The Power and Danger of Physics

Back in 2003(?), I was a new physics teacher at Swampscott High.  There was this cool kid in one of my physics classes with a big fro, a distracted demeanor, but always tuning in big time when I went off on a philosophical tangent in physics class.  I'm pretty sure his name was Alex Engelman* but I might have that wrong.  I was fairly new and naive to the teaching world, but I was definitely getting the feeling that I liked it and that forming bonds, temporary as they are, with teenagers was a big part of the joy.

One day, Alex stopped me just outside of the front of the building and said "Hey man - you're pretty smart and I have a problem that is physics related."

So of course I bite and say, "I don't know, but I'm willing to give it a shot.  Whatcha got?"

He said "Well, I've been working on my ninja back flips and can't seem to get it right."

I fight down the rising panic inside and, playing it cool, say: "Ninja back flips?"

He goes "You know, when you run straight up a wall and flip off of it and land on your feet."

Nervously, I go "Okay, yeah - I guess I've seen that in the movies.  You do that kind of thing?"

He said "Well, I think I can but I just don't seem to be able to land on my feet.  I run up the wall and push off but don't seem to be able to complete the flip."

Not sure I really want to help out in this dangerous activity but not able to resist, I say "Well, I do have an idea.  I think you gotta be careful on the push off from the wall."

Super interested, he leans in and says "What do you mean?"

I nervously explain, "I think you might be stopping your upward momentum by concentrating on the horizontal push off from the wall.  You need to keep your vertical velocity to give yourself more flight time.  So think of it more as a leap forward as you are running up the wall."

I haven't a clue what I'm saying and I'm imagining him trying this later in a gym somewhere with lots of matts and cushion to fall into when my advice fall flat, so to speak.  Alex is looking at me very intensely though; picturing it in his mind, I think.

He says very confidently, "That makes sense."

He then slips off his backpack and runs straight at the brick wall that is the front of the high school.  As my heart leaps into my throat and I imagine his cracked head hitting the concrete, he smoothly darts up the wall and does a back flip.

As my racing heart starts to slow down, Alex comes back for his backpack and gives me a nod and says "Thanks, man - you were right" and walks off like nothing happened.

As cool as he was, I felt pretty cool right then.  "I DO like this job" I said to myself as I walked back to my car...



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* I'm breaking my blog rule of only using initials because this 'cool kid' must be a grown man now and I'm hoping someone puts us back in touch to see if he remembers this event.