Summary of O*Net Information and Research Article

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1 Summary of O*Net Information and Research Article We all had to go through biology in high school. It was a required course, or core class, and we had to take it. A typical high school student would sit and zone out while the teacher talks, then cram for tests the night before. The only fun part about science classes were the labs. We, as high school students, didn t care about how long the teacher set up the lab or how much effort goes into preparing them, even if it meant dealing with dangerous chemicals. I am currently studying biology here at the University of North Texas and I plan to either go on into the medical field or to continue into training to be a high school teacher. My paper will be about the health demands associated with being a high school teacher of biology. Being a biology teacher, you must be able to instruct through lectures and discussions as well as perform demonstrations. There are many things that can go wrong during a lab or a demonstration and the teacher needs to stay alert and vigilant at all times. If a student spills a chemical, or even ingests it, the biology teacher needs to know what to do as quickly as possible. For example, if students are required to do a dissection, they are exposed to what could be considered as dangerous equipment. These hazards include exposure to objects that are sharp and chemicals that could be dangerous if ingested (an example would be formaldehyde). The improper disposal of these already dissected animals could also cause harmful effects on the environment. A biology teacher would have to be knowledgeable in how to dispose of it properly. Speaking of disposing environmentally harmful objects, chemicals that are not disposed properly are equally, if not more, dangerous. Even mixing simple solutions that may not harmful have to be disposed of in a certain way. Pouring an unknown liquid down the drain of a sink is most likely not a good idea. The teacher will explain how to dispose of a chemical solution

2 properly. Most of the time, students will be asked to pour it into a chemical waste bottle. The teacher will have to get rid of the bottle according to chemical disposal rules. If the teacher is not knowledgeable about this, students will end up throwing it in the trash or down the sink, which will most likely interact with the city s drinking water or even end up in an aquatic environment somewhere. This job may even require the ability to manage stress, accept criticism and deal calmly and effectively with highly stress situations. Once again, if there is an emergency or a student who needs disciplining, the teacher will have to know how to handle the situation properly which can sometimes result in stress and stressful situations. Being a biology teacher can be a huge occupational risk if they aren t aware of what they are doing. It takes a lot of knowledge and skill to be able to handle situations in this job appropriately. Interview I had the pleasure of interviewing Mrs. Robin Phariss on Wednesday, March 27, 2013 at 5:30 p.m. She is employed at Decatur High School, located in Decatur, Texas. She teaches regular biology, honors biology (both classes offered for freshmen only) and anatomy and physiology (a senior level course). I had her as my Pre- AP biology teacher as a freshman and my anatomy and physiology teacher my senior year. She has been a teacher for twenty-eight years. She has had a lot of experience in this field and feels as though she is very comfortable with this occupation. I asked Mrs. Phariss various questions, which I will record in this paper in a question and answer format.

3 Q: I assume that in this occupation, the most dangerous part is doing the labs. Is this right? A: Yes, labs can sometimes be dangerous, according to what instruments are being used and what chemicals are involved. Q: Have you ever performed a lab or demonstration in front of the class where something went wrong? A: Yes! One time I was doing a distillation lab and it involved lighting a bunson burner. I was just starting out as a teacher and I was a little careless at the time. In between classes, I used to brush my hair, hairspray it, put on perfume I wanted to look good throughout the whole day! But during one of my classes, the hairspray in my hair reacted with the bunson burner and the air exploded with fire! It was after that I learned my lesson and knew not to wear flammable things around the bunson burner. I was lucky my hair didn t catch on fire! Q: So what are safety rules to keep in mind during labs? (After I ask this, she pulls out an old safety lab contract she makes students sign) A: There are a lot of rules, but here are the most important ones. 1. Always wear a lab apron and safety goggles. They protect your body and clothes from harmful substances. 2. Do not wear contact lenses in the lab. If they become contaminated with a chemical, they will do more damage to your eyes than if you were not wearing them in the first place. The eye wash station cannot wash out damaged contacts.

