Physics Teacher Inheritance

Stuff for teaching Physics lasts a long time. We don't have as many consumable materials as Chemistry and Biology; probably only Geology teachers come close to having as many long-lasting class materials. Rocks are older than humans after all. While many pieces of lab equipment can last for years, or even decades, sometimes they aren't worth holding on to that long. My own school is literally over a hundred years old, and I have a tall set of shelves I've named the "Museum of Science" to display some of them. Much of the equipment still works or at least can be a static visual for certain phenomenon so I keep them. 

But that decision is hard to make, especially when you're new to teaching physics. What is worth keeping? What should be passed on or even thrown away? I recently stopped by a new teacher's room at a local school to see what equipment she had, and she had a lot. Below is a collage of images taken of the cabinets that line one long wall of her room. In a quick visit I was able to point out a few key things but I know it will take quite a while to work through it all. I know, because I've done it before. I'm in my sixth classroom at my school and each move has encouraged me to purge what I honestly won't use. I've inherited two different physics classrooms and had to evaluate what was left for me both times. 

Thinking about how long it took me to clean out the spaces I inherited, I wanted to write a guide for evaluating physics teaching equipment you might inherit. I'm sure everyone has their system, but this is based on what worked for me:

1. Realize that this will take awhile

This is partially because of sheer volume and also because physics equipment doesn't always "go bad." Physics teachers also skew towards the eclectic, and perhaps eccentric, with their equipment. Every summer I swear I'll go through my cabinets again, label things better, rearrange them so they fit a bit better, etc. Even if I can get some done its a work in progress. 

2. Separate materials by units/concepts

This isn't a linear step because you won't know what everything is at first in order to even sort it. I find success in separating roughly by unit and frequency of need. As you open more and more cabinets you'll find more things to separate by unit and you may even find the space you designated isn't enough.

For example, items used by students frequently, like meter sticks, mass sets, stopwatches and probe ware, can be kept where you and students can access them easily. This is commonly on a counter, in a cabinet or in set of drawers in the main classroom instead of a separate storage closet. 

I have cabinets that I store materials for a unit together, like specific lab sets (springs for oscillation labs or coffee filters for drag) with the related demo equipment for that unit. Some units take more space than others but the cabinets generally flow in order of my curriculum: kinematics/ motion, forces, energy & momentum, center of mass, rotation, oscillations, electrostatics, etc. 

Of course physics equipment doesn't make this easy because it doesn't all fit together and some of it doesn't even fit in a cabinet. 

3. Find unique ways to store oddly shaped equipment

As much as it pains our safety officer, I have some equipment above tall cabinets. My parabolic mirrors, giant resonance boxes, air tracks, etc. won't ever fit in anything. I have some open shelves that can hold the larger items, (like the spare tire for rotation demos) but even then some stuff doesn't work there. I've added hooks to the wall to hold my air tracks, used drop ceiling anchors to secure bike wheels above, bungee cords to strap hula hoops to shelves, and a broom rack to hold baseball bats and other sports equipment. Even classic equipment like rings stands and meter sticks are hard to "store" anywhere. You will have to get creative with your space for some of these, in the meantime your lab benches, corners and counters may be cluttered. 

If you have cabinets with adjustable shelves you might find a way to make one the "tall and awkward" cabinet. Whether in or out or on top of a cabinet, make sure your materials are secure so they don't fall and can't be damaged when stored that way. For example, I've seen air tracks that were stored vertically so the pulley brackets on the end became bent.

4. Files & books

Keeping paper files or not is becoming a generational debate. Wherever you land on the topic you will probably have some paper and some books to sort through. I once filled two full size paper recycling bins from the filing cabinets I inherited. I went through each file folder and looked at the copies of labs, tests, etc. that were included. I kept one copy of each one and recycled the rest. I figured that if I liked the activity or lab enough to use it, I would be retyping it to match my style anyway. I made a binder for each unit so I could keep what I found and have added to it over the years. I end up with enough of my own old copies of things, I didn't need to have multiple file cabinets of someone else's.

