At the school where I am the computer skills teacher, the students in 
one of the science classes were doing projects on the chemical elements. 
  Each student was assigned a chemical element, and told to research 
that element on-line and in the school library.

The student who drew the element mercury thought it would be nifty to 
have samples of the element in his project.  As I understand things, his 
father works in a field where mercury switches (which are little glass 
bulbs with mercury and wires in them) are used.  This youth brought 
several of these to class, almost certainly without his father's permission.

Some of these little capsules were broken in the school building, 
resulting in mercury contamination in one of the boys' bathrooms, the 
locker room, and my classroom.

Resultantly, a HAZMAT team was in the school today, tearing up the 
carpeting in my room, and doing their work in the other places as well. 
  My classes were relocated to another room, where the air conditioner 
was off.  Although this is middle October, this is also central 
Florida[1], so the room was uncomfortably warm.  The systems on which 
the educational software is installed are still in the room being 
decontaminated, so the students participated in their Accelerated 
Reading program for the day.  They sit and read for half an hour.  Most 
of them hate it.

The kid who brought the stuff to school was suspended for two days, and 
I was asked why I didn't notice kids playing with mercury in my room, by 
people who seem to have forgotten that if kids really want to hide 
something from the teacher, it requires Superman's X-Ray vision to catch 
them.

So, life at school sucked this week.  How's life for you?

Regards,
John

[1] Yes, those of you who live near The Villages in Florida may have 
seen this on the news.

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John VanSickle wrote:

> [1] Yes, those of you who live near The Villages in Florida may have 
> seen this on the news.

When I was at school, the teacher *showed* us a bottle of mercury from 
the chemicals cupboard.

Yes, it probably shouldn't have a disintegrated cork for a lid. Still, 
metalic mercury is quite harmless. It's the oxide you want to worry 
about. What that...? Oh... Yes, it does oxidize quite well in air.

Apparently the school was "probably not supposed to keep this stuff any 
more". Whatever. I was *far* more concerned by the bottle at the back 
labelled "WARNING: Explosive when dry" containing an amorphus dry powder...

We also got to watch the teacher play with some sodium in a big water 
thank. And then us students got to play with some... magnisium ribbon. 
(Trust me, soaking magnisium in water isn't nearly so interesting. After 
an hour, a few bubbles had formed...)

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Hey John, you're only about an hour away from me (Orlando).  I can definitely imagine
how
uncomfortable it was with a bunch of people all huddled together in a room with no AC.
 Not nice.  

So, how long before you can get back into your old classroom?

Post a reply to this message

Kyle wrote:
> Hey John, you're only about an hour away from me (Orlando).  I can definitely
imagine how
> uncomfortable it was with a bunch of people all huddled together in a room with no
AC.  Not nice.  
> 
> So, how long before you can get back into your old classroom?

Random survey: how other many people in here are in the Orlando area? 
It's come up a few times before, I just don't remember whoall's around.

-- 
Tim Cook
http://home.bellsouth.net/p/PWP-empyrean

-----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK-----
Version: 3.12
GFA dpu- s: a?-- C++(++++) U P? L E--- W++(+++)>$
N++ o? K- w(+) O? M-(--) V? PS+(+++) PE(--) Y(--)
PGP-(--) t* 5++>+++++ X+ R* tv+ b++(+++) DI
D++(---) G(++) e*>++ h+ !r--- !y--
------END GEEK CODE BLOCK------

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Orchid XP v7 wrote:
> thank. And then us students got to play with some... magnisium ribbon. 
> (Trust me, soaking magnisium in water isn't nearly so interesting. 

He gave you magnesium ribbon and you soaked it in water instead of fire? 
No wonder you thoguht it was boring.

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     Remember the good old days, when we
     used to complain about cryptography
     being export-restricted?

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"Tim Cook" <z99### [at] bellsouthnet> wrote in message
news:47192547@news.povray.org...
> Kyle wrote:
> > Hey John, you're only about an hour away from me (Orlando).  I can
definitely imagine how
> > uncomfortable it was with a bunch of people all huddled together in a
room with no AC.  Not nice.
> >
> > So, how long before you can get back into your old classroom?
>
> Random survey: how other many people in here are in the Orlando area?
> It's come up a few times before, I just don't remember whoall's around.
>

Use to be a few ... *gulp*... 5 years ago.

oh how time flies.

Post a reply to this message

Kyle wrote:
> Hey John, you're only about an hour away from me (Orlando).  I can definitely
imagine how
> uncomfortable it was with a bunch of people all huddled together in a room with no
AC.  Not nice.  
> 
> So, how long before you can get back into your old classroom?

I'm hoping for Monday.  The HAZMAT guys took up the carpet today.

This whole mess is costing the school upwards of ten grand, and probably 
more.

Regards,
John

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In my high school chemistry class, the teacher showed us sodium in water 
- small sample, so it just fizzed and shot around the tank a bit.

The teacher in the next classroom (which shared a storeroom with our 
classroom), though, was not thought of as being the brightest bulb in the 
package; he took a piece that was significantly larger and dropped it in 
for his class.  It exploded with a very loud "bang", and there was 
smoke...

Friend of mine was in the class when he did that.

Jim

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John VanSickle wrote:
> I'm hoping for Monday.  The HAZMAT guys took up the carpet today.
> This whole mess is costing the school upwards of ten grand, and probably 
> more.

Seems a bit much for something that 20 years ago you could buy at radio 
shack for like a quarter.

-- 
   Darren New / San Diego, CA, USA (PST)
     Remember the good old days, when we
     used to complain about cryptography
     being export-restricted?

Post a reply to this message

>> I'm hoping for Monday.  The HAZMAT guys took up the carpet today.
>> This whole mess is costing the school upwards of ten grand, and probably 
>> more.
>
> Seems a bit much for something that 20 years ago you could buy at radio 
> shack for like a quarter.

I spilled a pound of the stuff once and swept it up an dumped it back in
its bottle, and I'm hardly insane at all.

I heard they did the same thing for a broken CFL somewhere or other,
with hazmat and everything. People need to toughen up.

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