The linchpin of most successful teacher preparation programs around the country is the Master Teachers (MT), or Teacher-in-Residence (TIR) – an agent of change who applies classroom wisdom to the tasks of identifying, training, and supporting teachers of physics. The role of a TIR includes recruiting new teachers, supervising field experiences, mentoring pre-service and beginning teachers, teaching methods and content classes, redesigning existing course curricula and developing new courses, redesigning and giving professional development workshops, and giving numerous workshops and presentations at local schools as well as at state, regional, and national meetings.