Australia's Science Forum

Do your students take equipment and chemicals home during the holidays, to do task's????????????? A new teacher here has asked that 11 senior biology students take some items home to do test's during the holidays.

Thermemeters, filter paper, filter funnels, Universal Indicator. Any one ever done this??????????????????????????

Hey Labbie!
Is that year 11 or 11 students
I would make up a little kit with maybe 3 or 4 filter papers a poly filter funnel, and suggest they collect samples at home and filter them collect bottles at home and number them and bring samples back to school after the Hols and test at school

We have loaned out equipment on a small scale over the years. I sign the equipment out and back in, never had any trouble getting it back so far. I think we may have had a broken thermometer once, but we get that all the time even in the labs, so no big deal.
J

I have not loaned out the equipment,the teachers come in in the holidays to do the pracs with the students if its needed.NO EQUIPMENT OR CHEMICALS GO HOME WITH SUDENTS>>>>OH&S.Otherwise they can wait till next term

Considering that Risk Assessment can also consider the nature of the individuals doing the prac.....I have also loaned out stuff to individuals, based on what it is they want to do and frankly, who they are!

I often require that parents send me a fax or letter stating that they will take responsibility for equipment loaned. This was for a kid to take abiotic readings because she had missed the excursion owing to illness. She borrowed the usual stuff - anenometer, wet/dry thermometer, lux meter etc - but Daddy came and signed for it all. On other occasions, I have loaned our PET plastic filter funnels, flasks etc, for cherubs to collect creek water or whatever. Depends on what they want, and can you spare it, and do you trust them etc!

We loan equipment to students but if broken must pay the price of replacing the equipement.. We mainly do this for our year 10 major project if needed and sometimes for senior students. I think in a smaller school (450) you get to know the kids a bit better so you know who you would and wouldn't lend certain stuff to .

KIMMY

How do you say no when the HT is the teacher telling them to ask you for it? It is his class, his responsibility, I say. I could not believe he wanted his yr 11s to take home our DATA LOGGERS!!! I have seen those kids and wouldn't trust them with anything, but he says it's ok. So, I get the boxes of probes ready and ONE OUT OF 4 turns up to take theirs home. What a waste of time... That was Friday. Still haven't seen the one that went out, but not sure if I should keep the other kits together or put them away. Haven't heard from the kids. Tempted to put them away but then it's just more work when they turn up wanting them with no notice, just like their teacher...

Best way to say "No" to that kind of request is to advise the Bursar (or equivalent) how he/she would like you to sign out a $1000+ piece of equipment to a Yr11 kid, then stand ri-i-i-ight back!

As soon as I wrote that last post I walked out of the staffroom and was met on the way to the prep room by a student (who had forgotten to collect her equipment) saying she had collected her samples and had a double free and could she please do it now!?! She is a lovely student and had genuinely forgotten to stop in on her way to the bus on Friday arvo (she even rang the school when she got home to ask if I was still around so she could come back and get it), so I let her do it in my prep room.

Well, always good to encourage the earnest ones!

I had a doosie today. A student wanted to borrow titration eq. including pipette, burette, pump, chemicals, glassware etc, because HIS mum (not he) wanted him to practice. So I told him NO to doing at home but to come in his free periods, lunch or after or before school. His answer "I dont think I will bother"
Good neither will I.

Lada