Picture yourself at the end of the school year ... You are punch-drunk from having made it through end of course exams, posting final grades, collecting textbooks, and trying to get your classroom packed up for the summer. You are giddy with excitement about the much needed summer break. It's the last day of school and you just want to go home. Every teacher reading this knows this feeling. It is nearly impossible to have the will power to start preparing for NEXT school year on the last day of THIS school year.Fast forward ... Summer is over and you are heading back to school. What are the first, most important things you need to do when you return to your classroom and lab? Perhaps this check list of 18 Must-Do Chores will help get you started.
#1 Not a chore, but a directive! Go back to school a day or two before the other teachers. Head straight to the lab and get it ready for school. Your classroom decorations can wait.
#2 Assess the summer "damage." At my school, every single room is emptied over the summer so that the floors can be stripped, cleaned, and waxed. When the furniture and supplies are returned to the lab, they are never put back where they belong. Your first chore is simply organization. Get the tables, lab stools, boxes, etc., back where they belong.
#3 Assess the "real damage." Check the water faucets at every single lab station because some of them will be leaking. Check each and every gas jet because some students will have stuck their pencils in the end of them, breaking off the pencil tip inside. Set aside the stools and desks that are damaged. Check each electrical outlet. Make a list of everything that requires a fix and move on to #4 right now!
#4 Go find the custodian. In fact, when you arrive on this first day back, bring a plate of cookies for the custodian! We lab teachers require the help of the custodian more than the classroom teachers. Take your neatly written damage list and very sincerely ask for help in getting the repairs completed before students arrive.
#7 Flush your eye wash station. How many of us are diligent about flushing the eye wash weekly, or even monthly? Check out this blog post on the eye wash fountain and safety shower for loads of information.
#8 Flush the safety shower. Read the above referenced blog post about how to properly maintain the safety shower.
#9 Check your fume hood. Click this link to view a great check list from OSHA about the lab fume hood.
#10 On to the safety goggles and sterilizer! How do you handle goggles? Do students have their own set, or do they share them with other students? How are they cleaned and sanitized? Goggles have to be worn, and they must be sterilized. Before students return, be sure to hand-wash all goggles and sanitize them in a properly functioning sterilizer. This blog post will provide you with additional details about lab safety goggles.
#12 Check your First Aid Kit! Take an inventory of the items in your first aid kit. Make a list of items such as band aids, ointments, alcohol wipes, etc., that need to be replaced.
#13 Clean out the lab refrigerator. I guarantee you that someone left their lunch there months ago.
#14 Make sure lab safety aprons are clean and easily accessible as students enter the lab.
#15 Prepare a basic set of lab equipment and store a set at each lab station. This will save you time all year long, and will prevent students from wandering all over the lab looking for equipment. Consider placing the following at each lab station: Bunsen burner and hose, ring stand and rings, wooden test tube rack, graduated cylinder, stirring rod, ruler, stopwatch. Include any other items that you frequently use.
#16 Identify designated areas and put up signs. Where will students place their backpacks as they enter the lab? Where should students place their dirty glassware? Where is chemical waste placed? Where should students wash their hands? Make clear instruction signs, laminate them, and place them in the best location for your lab.
#17 Make a list of supplies you need to order. Make sure that you have the latest catalogs. Throw away the old ones! Determine what supplies you need for the new school year, and get your lab order in to the purchasing department as quickly as possible. The early bird gets the worm!
#18 Plan your lab safety instruction unit. In the very first few days of school you need to teach a lab safety unit to your students. Students need handouts of all lab safety rules. You need to have each student fill out a medical emergency form and have parents sign a lab safety contract.An organized teacher is a happy teacher. Check off the things on this list, and you will be ready for a great school year!
Good luck as you return to school!
