<p>My son has to choose his courses for his senior year soon and is trying to decide between AP Bio and AP Physics. He’s taken bio, honors chem, and AP Env Sci in his high school, and audited about 2/3 of a college intro physics course during the summer. Here’s the dilemma:<br>
-on the one hand, my son likes but doesn’t love bio based on what he’s been exposed to thus far, but the AP Bio teacher has the reputation of being the best teacher in the high school
-on the other hand, he’s much more enthused about physics as a subject, but the AP Physics teacher has the reputation of being one of the lesser lights among the teachers in the school.</p>
<p>Other considerations: he’s a strong all-around student, will be in BC Calculus next year, knows he could receive extra help from my husband in physics if need be, and is as certain as it’s possible to be at this stage that he wants to major in East Asian languages and/or linguistics in college.</p>
<p>Whatever he decides is completely fine with my husband and me, but I’m curious about any opinions or experiences anyone wishes to share that might assist him in making his selection.</p>
<p>My S was in the exact situation 2 years ago. He had already had both the AP Bio. and AP Physics teachers for the intro. classses so he knew them well. He had made A’s in both classes and enjoyed both subjects but would not even consider taking AP physics because of the teacher. He chose AP Bio. because he really liked the teacher and did not regret his decision.</p>
<p>Great teachers can be life-changing. At the very least, they bring the subject matter to life and can spark new interests. Great teachers are rarely great just because of their command of the subject matter. They almost always have much more to offer than that.</p>
<p>Great teachers are rare. </p>
<p>Physics courses are not rare. He will have tons of time to pursue physics to the ultimate depth and breadth in college.</p>
<p>I’d go with the teacher. A bad teacher can kill enthusiasm in a jiffy. He can still study the remaining 1/3 of the college physics course on his own, and if he really wants to, take the AP exam at the end of the year. Though if he wants to major in East Asian studies, Physics won’t be all that helpful!</p>
<p>I’d say teacher. My son is taking AP Calc from a mediocre teacher. He’s teaching himself from the textbook. He felt he needed to take a fourth year of math to look good to the colleges where he’s applying and this was the only teacher.</p>
<p>His other AP class, AP Government has a great teacher and this is lighting up S’s senior year. A great teacher is a gift you should accept.</p>
<p>Absolutely agree. Go with the teacher. Last year, my D had hoped to take AP Chem, but because of a scheduling conflict, ended up in AP Bio…a topic she wasn’t thrilled with. However, the teacher of the AP Bio class is well known as one of the best teachers in the city…she had one of the best class experiences she ever had in high school and ended with an enthusiasm for Bio that she had never had before.</p>
<p>Not only do I agree with all the above advice, I’d extend it to say this is the BEST way to pick classes in college as well. TEACHER TEACHER TEACHER.</p>
<p>Go with the teacher, especially since he’s not planning to major in physics. It is possible to end senior year with a 5 on the AP exam and a C in a course if one is not thrilled with the teacher… He will enjoy his senior year much more, a bad teacher can ruin a good subject and he’s already considering the biology.</p>
<p>I would normally agree with all of the above posters, but since they’re all on the same side, I’ll play the other. Consider the possibility that this might be your son’s last chance to take physics. He’s obviously good at math (hence the BC Calc) so that won’t be an impediment. In our state physics or a combined chem/physics class is a graduation requirement. It could expose him to something that he’ll love despite the teacher (and there could always be someone new teaching it by next fall). It could also make a potential change of major easier. Even if he doesn’t ever take a class that requires physics, a good grounding in such a fundemental science will make him a more educated person - and a better voter on topics that touch science!
I’ll get off the soapbox now…</p>
<p>I’d vote for choosing the master teacher, too. Really good teachers have a way of making education less about mastering a body of knowledge (which your son could probalby do on his own) and more about learning to think.</p>
<p>Okay - I’ll buck the trend and say to consider the Physics. Your S is enthused about it and it’s a great subject applicable to so many areas. He’ll be able to handle the math okay and your H can give an assist if needed. Part of the decision may come down to degree of dimness versus brightness. If it’s that the physics teacher just isn’t up to the level of the very good bio teacher, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s an awful teacher. If it really is that the physics teacher is awful versus just not that great, then I’d recommend foregoing it.</p>
<p>I have to say that sometimes teacher reputations aren’t always accurate or universally applicable. </p>
<p>In particular, a physics teacher may get a bad reputation if he has had a number of students in the class who are mathematically underprepared and not willing to work hard to remedy their deficiencies.</p>
<p>Students with very good problem-solving skills who love challenges and are willing to struggle with difficult problems may have a very different view of the same teacher than other students whose backgrounds are less suitable for physics.</p>
<p>AP biology calls for vast amounts of memorization and relatively little in the way of mathematical problem-solving skills. </p>
<p>AP physics calls for much less memorization and far more creative problem-solving skills.</p>
This is definitely true. A lot of kids like the ‘easy’ or ‘fun’ teachers and don’t like the more difficult or harsh-grading teachers. Physics is a more difficult subject for many than bio and if it’s combined with a teacher who doesn’t routinely hand out high grades, it can give students a dim view of that teacher.</p>