2025 Paul W. Zitzewitz excellence in K-12 teaching award: Getting by with a little help from my friends

All humans are formed by their experiences, and physics teachers are no different. When we start teaching, these prior influences include our families, teachers, mentors, and educational programs. While teaching, we are further influenced by our colleagues and students. While often misperceived as isolated geniuses, physicists and physics teachers are arguably at their best when they come together. I have been fortunate to be lifted up and pushed forward by mentors and friends in the physics teacher community and I am a better teacher for it. I believe supporting each other, and our students, ensures physics is enjoyable for future generations of physics students and teachers.