Interview with benazeer

[astra_nomer]

Somewhat belated answers to questions from benazeer:

1) If you couldn't have been a physicist (say a horrible experience with 8.02 turned you off the subject forever, or something like that), what would you have specialized in?

I was actually quite torn between physics and biology as an undergrad. I nearly did a double major, until I finally came to my senses and settled for a minor in bio, with the One True Path of Physics as my major. I would probably have specialized in biochem or biophysics in that case. I might have also reconsidered majoring in mathematics after all.

2) What stage of development was the worst and/or do you most dread your children going through?

Early infancy was the worst, because the child is so completely dependent on you and poorly able to communicate his needs, and he wakes you up every few hours. And I'm a really terrible person when I'm low on sleep. Once they start sleeping through the night and start learning to talk, it gets easier. Or perhaps I should say, less hard.

I dread my children going through those middle school years, because I remember how awful that period was for me. All bets are off once those hormones start kicking in.


3) You are granted the ability to either overhaul math and science education in primary schools throughout the country or to make foreign language an integral part of elementary school curricula, but not both. Which do you choose and why?

Math and science, definitely. Well, so long as the overhaul actually does improve the teaching of math and science in schools. Math and science are such important basic skills and are so woefully deficient in this country that they would definitely take priority over foreign language in my opinion.


4) If time and money were not a concern, what crafty or construction project would you most like to do? This can be a joint project with unclenomer if you like.

Oooh, tough question. Maybe a nice, sunny, airy craft room. Lots of storage space for yarn stashes and knitting supplies. Bookshelves for knitting/sewing/craft books. Space for the sewing machine and a spinning wheel. It might have to double as an entertainment room, however, since I like to work on projects in front of the TV.

5) If you found yourself living a big-budget summer action movie, what would the plot be? How would you use your mad astrophizzicist skillz to save the day?

Hah! I'm clearly not creative enough to come up with a good plot. Big-budget summer action movies seem to usually involve lots of Wrong Science, and I'm just not the type that's willing to bend the laws of physics. And my mad astrofizzix skillz just aren't flashy enough. Can't identify constellations. Can't interpret spectra. I'm a theorist, remember? Hmmm, maybe it's an intergalactic space mystery, and I'm able to model the morphology of a fuzzy dot well enough to declare, "That system is clearly forming by core accretion, not disk instability! So Dr. ET's alibi that she was not there because of shock-heating is clearly false! Caught you red-handed!!"

Yeah, not nearly flashy enough.

Comments

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

Well, should you be back in the area in a few years (or even I suppose if you should not), I can recommend a middle school where most people actually don't hate their lives ;).

Sadly, I have to find another one. The thought fills me with panic. "Not zero" was amazing enough.

[astra-nomer.livejournal.com]

:)

I appreciate your recommendation, but I think we have differing opinions on the value of public vs. private school. Though I'm sure you're also biased toward the prospect of getting to teach my utterly charming sons, too. :)

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I'm actually very torn that you seem to have a choice: you can have a place with high academic standards, or you can have a place with a diverse population (especially socioeconomically), but it's terribly hard to find both. I increasingly appreciate the value I got out of going to school in a nonpretentious environment with a variety of people -- I just can't sacrifice academic quality for that.

There are public schools with great academic quality, but the fact is you buy your schooling one way or the other: tuition or house prices. The peer groups seem to be the same either way.

[astra-nomer.livejournal.com]

We consider ourselves fortunate to be a in a good school district, in a school with a lot of diversity. A high percentage of DS1's elementary school qualifies for subsidized lunches, and I believe a majority of the school are non-white. The test scores are below average compared to the rest of the county, but I think that goes hand-and-hand with the socioeconomic classes of the community. I have been quite pleased with the quality of DS1's teachers, and have heard good things about his future teachers.

So, yeah, if you ever move down here to DC, I can recommend a terrific elementary school for your kid. :)