Delivering gear to labs

[fibreweb]

Hi all,

I now have my broken leg out of plaster and will be returning to work next week for half days only to begin with.
If I was in the office at a desk it would be back full time but as you all know our job is all walking and standing

Our school is very spread out, it's 500 m from my prep room to the furtherest preproom, and then I have to climb 20 odd stairs. It's even 25 metres from the staff rom to the preproom and you can imagine how often I do that each day.

Previously I have prepared all the gear them carried the tote trays to the relevent labs. 3 are close by but there is about 250 metres and 2 flights of stairs to the closest of the other labs.

I have decided that during my recouperation period I will ask the teachers to transport their own trays to the furtherest rooms ( and hopefully, once my ankle is better they will be so used to it it then will become the way things are done)
It's rather difficult using a walking stick whilst carrying a tote tray

What I was wondering is what is the situation in other schools? Do you deliver all the gear right to the respective labs, or prepare the trays and the teachers or students collect them from your prep room and carry them to the labs.

Input would be good for when I try and initiate this on monday, at least I have my sister as one of the science teachers and she is right on my side I also figure I am almost the oldest in the staff room and if they want to keep me for the next 10 years they will have to start looking after me, I will not be able to do all this carrying when I'm 60 odd.

It has been good to keep up with what is going on out there in Labbie land from my home computer. There are quite a number of attatchment, information and advice that I will put to use once I return to work.

Wendy

[kimmy]

First off Wendy hope that you recover well and quickly for your own benifit.

We have two prep rooms and they are situated between the lab areas so when I prepare equipment for experiments I leave the stuff in trays appropriatly labeled on trolleys ready for teachers to just take trolley into labs. I dont take the stuff directly into lab to start off with unless asked to as quiet often the teacher may ask for some thing for period 3 for example and not get to use it so then they will have that stuff just set aside untill they have that class again. I am lucky as we have several trolleys so I can have them set up for the teachers just to roll in and out of class rooms as needed.
If you have trolleys you can probably have you experiments set up on them and the teachers just collect the trolley fro your prep room on way to Lab - just an idea for you Wendy.

All the best and good luck with it all.
How did you do your ancle was it at work or not?

[cactus155]

I am fairly lucky in that we only have 2 science labs and the prep. room is in the middle of them with sliding doors into the labs. I either take them into the labs. or prepare a trolley if I know I am going to be out of the prep. room when the teacher wants the equipment and then they come and collect it. No students allowed to collect equipment

[nickyw]

I deliver the tote boxes to all the labs we have 6 in total and 2 make shift labs if they run out of room depending on student size. 6 of the labs are in one block and the 2 make shift ones are in the next block. Our science block is 2 storey so that means a lot of climbing up and down stairs (good for the legs and butt ) It can get a bit much when you have to deliver 8 microscopes or 8 power packs to the relevant classes but I do it in shifts or I ask the teacher to get students to come and get them and drop them off when they are finished.

I want to wish you all the best Wendy and definately dont over do it, I'm sure your teachers will look after you

[lizzieb]

My main Prep Room is across the corridor from the Staff Room, so most teachers collect their pracs on the way to class.
We have 4 period days, with a break between every class, so I am usually in the Prep Room for any last minute changes, etc. If the tote is heavy, or other cumbersome equipment needed, the teachers send students down for it, or I 'borrow' students to help me carry items. I have arthritis issues, and the teachers these days are more than helpful with getting heavy items upstairs.
I am working (slowly) on having class set of microscopes, etc on both levels so that they don't need to be moved up & down.

[Labbie]

All the very best Wendy. I put our outside orders, two classrooms in two different blocks, both up stairs. I put their orders together in a tray or on a trolley, the trolley is put inside the staff room. And the teachers sends students to pick up the items on the trolley. If it is chemicals or liquids, the teacher takes that him self. Most of the time the students can carry, things like extra power packs, lamps on stands, tapping keys, equipment like that. I believe so long as it is two or more students, they can do this, also so long as the equipment is not too heavy. Text books also , four students come over for the text books. We have been doing this, since last year when I hurt my ankle. Works quite well.

[Jen1]

I get all the gear ready on a trolley and the teacher comes and collects it or sends a student to get the trolley. Like Kimmy I find that sometimes they dont use the equipment on the day that it is ordered, so I wouldnt want to be wasting my time delivering it for no reason.

[dolphinscales]

the teachers here come and get their pracs which if contain more than 2 trays are on trolleys . we are all on one level so no biggie for them really and not very far form their classrooms. The times where i have too many pracs and nt enough trolleys (often) i jsut unload as tehy finish and reload the trolleys for the next group - seems to work at the moment.

best of luck on the leg take care of yourself

[lizzieb]

Good to hear you're putting your foot down over this, Wen - 'cuse the pun, LOL

[Robdean]

Hi there, glad to hear you're on the mend.
I'm in a similar situation here as far as location of labs: 7 on two different levels and in 3 buildings, 4 preps and multiple stores spread out! In days gone by it was all carrying in tote trays and equipment by me and then I began to have back problems. Initially a two level "catering" style trolley was bought which was better than nothing but still an enormous help. Then in 2006 my back went into total spasm and I had great difficulty even walking, sitting and needed help at home for even the basics(leave that to your imagination). Anyway as part of my return to work, a new trolley was custom built (still a little like a Woollies trolley, but a big improvement), little ramps were built over the hobs into prep rooms so I didn't have top "lift" the laden trolley over the hobs each time, and shelves put outside each prep to put gear on so I didn't have to put the trays on the floor, unlock the doors and then lift the trays from the floor. Teachers now also help as much as they can, often carrying trays to the far reaches of the school for me. I am very grateful for their help. It's a shame, though that it took an injury for especially the powers that be to take me seriously - I'd told them I was having problems with my back!!! I'm sure your staff will help as much as they can - never hurts to ask anyway. All the best for your return.
Robyn

[Loopy]

Hi everyone,
I really am lucky as my prep room is in the middle of all six labs. The teachers come and pick up their prac as they need it (I have them ready and on their own individual shelves within the prep room) and then they deliver the tote tray/s back to me at the completion of the prac. I really am amazed at how some of you guys do it! How do you get pracs to rooms in time if there are, say, three pracs at once? Even more frustrating for you if they change their mind at doing a prac on a certain day... Do you people wear your undies on the outside and sport a big "SL" (super labbie) on your chests? . I bow down in deference and respect to you people, I don't know if I could cope!
Lou P.

[coxy]

Hi Wendy,
I prepare all gear and place the trays/tubs in the Prep room closest to each Lab. I never go into classrooms, and never/extremely rarely, set up any apparatus. I have 3 labs upstairs (with a prep room between each) and absolute copy of rooms down 20 stairs. The Science staffroom is about 7 metres from the main prep room, and I do that walk at least 40 times each day. We NEVER let students carry trays, or any equipment anywhere. I sometimes ask teachers to carry a tray to their own classrooms but they rarely think to bring it back! Mostly, everything is left in the nearest prep room to their classes. Good luck.