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What does a physics teacher do?

Updated January 8, 2025
6 min read
Quoted expert
R. Todd Coy Ph.D.

A Physics Teacher prepares and delivers lectures to undergraduate and/or graduate students regarding the laws of matter and energy. They may work for schools, professional schools, colleges, or universities.

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Physics teacher responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real physics teacher resumes:

  • Serve as a substitute teach chemistry, physics and astronomy.
  • Prepare and present lecture and exam material, supervise students, assist JV girls soccer coach
  • Aid an alternative strategy of learning basic concepts of chemistry, biology, & physiology.
  • Emphasize math and science skills in project base, standards base, and traditional classroom settings.
  • Instruct and help students with daily assignments, weekly chemistry tutoring (Tuesdays and Thursdays).
  • Participate in numerous IEP and collaborative sessions for students with special needs and at risk students.
  • Participate in parent-teacher conferences, science department, PLC, and faculty meetings, IEP meetings.
  • Arrange and execute remedial lessons, individually cater for each child's lacking areas in math and physics.
  • Develop and implement history and IPC lessons align with state and national standards, emphasizing active learning through hands-on activities.
  • Involve in external exam invigilation.
  • Coordinate and conduct cross-disciplinary projects with English, mathematics, and physical education teachers.
  • Play review games, create and present PowerPoint notes, and facilitate lab activities at least once per week.
  • Emphasize the importance of academic honesty with students and instruct them on proper citation of research sources.
  • Integrate units of study that allow students to connect real world issues to course material through research and academic exercises.
  • Create PowerPoint presentations used for effective teaching according to state blueprints.

Physics teacher skills and personality traits

We calculated that 15% of Physics Teachers are proficient in Classroom Management, Student Learning, and Instructional Materials.

We break down the percentage of Physics Teachers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Classroom Management, 15%

    Focused professional development on inquiry-based instruction, classroom management, conferencing, parent involvement, and student engagement.

  • Student Learning, 10%

    Developed and implemented laboratory experiments and modeling based curriculum to enhance student learning.

  • Instructional Materials, 9%

    Developed lesson plans and instructional materials and provided individualized instructions in math and physics.

  • Public Schools, 9%

    Visit local public schools and science fairs to lead physics demos for 40+ students.

  • Math, 8%

    STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) School Physics Teacher and tutor.

  • Laboratory Experiments, 4%

    Organized and supervised students laboratory experiments.

Common skills that a physics teacher uses to do their job include "classroom management," "student learning," and "instructional materials." You can find details on the most important physics teacher responsibilities below.

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a physics teacher to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what physics teachers do because "teachers must share ideas with their students, other teachers, and school administrators and staff." Additionally, a physics teacher resume shows how physics teachers use communication skills: "increased communication with parents by developing and maintaining a class website. "

See the full list of physics teacher skills

The three companies that hire the most physics teachers are:

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Compare different physics teachers

Physics teacher vs. Science instructor

A Science Instructor guides the student in understanding important concepts in science, which may include problem-solving and gathering evidence in supporting concepts or ideas. Their responsibilities include presenting science demonstrations, checking assignments, grading tests, and writing lesson plans. Instructors also need to evaluate each student's performance. They are also required to be excellent in written and verbal skills and communicate effectively with students, parents, and colleagues.

If we compare the average physics teacher annual salary with that of a science instructor, we find that science instructors typically earn a $5,194 lower salary than physics teachers make annually.While the two careers have a salary gap, they share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both physics teacher and science instructor positions are skilled in classroom management, student learning, and instructional materials.

While similarities exist, there are also some differences between physics teachers and science instructor. For instance, physics teacher responsibilities require skills such as "learning process," "physics curriculum," "teach physics," and "content knowledge." Whereas a science instructor is skilled in "kids," "professional development," "visualization," and "mathematics." This is part of what separates the two careers.

Science instructors tend to make the most money working in the education industry, where they earn an average salary of $47,912. In contrast, physics teachers make the biggest average salary, $54,574, in the education industry.The education levels that science instructors earn slightly differ from physics teachers. In particular, science instructors are 0.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a physics teacher. Additionally, they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Physics teacher vs. Teacher and coach

High School English teachers help students with literacy, grammar, literature, vocabulary, and literature. Their duties typically include developing and implementing lesson plans, preparing the course curriculum, and evaluating students' work. They facilitate class discussions and grade tests, assignments, and quizzes and provide feedback for improvements. Other duties that High School English perform include organizing field trips and literary events, discussing students' progress with parents, and helping students prepare for college.

A career as a teacher and coach brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a physics teacher. In fact, teacher and coaches salary is $5,706 lower than the salary of physics teachers per year.A few skills overlap for physics teachers and teacher and coaches. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "classroom management," "student learning," and "instructional materials. "

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, physics teacher responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "laboratory experiments," "learning process," "physics curriculum," and "physical science." Meanwhile, a teacher and coach has duties that require skills in areas such as "girls basketball," "varsity football," "student athletes," and "softball." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

Teacher and coaches earn a lower average salary than physics teachers. But teacher and coaches earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $48,513. Additionally, physics teachers earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $54,574 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Teacher and coaches tend to reach similar levels of education than physics teachers. In fact, they're 1.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for physics teachers in the next 3-5 years?

R. Todd Coy Ph.D.R. Todd Coy Ph.D. LinkedIn profile

Professor, Colby-Sawyer College

Even before the onset of COVID-19, the increasing importance of technology in areas like education and business communications was apparent. I believe Covid only served to speed up the oncoming changes. Using online formats to deliver professional services like mental health or education will continue to become even more mainstream. Therefore, staying current with the various applications and features found online will allow you to be more effective and marketable.

Physics teacher vs. High school english teacher

Language teachers primarily impart knowledge on multidimensional language through classes and activities. The teachers create conditions and develop activities allowing students to practice what they learned with significance. They immerse students in situational learning roles to write, read, converse, and learn different languages. Also, they are considered instrumental in establishing a supportive and positive learning environment. The teachers are also expected to be communicative and well-versed in the language/s they are teaching to their students.

An average high school english teacher eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of physics teachers. The difference in salaries amounts to high school english teachers earning a $3,750 lower average salary than physics teachers.Using the responsibilities included on physics teachers and high school english teachers resumes, we found that both professions have similar skill requirements, such as "classroom management," "student learning," and "instructional materials.rdquo;

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a physics teacher is likely to be skilled in "math," "laboratory experiments," "physics curriculum," and "chemistry," while a typical high school english teacher is skilled in "professional development," "language," "language arts," and "learning environment."

High school english teachers earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $49,882. Comparatively, physics teachers have the highest earning potential in the education industry, with an average salary of $54,574.Most high school english teachers achieve a similar degree level compared to physics teachers. For example, they're 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Physics teacher vs. Language teacher

Language teachers average a lower salary than the annual salary of physics teachers. The difference is about $2,706 per year.While both physics teachers and language teachers complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like classroom management, student learning, and instructional materials, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between physics teachers and language teachers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a physics teacher might have more use for skills like "math," "laboratory experiments," "physics curriculum," and "chemistry." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of language teachers require skills like "english language," "mandarin," "learning environment," and "esl. "

Language teachers enjoy the best pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $50,678. For comparison, physics teachers earn the highest salary in the education industry.language teachers reach similar levels of education compared to physics teachers, in general. The difference is that they're 3.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of physics teacher

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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