By Gio Arteaga and Laura Lipcsei
This issue, we had the wonderful Anupama Tandon, beloved physics teacher and head of the science department, answer some questions about her high school days! Take a look to see what she had to say.
Where did you go to high school?
All my schooling has been in India.
What was your school’s mascot?
We did not have mascots. This was something new I came to know of after I began teaching here in the US.
When did you graduate?
1986- wow! 40 years ago.
What was your favorite class in high school and why?
Biology – the teacher was really good and we did a lot of engaging and fun labs plus personally, I give full credit to her for guiding and motivating me to become an all-rounder and excel in academics as well as extracurriculars.
What was your most challenging class and why?
Surprisingly Physics—dont get me wrong—the teacher was very knowledgeable, but I never understood what he taught. I think he didn’t make enough effort to check whether students understood or not, and we were scared of him. And since I have gone through that feeling of uneasiness when things don’t make sense, I strive to see to it as much as possible that my students understand what I want them to know, and they do not lose interest like I did to begin with.
What extracurricular activities were you involved in?
Oh, lots—sports, drama, debates, dance, singing—you name it, except anything to do with art!
(If) you had extracurricular activities which was your favorite and why?
No favorites, I am just always interested in trying out and doing anything that is new and different.
Who were your favorite bands/artists/songs while in high school?
Frankly, I was and am more into Bollywood music and if you do not know about it, google it and check it out! You will love the beats!
What was your favorite TV show in high school?
Startrek, “Where no man has ever gone before.” The show used to come once a week on TV on Sunday for an hour and I never skipped it. Till date I remember the handsome Captain James Kirk and of course, Mr. Spock.
What was your favorite novel?
Agatha Christie’s mystery books
What was your favorite movie while in high school?
Many Bollywood movies and Hollywood thrillers and mysteries, as you see I usually do not have favorites but yes, Jaws was a great movie.
What are your favorite memories of high school?
The Physical Education period, I loved. So many sports we learned and played in that period and they were mostly team sports which taught teamwork. After the AP exams, I have my students play some of the games I played, and they love it!
What is your least favorite memory of high school?
No least favorite, except for the fact that school was never as much fun as it is for this generation. It was mostly just study, study, and study.
What time did school start and end?
Around 7:30am and ended around 2:30-3pm. Timings did not change even in winter. I still remember standing at the bus stop on dark, cold foggy winter mornings waiting for the school bus.
What was your GPA?
We did not have GPA’s. Instead, we had percentages and class rankings, so even a fraction of a percent could make your rank come down from 1st to 2nd. It was tough.
Did you receive any awards?
Yes, I was awarded a trophy for being the best all-round student of class 12 and that year I was also the Head Girl (similar to ASB President here) of my school. In addition, I won a lot of awards in different competitions I participated in throughout my high school years.
How did you get to school (if you drove, what kind of car)?
School bus, so convenient, I always wonder why they don’t run school buses here!
Did you ever have to go to the dean’s or principal’s office? Why?
Not to the dean or principal’s office, but I remember once I was turned out of my class and asked to stand outside for sometime by my English teacher. I don’t remember exactly why, but according to her, I had said something wrong or made a mistake in contrast to another boy. But to date I feel that she was partial towards that boy because he was the most handsome boy of our school and so she said nothing to him but turned me out of class, although it was his mistake. And I was the head girl of the school at that time. What an embarrassment!
What made you love physics?
I liked Bio but it had a lot of memorization; Chem labs were fun, but when it came to writing equations and calculating moles, I lost interest; math I found dry; other subjects were just subjects I had to study. 🙂 So as you see, Physics was and is the most logical and sensemaking subject of all from my perspective. Very interesting and fun. No aspect of Physics is ever boring- it can be hard but never boring!