Faculty Spotlight: Jack Phan

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: JACK PHAN, SCIENCE DEPARTMENT

Teachers at Mater Dei love to make their classrooms fun and engaging for students. Mr. Jack Phan who teaches Physics and AP Physics I to juniors and seniors is no exception. One would think that various aspects of the course would take center stage as decorations in the physics classroom.

Instead, Mr. Phan has an impressive collection of stuffed animals. “I raffle [them] out to students for [earning] an A in my class. I used to play claw machines before the pandemic, but now they come from Costco. The students use them as emotional support plushies during tests and quizzes. I just love how cute they are. My favorite is a stuffed owl. She’s quite a hoot.”

Yes, Mr. Phan loves a good pun and is known for joking with his students. “[Mater Dei] students are very polite, and they even laugh at my jokes when they’re terrible,” he said.

A former adjunct faculty member at Cal State University, Fullerton, Mr. Phan has been teaching at Mater Dei since 2014 and shared that he enjoys his students and collaborating with his colleagues. “At most schools there’s only one physics teacher. Having a person to bounce ideas off and push me to improve is a real bonus.”

Mr. Phan said that he appreciates the consistency of physics. He’s even found a way to incorporate stuffed animals and forces together, which is a fun and memorable way for students to learn. On a more serious note, Mr. Phan said, “I love changing students’ mind about not being a ‘physics’ person. They come in not knowing what to expect and thinking they can’t do it but changing that perspective and thought process is the greatest joy in teaching for me.”

In addition to shaping the minds of young Monarchs, we can also be grateful to Mr. Phan for serving our

country. With plans to become a doctor, he served three and half years as a Navy corpsman and was assigned to CVN-74, the John C. Stennis, in Bremerton, Washington. However, due to lack of volunteers on the ground at the time, Mr. Phan moved to train and then serve three tours in Iraq with the United States Marines. He sustained an injury during his third tour and was medically discharged.

After taking some time off to heal and travel, Mr. Phan decided that teaching physics was his calling. “It reminded me of the better times in my life when if you did everything right, things end up alright. I don’t regret my time served, but it is not something I remember too fondly.”

Outside of the classroom, Mr. Phan enjoys spending time with wife as well as playing chess, computer and board games, and Dungeons and Dragons. He is still quite fond of claw machines and is excited for the pandemic restrictions lifting so he can get back in action. “My physics education actually helps me in this endeavor,” he said.

Always thinking about how he can entertain and educate his students, Mr. Phan said “I also research and write dad jokes to tell as part of my daily lesson plans. I am the biggest stereotypical physics teacher. My favorite icebreaker is telling people they can’t greet me at an airport. [It’s] usually bad to say ‘hi, Jack’ there. Also, for most people, I am their biggest Phan.”

Mr. Phan offering an engaging lesson while a squishmallow hides in the background.