--20cf307ca4be9f34a804b4232230
 
All,

I followed the Minnesota HS (junior high) story because it is a Minneapolis
suburban school close to home.  Both reports on the DCHAS-L are the same
incident.  Both the reports on TV had interviews with the student who was
hospitalized with facial, neck and  hand burns.  This student looked and
spoke more like an senior in high school than a 9th grade student.  The
student was released from the hospital the following weekend.  Both the TV
stations had follow-up reports with the principal of the school and the
family.

If you googled the story on the Maple Grove Junior High explosion, one TV
report showed the experiment properly performed on YouTube and both had the
interview with the student at the hospital.  Like most early reports on any
tragic accident (auto, fire, assault) the details are mostly from people
who were there since no professional investigations are ever concluded
before the newspapers and TV reports are public.  In defense of the TV
reporters, at least they had the YouTube video and spoke with the student
directly and not students who were not in the classroom.  The newspaper
(Minneapolis StarTribune and St Paul Pioneer Press) were less detailed.

The teacher in this case is on paid administrative leave until the
investigations are concluded.

Heather
-- 
Heather McCollor
Laboratory Materials Supervisor
Macalester College
1600 Grand Ave
St Paul, MN  55105
651-696-6484

NAOSMM president July 2011-July 2013

On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 7:09 PM, Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health
and Safety  wrote:

From: "Baker, Charles" 
Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (13 articles)
Date: December 14, 2011 3:29:28 PM EST
To: DCHAS-L 
First: Please note that my comments are not intended to be critical of the
DCHAS-L summary or editor collecting and reporting these headline notes.
Thank you for these!

As a HS science teacher, I was most interested in drawing attention to
high school/public school lab accidents and safety from two recent
Minnesota summaries.

Second: After a second and third read, I think that a little more research
might reveal the two lab articles are =91stories=92 from two different TV-news
outlets and may have originated from the same classroom =93explosion=94
somewhere in Minnesota. By stories, I intend that both reports show a lack
of understanding and general science background. Whether these stories are
also confused by the actual journalism, or at least by the twist that any
news communication can suffer to fit a TV-news/entertainment format =85 I
suspect some of the misunderstandable presentation is further confused by
the choice of sensational descriptors, rather than clear, direct reporting.
I am sure both were confusing for our editor to excerpt.

Third: The issue is safety, and safety is mentioned in the article
excerpts and quotations from HS instructors, though it is unclear if it is
the same instructor(s) implicated in the newsworthy demonstration. I began
teaching twenty years ago, and the first seminar, early on, emphasized the
=93prudent [hu]man=94 as the model against which I would be pitched in court if
I were ever to have a demonstration or lab result in classroom danger. To
some extent, many or most school science activities can be of danger (given
the inventiveness of teenagers), but our determination is to exercise our
skill and training to make this appear and actually be =93prudent=94 for the
benefit of education.

I don=92t know whether we as elder instructors or the younger teachers, whom
we can doubt the same soundness of thought that age has earned, are the
worse for temptations to =93WOW=94 the HS students with hope of turning them to
a life of science.

My experience has been that the older of us more often have the =91pet=92demo
or two that we have performed =91safely=92 all our career, such as: bubbling
propane, tubed from the gas jets through dish-detergent water, producing a
foam. Carrying the suds up above the sink, ignition will make an impressive
flame all around the arms as the suds run down hands and bare arms =96 asif
advertising a preferred dish-detergent. Of course, it is almost as
impressive lighting your home faucet in a fracking zone, but many of us
fail in having a clear educational or instructional, =93prudent=94 purpose.
[No, it=92s not mine; yes, I was astonished of even suggesting such an idea
to teens. =85 and yes, I wonder what demos I do that astonish =93prudent=94
others?]

I am sure all such events, even those demonstrating important
instructional principles, run well, year after year, until they don=92t  =85
just once. Then we all hear about it in such headlines, and all are
responsible to second guess whether we=92ll become the news headlines one
day, appearing so obviously im-prudent, no matter how our reason and
rationalizing had until that moment convinced us. Sorry to get carried on
with this; ever in the back of the science instructor=92s mind.

