Physics...fun?'Physics is Fun' - it's a book, a course, a summer school... Physics,with a reputation for hard maths, nonsensical equations and crazy teachers livingwith a permanent bad hair day, yes, PHYSICS IS FUN! Maybe if we say it often enoughour students will believe us. PHYSICS IS FUN! Keep saying it, and try to believeit. But we are scientists, and we have to look at the evidence and acknowledgethe truth: when most people recall the fun times they had at school-how many thinkabout their physics classes? Try asking them.Let's face it - although our studentsenjoy our exciting demonstrations, the well-structured development of conceptsin our classes, and the cooperative and supportive atmosphere of our classroomsand laboratories, even when they find that their physics teachers are the mostkind, considerate and approachable of people, even then, when we've done all wecan to make physics pleasant, fun and exciting, our students have to fathom outphysics... and that can be hard!'Physics isn't fun in the trivial sense, it'shard work: but you get a fantastic sense of achievement when you make progress.' This is my counsel to most young people who come to discuss whether or not toopt for physics. We try our best to make the material accessible and interesting,but at the end of the day, struggling with something that intially you can't do,but eventually you can do, is part of developing in physics. But what about the teachers? November's meeting of physics teachers from across Europe, Physics onStage, featured many of the best innovations in physics teaching from the 22 countrieswhich sent delegations (see News). It is probably no surprise, but we need totake note that the most popular stands, talks and lectures were the ones whichwere most fun. And there is lots of fun to be had doing physics. Whether it istoys, music, poetry, or simply talking about the symmetry in particle physics-themost popular stands, workshops and lectures were those where teachers could enjoythe fun in physics again. Even physics teachers are human!It is so easy to getbogged down in the drudge of everyday teaching and forget the students, let aloneourselves. But if you think back to the good teachers you had at school - weren'tthey the ones who were enjoying themselves, and maybe not perfectly organized. There has to be a moment at which a good teacher says 'I'm going to do this, becauseI want to... it's fun physics!' No other justification is needed. Our new look for 2001 So here is the first issue of the new-look Physics Education - and we sincerelyhope that you enjoy it. The Editorial Board and the publishing team have beenworking hard for the past few months to keep the best of the old format, but tomake a fresher, more user-friendly publication. As incoming Editor I must acknowledgethe excellent work done by Ken Dobson and Jill Membrey, the outgoing team. Itis a tough act to follow, but a challenge I am privileged to undertake. As a physicsteacher I know how difficult it can be to stay inspired and up-to-date, so as Editorof Physics Education I want to support your professional development as much aspossible. Starting with support for student teachers (see Starting Out), throughto teachers in charge of equipment and budgets (see Technical Trimmings and Reviews):we want to share good practice. Finally, let's laugh at ourselves-don't miss SigningOff: a humorous look at physics teaching.I've really enjoyed working on this newformat, and I hope that you enjoy the read. Please give us lots of feedback andsend in your own contributions. I'm very pleased that our first issue has twospecial features: to me they represent the potential and the purpose of physicseducation. Sport is an exciting growth area of science in which increasing numbersof students want to understand the basic laws of motion and the application ofsophisticated technology; and communicating physics - well that's not just fun, it'sfundamental. Editor Dr Kerry Parker