Anticipation fills the room as the students in Mrs. Post’s Honors Chemistry class prepare to conquer their first chemical lab of the year. Before any of the chemical reactions can occur though, the tenth graders must sit through yet another long lesson about safety. However, Mrs. Post delivers her safety lesson in a way no other teacher can. After reminding her students of the basic safety rules like wearing goggles at all times and tying back long hair, she shares a personal story about the time she chose to ignore chemical safety and the unfortunate effects.
“BOOM!” She exclaims then uses a dramatic pause as she looks around the room at her intrigued students. They sit on the edge of their chairs, anxiously yet excitingly glancing at their classmates as they anticipate the next part of the story. Mrs. Post goes into detail about the explosion and the events that followed, including a trip to the emergency room and a loss of hearing in both ears. She then wraps it up by explaining to her students the moral of her personal anecdote, to always read and carefully follow the instructions. “This is the way you don’t blow up the pool!” She jokes, referencing her story once more before sending them off into their lab groups. “If you rush through this you will blow up the pool.”
The students in lab group one explained how Mrs. Post’s safety lesson has had a bigger impact on them than previous safety lessons they’ve gotten before. The message of the lesson clearly sticks with her students, as sophomore Veer Shah explains how “you always have to follow directions” and “be aware of where certain substances are supposed to go” in order to “not have a giant fiery ball blowing up in your face.”
When asked why she chooses to tell this specific story, Mrs. Post explains that she tells “the pool story because it is a true story that demonstrates how easy it is for an accident to happen.” She wants her students “to realize the importance of reading instructions and following directions” because she is “living with the consequences of [her] carelessness” and she doesn’t wish for any of that to happen to her students. While the event was not a great experience for Mrs. Post herself, it certainly makes for a great lesson of safety.
