Author Archives: Mr. Bigler

About Mr. Bigler

Physics teacher at Lynn English High School in Lynn, MA. Proud father of two daughters. Violist & morris dancer.

Thank You for Being You

Dear students, Thank you for being you! I appreciate each and every one of you for being the awesome people that you are. +10

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged | Leave a comment

Resiliency and Pandemic Fatigue

At the beginning of every school year, I survey my (11th & 12th grade) students for several things, including ACEs and resilience (using the ACE survey and the resilience survey from ACEs Too High), as well as things like time … Continue reading

Posted in Challenges & Frustrations, Philosophy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Being Amazing On Demand

When teachers say that we’re struggling, our friends, students, former students and parents of our students rush to comfort us, saying things like “you’re doing an amazing job, especially given the circumstances,” or “we’re lucky to have such amazing teachers.” … Continue reading

Posted in Challenges & Frustrations | Tagged | Leave a comment

Cartesian Diver Home Lab

Today I had one of my classes do a mini lab at home, to make a Cartesian Diver out of a plastic straw, an elastic (that’s a rubber band for those of you outside the Boston area), a few paper … Continue reading

Posted in Science | Tagged | Leave a comment

Student Struggles & Anxiety

I have observed a couple of disconcerting trends in my teaching career. Since I started teaching in 2003, students are struggling more, particularly with math and critical thinking, and students’ anxiety levels are skyrocketing. +40

Posted in Challenges & Frustrations | Tagged | Leave a comment

You’re Doing Well…We Need to Talk

One of my students who struggles with executive function and time management came by after school to drop off a bunch of missing assignments and to get a list of what she still needs to finish by the end of … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellaneous | Tagged | Leave a comment

Wishing You Lots of Cope This Holiday Season

Today was the last school day before Christmas vacation.  During my classes yesterday afternoon and today, I wished my students a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Blessed Yule, and a Happy Kwanzaa, Festivus, Saturnalia, Feast of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and a restful … Continue reading

Posted in Philosophy | Tagged | 1 Comment

Thoughts are Free; Actions Have a Cost

As a teacher, I am entrusted with your children, no matter who they are or what they’re like.  Every teacher has students we like and students we don’t particularly like; teachers who say otherwise are most likely not being honest with … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellaneous, Philosophy | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Shouts of Silence

A common discussion among educators is about the student who acts out in class, reminding us that there are always reasons.  Maybe this student suffers abuse or neglect at home.  Maybe a close family member has had a major health episode … Continue reading

Posted in Miscellaneous, Philosophy | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Building a Bottle Raft

I needed an after-the-exam project for my AP Physics 2 class, and we settled on a buoyancy project (Fluids is one of the topics.) of building a raft and using empty 2 L soda bottles as floats. +3-1

Posted in Anecdotes | Tagged | Leave a comment