4 3. Avoid wearing inappropriate clothing during labs. Long necklaces, dangling bracelets, loose fitting clothing, and anything else bulky could result in hazards. Long hair should be tied back. Shoes should be enclosed around the foot. 4. Read the entire activity before entering the lab. Make sure you know the safety procedures. 5. Always heed safety symbols and cautions in the instructions for the experiments. 6. Report all accidents to the teacher immediately, no matter how minor. 7. Stay alert while in the lab, and proceed with caution. Horseplay in the lab is very dangerous. 8. Never taste chemicals. Do not touch them or allow them to come in contact areas of bare skin. 9. Use extreme caution when working with hot plates or other heating devices. 10. Always clean your station and thoroughly wash your hands after each experiment. 11. Do not perform experiments that are unauthorized. Always ask your teacher s permission. 12. Do not enter or work in the storeroom unless supervised by the teacher. Q: How do you dispose of dangerous chemicals? A: Normally, we work with chemicals that can be diluted with water and then flushed down the sink. But if we re working with chemicals that are dangerous or animals that we have already dissected, Region 11 will come and dispose of them in the proper manner. Until then, they are normally kept underneath the fume hood inside the classroom, under lock and key.

5 Q: Do you have problems with students having accidents or playing around? A: No, not really. But as the teacher, you need to really enforce who s doing what in the lab. When a certain person does a particular job, it makes everything easier than each person trying to use the same tools. Experiments usually run more smoothly this way. Q: What is the stress level like in this job? A: Well, in this high school, teachers have eight periods a day. One period is a conference period and the other seven are lectures. We work 6 days per week, and a lot of us stay after school until maybe five or six o clock. Needless to say, we don t have very much free time. Papers need to be graded, students demand re-tests and extra credit. but they don t realize that it s hard for us to make time for everything. The fact that we have also just recently gone through budget cuts does not help either. We are expected to teach more than one subject, monitor various student activities and occasions, and get everything done in time! Most teachers get around six to seven hours of sleep each night. I know I m sleep deprived. It s hard, but there are also a lot of rewarding aspects too. Q: How often are you on the computer, typing up tests or grading? A: Well, a lot of assignments are becoming online assignments. As this world embraces technology, books and pencils tend to disappear. I am up until midnight almost every night typing on the computer. I sometimes go to bed with migraines and my eyes are really tired and sore. Sometimes, my wrists and fingers even hurt.

6 Q: What are the top three skills that you feel are the most important when being a biology teacher? A: Well, first and most important of all, a teacher needs to know the content really well. You need to know how to present the information to the students so that they can receive it at a level that they understand. Second of all, you have to know how to generate discussion amongst the students; ask them questions to make them respond. Last, make sure you are organized. With a limited amount of free time, it is easy to just throw all the papers on your desk. But if you don t maintain organization, papers get lost and ungraded and it takes a long time to sort them back. It adds greatly to the stress of this job. Experience After interviewing Mrs. Phariss, she allowed me to wear a lab apron that is used in the class to protect clothing. I also was able to wear a pair of her goggles. I have worn safety gear like this before in various lab classes I ve taken throughout high school and college, so I was familiar with safety gear as well as lab safety. In her room, she has various models of skeletons (yes, she has more than one) and models of other body parts. I was able to study each of them to gain knowledge and experience. At one point, she allowed me to teach her what I learned from studying all of the models as well as a lesson she had written on the board. Here is a picture of me with one of the musculatory models:

7 I also was able to learn about the genetics of cancer. She let me borrow her computer to come up with a small lesson plan to teach both her and my friend who volunteered to let me teach him. Here is a picture of me teaching my lesson plan:

8 Personal Reflections Doing this project has taught me a great deal about what it takes to be a teacher of biology. It allows me to not only have more sympathy for my past and present teachers, but to really understand what I would be doing if I chose to continue in this study of biology here at UNT. I ve learned that it takes hard work, dedication, and a love for doing what you do. I know it s very hard to be in a profession where you doing love your job. And it sounds like if you didn t love being a teacher, teaching would indeed be a lot more stressful than it is normally. Something that really surprised me in the teaching career is the amount of free time you don t have. I thought all you had to do was teach during the school day with holidays off. But in reality, teachers spend more time at the school than students do. If that weren t bad enough, they even have teacher work days where they have to grade papers and set up lessons. It s basically a full day of conference periods. Teachers don t get as much time relaxing or time with family like students do. It s a difficult job that requires a lot of time at school and even more time grading and thinking about lessons at home. This project has been an eye opening experience to me. Not only do I appreciate everything teachers have to do, I can definitely see myself teaching one day. After I presented the lesson plan that I wrote myself, I felt accomplished and that I succeeded in teaching a difficult lesson. It was rewarding to see my previous biology teacher smile and tell me that I would make a great teacher.

9 Sources "Health and Safety in the Workplace." AFT. American Federation of Teachers, n.d. Web. 29 Mar " Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education." Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Mar I was unable to find any research papers about teachers and occupational hazards in books. However, I did find an online article that used. I hope this will suffice.