Charlie Baker, Quilcene High School - Sciences
--20cf307ca4be9f34a804b4232230
 
All, 

I followed the Minnesota HS (junior high) story because it is a Minneapolis suburban school close to home.  Both reports on the DCHAS-Lare the same incident.  Both the reports on TV had interviews with the student who was hospitalized with facial, neck and  hand burns.  This student looked and spoke more like an senior in high school than a 9th grade student.  The student was released from the hospital the following weekend.  Both the TV stations had follow-up reports with the principal of the school and the family.


If you googled the story on the Maple Grove Junior High explosion, one TV report showed the experiment properly performed on YouTube and both had the interview with the student at the hospital.  Like most early reports on any tragic accident (auto, fire, assault) the details are mostly from people who were there since no professional investigations are ever concludedbefore the newspapers and TV reports are public.  In defense of the TV reporters, at least they had the YouTube video and spoke with the student directly and not students who were not in the classroom.  The newspaper (Minneapolis StarTribune and St Paul Pioneer Press) were less detailed.


The teacher in this case is on paid administrative leave until the investigations are concluded.  

Heather 
-- 
Heather McCollorMacalester College
1600 Grand Ave
651-696-6484

NAOSMM president July 2011-July2013

On Wed, Dec 14, 2011 at 7:09 PM, Secretary, ACS Division of Chemical Health and Safety <secretary**At_Symbol_Here**dchas.org> wrote:

From: "Baker, Charles" <science**At_Symbol_Here**qlsd.wednet.edu>

Subject: RE: [DCHAS-L] Chemical Safety headlines from Google (13 articles)

Date: December 14, 2011 3:29:28 PM EST

To: DCHAS-L <dchas-l**At_Symbol_Here**med.cornell.edu>





First: Please note that my comments are not intended to be critical of the DCHAS-L summary or editor collecting and reporting these headline notes. Thank you for these!



As a HS science teacher, I was most interested in drawing attention to highschool/public school lab accidents and safety from two recent Minnesota summaries.



Second: After a second and third read, I think that a little more research might reveal the two lab articles are =91stories=92 from two different TV-news outlets and may have originated from the same classroom =93explosion=94somewhere in Minnesota. By stories, I intend that both reports show a lackof understanding and general science background. Whether these stories arealso confused by the actual journalism, or at least by the twist that any news communication can suffer to fit a TV-news/entertainment format =85 I suspect some of the misunderstandable presentation is further confused by the choice of sensational descriptors, rather than clear, direct reporting. Iam sure both were confusing for our editor to excerpt.




Third: The issue is safety, and safety is mentioned in the article excerptsand quotations from HS instructors, though it is unclear if it is the sameinstructor(s) implicated in the newsworthy demonstration. I began teachingtwenty years ago, and the first seminar, early on, emphasized the =93prudent [hu]man=94 as the model against which I would be pitched in court if I were ever to have a demonstration or lab result in classroom danger. To someextent, many or most school science activities can be of danger (given theinventiveness of teenagers), but our determination is to exercise our skill and training to make this appear and actually be =93prudent=94 for the benefit of education.




I don=92t know whether we as elder instructors or the younger teachers, whom we can doubt the same soundness of thought that age has earned, are the worse for temptations to =93WOW=94 the HS students with hope of turning themto a life of science.




My experience has been that the older of us more often have the =91pet=92 demo or two that we have performed =91safely=92 all our career, such as: bubbling propane, tubed from the gas jets through dish-detergent water, producing a foam. Carrying the suds up above the sink, ignition will make an impressive flame all around the arms as the suds run down hands and bare arms =96 as if advertising a preferred dish-detergent. Of course, it is almost as impressive lighting your home faucet in a fracking zone, but many of us fail in having a clear educational or instructional, =93prudent=94 purpose. [No, it=92s not mine; yes, I was astonished of even suggesting such an ideato teens. =85 and yes, I wonder what demos I do that astonish =93prudent=94 others?]




I am sure all such events, even those demonstrating important instructionalprinciples, run well, year after year, until they don=92t  =85 just once. Then we all hear about it in such headlines, and all are responsible to second guess whether we=92ll become the news headlines one day, appearing soobviously im-prudent, no matter how our reason and rationalizing had untilthat moment convinced us. Sorry to get carried on with this; ever in the back of the science instructor=92s mind.




Charlie Baker, Quilcene High School - Sciences








--20cf307ca4be9f34a804b4232230--

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