Safety should be lesson No. 1, science teachers say
Before every classroom chemistry demonstration, Karen McFarlane Holman does what she calls a cost-benefit analysis.
Holman, a professor of chemistry at Willamette University, asks herself whether the learning opportunities associated with interactive demonstrations are worth the safety risks.
"We make sure that line is drawn at a place where we are still having students learning, but we feel confident they are safe," she said.
If she decides that they are, then Holman moves forward with the demonstration, but only after considering logistics.
"I think, 'Where are the sprinkler systems? How far away do the students need to be? How am I going to transport the things to the classroom?'"
Teachers, particularly those in the science disciplines, are often faced with the difficult question of how to keep students engaged and excited about the material without risking their safety.
News of the arrest of South Salem High School science teacher Samuel Dufner, 37, spread nationwide Wednesday following an investigation by Salem Police into reports that several students sustained electrical burns on their skin from a Tesla coil during a classroom demonstration.
Dufner was arrested Tuesday on two counts of criminal mistreatment, but the Marion County District Attorney's office said that they would hold off on formal charges pending further investigation.
No students were taken to the hospital or required medical treatment for the burns, which reportedly included symbols and phrases like, "I (heart) mom." Some students told the Statesman Journal that every student who had the marks volunteered to participate in the demonstration.
While the demonstrations and experiments that involve dangerous materials and devices are often popular with students, they can also be the ones that teachers must decide against.
"I would say there are a lot of experiments that are memorable and fun for students that we will not do because they are not safe," Holman said. "That choice is made all the time, actually, in chemistry labs."
Part of Holman's job as a university chemistry professor is outreach to local elementary schools. Demonstrations with younger students require extra thought in terms of safety. If it's a demonstration that involves fire, for example, the class goes outside. One time she called the fire marshal to overlook a demonstration and provide feedback.
"The number of demonstrations I do have actually decreased because of safety concerns," she said.
She described a growing safety-first culture at Willamette, illustrated by the recent hiring of a full-time chemical hygiene officer, who deals with waste and safety.
"It's always been important, but I would say we've made it a priority enough to hire somebody," Holman said.
Hands-on demonstrations are at the core of understanding the natural world, Holman said, but safety is the number one concern.
To ensure that students understand that concept, Holman assesses their knowledge on safety as an introduction to the class. They also teach each other and read about accidents that have happened at other universities to gain perspective on the risks.
Other science teachers agree.
Sylvia Harvey, a chemistry teacher at West Albany High School, offered that safety has always been her main objective.
"I'm modeling my behavior for students all the time," Harvey said. "So I'm not going to walk to the back of the room and do something that I wouldn't want my students to do, because I know they're going to turn around and do it anyway."
Harvey spoke of the difficulty balancing education and entertainment.
"As teachers, we're constantly fighting with entertainment," she said. "Because there's always going to be something cooler on YouTube. But we have to model safe behavior. It's so important."
As far as the Dufner case goes, Harvey said she was abhorred by the teacher's actions.
"I think that was a huge error in judgment," she said. "You have to be thinking about how your students will model your actions."
Dr. Ken Roy, the chief safety compliance adviser for the National Science Teachers Association, said that when it comes to risky demonstrations, safety is key.
"Safety is job number one," Roy said.
Roy, who taught physics for more than 36 years, swears by safety assessments, which involve researching the demonstration and deciding whether the risks are worth taking.
If they are, he advises teachers to test out the demonstration on their own before doing it in the classroom.
"Science is a dangerous thing to deal with," he said. "You can't make it safe, but you can make it safer."
Holman said she aims to strike a balance between fun and safety.
"The balance there is we want children to get excited about science, we want them to remember things, we want to them to be engaged, but we want to be sure they are safe and protected."
jjohnson@StatesmanJournal.com, (503) 399-6714 or follow on Twitter.com @Joce_Johnson1