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Posted by Simon Davies Jul 25, 2007 |
I have been very quiet for a while. In part that was because I was moving from one European country to another, which meant that I was without an Internet connection. I also changed jobs.
Now I work as a Science Technician in a British secondary school. Now I am sure that you can all remember the science technicians at your school – those shadowy figures in lab coats that pottered around in the back of the school laboratory pushing trolleys loaded with ancient instruments mounted on wooden blocks!
What is a Science Technician and what do they do?
Science Technicians are ordinary people with some interest in and knowledge of science. Their sole purpose in life is to help science teachers teach science. When a teacher wants to make an exciting explosion to enthuse their pupils over chemistry, they simply ask the technicians to prepare the dangerous mixture of chemicals and place it in the fume cupboard just before the lesson.
Science teachers are a breed apart. They are passionate about science and live to communicate their passion with generation after generation of children. Unfortunately they have a lack of perspective when safety issues are concerned. Science technicians are the only hope for the prevention of serious damage to school property and pupils. They also have lots of clearing up and washing up to do.
In the last two weeks I have had to deal with apparatus full of chlorine gas in a broken fume cupboard, dodged home made water rockets outside the prep room and washed at least three thousand test tubes! Further stories to follow…