Full disclosure regarding books: I have more books I've kept for reference than I regularly use. Sometimes students will ask me about something I haven't studied since college so I will pull out my old university texts. Other times I want to add another test question that isn't a problem in our adopted text so I'll reference another. So keeping some extra books isn't a bad idea, but I do wish I made time to reference mine more often. However, you should consider how many you can keep and what you plan to use them for. When I inherited rooms, I also inherited piles of instructional material from our textbook adoptions. From the last 30 years. I did not need to keep multiple copies of the same outdated text. I did not need to keep multiple copies of the student workbook or the teacher manual that came with a floppy disk. I would suggest keeping one of anything that looks interesting and getting rid of the rest. 

When you sort through papers and books you should consider how to get rid of them. Recycling the filing cabinet rejects is easy, but keep in mind test security. Our leadership students help collect paper recycling, which is great, but I didn't want them to be recycling old versions of tests I might pull from. You will have to check with your school about recycling outdated and out-of-adoption textbooks. Sometimes they would have to pay to have them recycled and may say it's ok to give them to students or other teachers. Sometimes schools collect old books to resell online. You should check with your department and consider re-allocating to other teachers at your school or district. If you do have the ability to give away books or equipment you don't want, consider taking them to your local AAPT meeting. There are AAPT sections for most states and big metropolitan areas, you can look for your nearest one here. At our local Northern California/Nevada (NCNAAPT) section meetings we often have a "free" table where we exchange equipment or books we no longer need. 

5. Mystery Equipment

The use of some physics equipment is not always obvious when you first look at it. Or it may be part of a set with different applications in different units so the parts are stored separately. I've had luck in the past looking up what I think the item is used for with a description and then scrolling through Google Images. I used to post pictures on social media a lot in the #iteachphysics spaces and ask for help identifying them. Sometimes I would go down quite the rabbit hole trying to figure out equipment (here's an old post about such a journey). I think if you feel a bit like an archaeologist, you're doing all right. 

Now, Google AI image search has gotten a lot better and can often correctly identify items. Often identifying the item is not the same as learning how to use it or if its in good repair or what it is used for. If you are newer to teaching physics, you may not know yet if you will use this particular piece of equipment once you do figure it out. There was a lot of equipment I kept after I took over someone else's classroom that I have since decided I won't use. It will also depend on which class you teach, or might teach in the future. 

6. Too old? Too worn? Broken?

Even though our equipment lasts a long time, it's not immortal (one advantage the geology teachers have I guess). The insulation on electrical equipment can wear down, metal corrodes, ring stands bend, plastic becomes brittle, etc. I've found old equipment that fell apart when I picked it up, other pieces encased in what we expect is asbestos. You will probably find equipment that is no longer functional and have to dispose of it. Be sure to check with your school about how you can dispose of old equipment. Larger and more expensive pieces can be tagged as assets and come with a disposal process. Items with electronic components should be recycled properly. And watch out for other things like radiation, asbestos, etc. 

7. Label & document

There have been many times I open up my files or cabinets and find something I recognize as something I bought or made but I can't remember why. I've also worked with a few student teachers and co-teachers so I recognize the benefit of labeling things so its easier for others to find and use my equipment. And someday, I'll be the one leaving behind a classroom worth of equipment, not all of which will seem helpful to my successor. Labeling equipment, or the cabinets they are stored in will help future you and other teachers from reliving your physics equipment journey of discovery and evaluation. If you're the  type to make lists, consider making a list on the inside door of the cabinet of what each one holds. If you like a digital inventory, make a spreadsheet. I have some paper tags on strings, like museum use, that I hope to attach to some of the more eclectic pieces to label. Painters tape makes a great removable label on most surfaces as well. 

8. Rinse & repeat

After you've gone through all of this work, sorting and researching, cleaning and tossing, donating and recycling, documenting and labeling, you're going to hate the last step. You're going to have to do it again periodically. As I've mentioned before, I've changed my mind later on some items I really didn't use that were just taking up space. It doesn't have to happen every year, but try every few years to re-evaluate what you inherited. Material management is part of the job. If you're lucky enough to have physics colleagues make it a group project. I've used a trusted TA or two to research equipment or at least help to sort it for storage. At the end of the day, it is helpful to realize it can take a lot of stuff to teach a hands-on based physics class.  Take a deep breath and dive in!