While I have a number of interests in physics, my primary career goal is to focus on physics education. I have spent several years teaching high school physics, and am looking to eventually find myself at a top-notch private school or a liberal arts college.
Regrettably, most of these positions require Ph.D.'s in physics. On the bright side, I like physics enough to do a Ph.D., and I'm smart enough for it too

So I am looking for a Ph.D. program that recognizes that my passion is teaching. Of course I'll take the classes, and I'll even write a thesis, but wouldn't it be amazing if my thesis was on effectiveness of teaching approaches in graduate physics classes? I thought so. Given that this isn't terribly realistic, I'll take a place with a laid-back atmosphere and a commitment to decent teaching. Research interests are flexible; chaos theory is pretty sweet; so is GR.
If any of you would happen to have a lead here, I would much appreciate it. Prestige/etc. level of the school is not important -- while I have reasonable grades from a good school, 970pgre, etc. I am much more interested in having an enjoyable 5-6 years of life than a more prestigious diploma.
Oh, and application deadlines that are not today are a bonus
