the petition: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/montgomery-township-high-school-science-program By doing so allows those who favor the abolition of Physics First to understand the opinions of the opposition.

Keep physics first!

As a student whose favorite subject is the sciences and whose parents both have science degrees, with one a biology teacher, I can say confidently that Biology also involves math including calculus, biology builds on both physics or chemistry (whereas physics requires no biology), and biology involves heavy memorizing and is at least as physics.

I'm happy to see positive feedback on the physics first program..

The real problem here is that he 8th grade curriculum doesn't focus on enough of basic physics. Therefore when the student transitions to highschool, they feel stressed and confused. Nothing is wrong with the freshman physics program, nor can we blame the physics teachers for "not teaching." It doesn't help much if the teachers told you everything. Learning is more efficient if your child can thing for themselves and use critical thinking.

We need to prepare students better for Physics, not drop the program.

Yeah boiiiiiiiiiiiii!

Pls do not remove the program and instead improve it and make user students who enter this program are ready for it, and they are not just there to have an honor class on their record

Pls do not remove the program and instead improve it and make user students who enter this program are ready for it, and they are not just there to have an honor class on their record.

For those who are voicing support for Physics First/ opposition to the abolition of Physics First, please comment on the petition: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/montgomery-township-high-school-science-program

Although there mere be some problems with Montgomery's Physics Program, its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. To scrap the entire program based on a few small flaws would be like discovering that a table has a loose leg and throwing the table away rather than simply fixing it. The order in which science is taught at MHS is highly logical and allows the three courses to build off each other. In physics we learned about motion and kinetic energy, among other things. In chemistry we learned about how atomic particles move and follow these laws of physics. In biology, we learn about how chemicals determine our body's everyday actions. If the order of these courses was reversed, it would be impossible to fully grasp essential topics. We can see the success of the science program from MHS's long list of accolades in clubs like Science Olympiad or Robotics. To any parents or students who would like to get rid of the program, perhaps it is not the fault of the teachers or the curriculum that not students see immediate success. Keep in mind, that physics is one of the first classes that high schoolers take, after years of being spoon-fed information and answers in middle school and naturally will come with some struggle. However, this struggle is necessary to growing and preparing for other classes that the students will take during the remainder of their high school career.

Ok I'm just going to offer my opinion on why we should keep Physics First: 1) Physics is the most BASIC of all sciences and thus should be taught before Chemistry and Biology. Biology is based on chemistry, chemistry is based on energy and physics, but physics? It's based on PURE MATH. It's logical to teach it first. 2) Learning physics teaches you critical thinking skills. Understanding how to utilize the information given to you (in this case, formulas) in order to solve problems? ESSENTIAL. And THAT is all Freshman Physics is (literally - just look back at your curriculum if you've taken it). Yes, I know students have a hard time putting this into action. Yes, I did too. Well - too bad. You need critical thinking in life, and if we have to suffer a few bad grades here and there, so be it. It's necessary. 3) That being said, if you don't feel like you are up for the lower grades Physics Honors can present, THAT IS COMPLETELY FINE! There's a reason we offer the easier, less math-intensive Physics CP and General Physics. It's not the Physics First program's fault that you decided to place yourself in the highest level of class, especially if you take other hard classes and don't have the ability to put in the time to understand and digest the material deeply. 4) If we remove the Physics First program, many students will jump right into AP Physics C (the MOST ADVANCED Physics AP there is, and the only one offered at Montgomery) without ANY Physics experience. This is perhaps the most unrecommended course of action regarding any APs to take - Physics C is largely considered the hardest AP even if students have already taken an easier physics course. And this would occur during the ever-important junior and senior years. Want to not tank you or your child's GPA during their most important years of HS? KEEP PHYSICS FIRST AND LET THEM TAKE RISKS THEIR FRESHMAN YEAR! 5) Yes, I understand that some students might not know trig when taking Physics Honors. But that is a

Go to the original petition and see if you agree with my comment. I think it's pretty obvious...(Some classic enmeshed parenting...) https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/montgomery-township-high-school-science-program

Removing Physics First does not address fundamental issues within science departments.

Abolishing the physics first curriculum is not the solution to the supposed dissatisfaction of the high school's science department - the class allows for students to understand basic rational thinking and problem solving applicable in future courses and outside of school. It is not the curriculum and certainly not the teachers to blame for the perceived difficulty of the course. I personally had to adjust to a more student based learning environment rather than teachers feeding me information through lecture, but adapting to this way of thought allowed for me to become more of a critical thinker rather than someone who can merely spit out memorized equations. There is value to physics first, and students have the potential to grow from it immensely without tutoring or parental guidance.