The Answer - A blog about Education, Preparation, and Commitment.

The first lesson in every great science classroom

August 23, 2010 by Reem Semaan

Walking into classroom 15 at YES Prep Southwest on any given day, one wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary.  Besides the Biology posters on the walls (and the lab tables sized for 3^rdgraders), it looks like just any other portable building classroom.   Four out of five days a week, it is.  One special day a week, however, the wood-paneled classroom transforms into a laboratory where students stretch their brains and explore the ins and outs of the Scientific Method.  Though our Science Department recently received some desperately needed lab supplies, we’re still lacking what many HISD schools take for granted every day.  A single electrical outlet in the classroom may be enough for a Power Point presentation, but it doesn’t go a long way when trying to plug in eight microscopes!  In all honestly though, who really needs a thousand outlets?  It’s not necessarily what the classroom looks like that matters; it’s what you make of it. 

When working in our make-shift (and highly flammable) surroundings, lab safety should be the most essential topic at the beginning of the year.  Students at YES need to know how to correctly handle both themselves and their materials during important (and possibly dangerous) lab days.  This is why YES teachers discuss it within the first week of school.  Although there may be different safety rules depending on the level of science being taught, some of the most important include the following:

• Report all accidents to the teacher, no matter how small
• Make sure that all appropriate lab safety gear is worn:
• Goggles
• Aprons
• Gloves
• Closed-toe shoes
• Know how to locate and use all safety equipment:
• Eye wash station
• Fire extinguisher
• Fire blanket
• Know how to properly handle and depose of:
• Chemicals
• Broken glassware
• Never directly smell lab material – fan it!
• Use equipment only as directed by your teacher
• Always label chemicals/liquids
• When transferring liquid/chemicals from one container to another, always make sure the tops of the containers touch to avoid spills
• Point open containers away from people
• Absolutely no horseplay in the lab
• Absolutely no eating/drinking in the lab
• When in doubt, ask the teacher

Whether you inform the students of all the safety rules yourself, or have them practice on their own – starting the year off with this foundational knowledge means they’re well on their way to a successful school year in the laboratory; just another prime example of doing whatever it takes!

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