Ah, the joy of stepping into the prep room, mixing fresh solutions, setting out lab trays- the anticipation of what the students will make of it all. Will they learn from their mistakes, will they get data that reinforces the concept? Will I have enough time to get everything ready? This last is always foremost in my mind, especially when I am setting up a lab we haven't run before- time consuming to say the least. At a minimum, 30 minutes prep time, then there is the lab time itself. Never lowering your guard, being on alert for safety violations, being at each lab station enough to touch base with each group, while the eyes in the back of your head keep lookout for what is happening at every other station. Exhausting.
Then... the cries of "Oh wow, look at this!" or "Ah, so that's what this means" or " I love doing labs"! (Yes, we also get our fair share of "oops, watch out" or " ooh, I didn't mean to add that...)
This is why we do what we do. This is priceless- seeing the veil lifted, empowering our students, trying out something new and witnessing first hand the thrill of discovery.
Science at its best = NDB :)
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