| Unless you believe the physics course will seriously deflate your grade, I would just recommend toughing it out if you don't have any other options. I was in the same spot as you last year, teacher was a flake, and I just bit the bullet and took it. Even if you don't learn anything and you need it for your major, you can retake it (which you would have to do anyway unless it's AP).
Then again, having a parent as a dean in the ivy league admissions, I was advised to take what I want. It was between dropping physics or anatomy and physiology (I was in both and the workload was just way too much) and I was intending pre-med/pre-professional. Physics was a more standard and required course, but parent said to just do what I wanted, that taking anatomy instead of physics would not affect a college's decision. I ended up taking physics because I was absent a lot and the anatomy teacher gave a pop test every time a student was absent.
I'm not sure I saw the list of course requirements that you're talking about, so this advice could be wrong, but in considering taking physics or dropping it, parent knew that it wasn't required for college application? You are thrown into first year of studies freshman year and I don't believe there are any course requirements. I may have totally missed that though. Post a link?
Good luck!! | 
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