My Science Safety Story
It all started when I walked into Science 10 class that very morning – I’m Scarlett Amber by the way, if I didn’t already mention that.
Anyways, I walked into class and took my usual spot on the left side of the classroom near the back as the other kids my age in my class were funnelling in. After everyone was settled down (or as much as “settled down” as we could be for a grade 10 class) our Science 10 teacher, Ms. Marbella started to speak.
“Okay class, so, I’m assuming we all know what to do today.” She started while fixing her round glasses. “As this is a lab day today, if there is anyone wearing any baggy clothes, you’ll have to roll them up. Food goes away and bags or backpacks are at the front of the class along with your phones and EarPods or whatever have you these days.”
As people started to move around, Ms. Marbella continued “I’m hoping that everyone will be making ethical decisions and following the guidelines that are written on the board. Our scientific dilemma today will be the evolution of insured animals: If they are injured, should we replace they’re DNA, give them a vaccine, or just let Mother Naturel takes its course? Should this be legal? Is this right or wrong? Your job today is to make a vaccine for an animal and what it would do. Now obviously, we won’t use it on an animal knowing what some of you do.” She said looking directly at Damon and Alex, the two best friends, the dynamic duo, who always cause havoc in any class.
“After you make your own vaccine as a group, explain your thoughts and your scientific methods, assuming you all remember it, if not, it is on the board.” She said turning to the board behind her. “Report your moral and ethnical findings with a valid answer. Okay, lastly, please use your science mindset, be safe, clean up after yourselves, and you may go off into your groups.”
I looked up on the board to see who’s group I was in, until Damon and Alex came over to my table. “Hey, I think we’re in the same group.” Said Alex, I responded with a head nod, and they both sat down on the table where my book and notes were.
“Okay, so we’ll need a beaker, a thermometer, an iron ring, two pairs of tongs, four test tubes, two test tube claps, a Bunsen burner, a test tube rack, a file, a funnel, a graduated cylinder, two micropipettes, one dropper, four corks, an evaporating dish, an Erlenmeyer flask, a mortar and pestle, a pipet, and a well plate.” I finally said after reading off that incredibly long list. “Sorry, what did you say?” said Damon. “You know what,” I said in frustration “Here.” I tossed Alex and Damon the list that I just read out. “You two go get all of those things on the list, come back, and we’ll start.” They walked away and I started writing down our scientific method. The two boys come back, and I start reading out the instructions, “Okay, first, we’ll need our safety googles on…” I started to say as I looked to see them both swigging their googles around instead of putting them on their heads. Just then, Ms. Marbella started to speak.
“Actually class, I have to leave the classroom for a bit, so why don’t you all talk amongst yourselves, and I’ll be back in about 40 minutes, okay? So don’t do anything while I’m gone, okay? Good.” She nodded her head, then closed the door behind her as she left.
Not even 20 seconds after Ms. Marbella left, the class broke out into complete chaos. People were fighting, laughing, bottle flipping, crashing and breaking glass, playing with chemicals, while I was reading my book happily.
That was of course until I heard a ‘CRASH!’ right beside me. I looked over to see Alex picking up the pieces of a broken beaker (which he probably broke) with his hands! “Woah! Alex, stop! ” I said as quickly as I could while putting down my book, but I was too late: Alex cut his hand and it was bleeding rapidly. “Huh…” Alex started, then I found some pieces of paper towel by the sink and gave it to Alex so he could keep the bleeding under control, “Go wash your hand under the sink and I’ll take care of this.” I told Alex while he was looking in shock at the amount of blood his hand had. I got a broom and dustpan and cleaned up all the glass when I heard someone saying “Oh dude, yeah! Let’s go!”
Then, I turned around and saw Damon shaking a can which looked a lot like a Coca-Cola can, until I realized that it was a bottle with a gas cylinder symbol on it.
BOOM! The can exploded open with white foam all over Damon’s face and the substance went into his eyes! I look around the class in horror to see broken beakers everywhere one the floor along with thermometers, test tubes, an evaporating dish, and so much more glass along with chemicals everywhere all over desks.
I didn’t know what to do, only to lead Damon to the eye wash station in the back of the class and I told him to stay there pushing the button to shoot water into his eyes until he heard my alarm go off after 15 minutes.
I turned away from Damon to find a group of people tossing back and forth a can that read ‘Flammable – Use Extreme Caution’.
“NO!!!” I grabbed the can from midair just as someone was tossing it and slammed it onto Ms. Marabella’s desk. That’s when I decided to stand on the desk and shout at the class.
“Okay, I think we all had some fun, now, let’s take care of this before we all get expelled!” After that statement, the whole class was starring at me in complete silence, and my whole body was shaking with nerves. “How about this,” I started to say with an idea forming in my mind, “if and only if we all clean up well, I’ll bring cookies of everyone tomorrow!” Of course, everyone was cheering, and they started working really hard after that.
Then I started to give out instructions like ‘clean that up’ or ‘replace that’, and ‘no, don’t eat that!’. I also saw Alex about to put into his eyes a bottle which read ‘Corrosive’ on it, and I immediately took that away from him.
I could have sworn that I was taking to kids in kindergarten.
Just as the teacher walked in, most of us were sitting down at our group tables and talking, and the rest of the people standing up were pretending not to be cleaning anything else or putting any chemicals away like myself, I putting away a chemical that read ‘Health Hazard’ on it.
“Well, that’s good to know that no one’s eyebrow’s are missing.” Said Ms. Marbella with a smile on her face. “Anyways, as we were saying before…” she started now with the whole class listening and paying attention to her.
“And what was your hypothesis Ms. Amber?” Ms. Marbella asked me at the end of the lab. “Well,” I said looking at Damon with his puffy red eyes and Alex with is cleaned up hand winking and waving at me all happy-like. “ I think that vaccines are a good idea and all, but sometimes animals should learn to do things on their own. Let Mother Nature take its course, even with a bit of motivation.” I said with a wink back towards the troublesome duo. Ms. Marbella nodded her head in agreement and walked away.
The bell rang 5 minutes later, and everything was back as the way it should be.
We did our lab, nobody is missing an eye or hand or an eyebrow, and we were all safe in the end. Ah, thank goodness I remember everything last year from Science 9, or else that would have been a complete disaster.