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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think Ds' Physics teacher is more than a bit sadistic...

71 replies

wakemeupnow · 11/12/2013 18:44

Ds 15 class did an experiment today . It involved dissolving lots of salt and sugar into water to see how much could be dissolved. He then promised extra points to any students who would drink it. Ds did and felt sick for ages after Angry.

Previously the same teacher after an experiment involving amonia , left the class and told them not to dare smell what was in the sealed test tubes. Of course some of them did and suffered for it...

OP posts:
Original poster
wakemeupnow · 11/12/2013 20:32

Just double checked with Ds. Amonia thing was the teacher having a laugh at their expense as those who did take a sniff got pretty choked up,but no doubt learnt a lesson. The drinking the salt/sugar potion was a challenge posed by the teacher , five kids drank it and they were rewarded with a higher grade Shock

Ds says he likes the teacher who's a bit of a laugh. My instincts are to complain but Ds doesn't want me to Confused

OP posts:
hellokittymania · 11/12/2013 20:34

Goodness, 11 years ago, we had to pee into cups and prick our fingers in anatomy (US high school) and dissect cats!

My class was at 7:10 AM so thank god we were allowed to eat in class, which doubled as a lab.

TheFallenMadonna · 11/12/2013 20:37

A higher grade in what?

Like to see the formative comment on that one...

NotYoMomma · 11/12/2013 20:38

I remember eating an onion in English class! I can not even remember why but everyone had a bite of this massive onion!!!

no one died and we are all pretty amused and had a fun class

sometimes stuff like this is fun, obv it is a shame he felt sick but as a one off. he didnt force him to drink it

Original poster
wakemeupnow · 11/12/2013 20:38

higher grade in being gullible....

OP posts:
Bunbaker · 11/12/2013 20:43

"Massive Health and Safety issues here, aside from the drinking salty water thing."

My thoughts entirely. She says, fresh from a health and safety in schools training course. This teacher is being extremely irresponsible

EndoplasmicReticulum · 11/12/2013 20:47

Yes, I remember playing with mercury. My mad science teacher demonstrated circuits by taking us all to play with an electric fence.

Not any more though. This is not necessarily a bad thing.

Salmotrutta · 11/12/2013 20:49

I wasn't being entirely serious with the H&S gone mad comment Grin

EndoplasmicReticulum · 11/12/2013 21:10

Yes Salmo I realised that. Sometimes H&S is a bit crazy. The latest CLEAPPS bulletin warns us that we should not be considering getting a school alpaca because of the potential TB risk.

That's my alpaca plans ruined.

noblegiraffe · 11/12/2013 22:00

What went well: successfully conducted experiment and drew conclusions
Even better if: drank experiment

EndoplasmicReticulum · 11/12/2013 22:11

First rule of chemistry is never lick the spoon.

defineme · 11/12/2013 22:15

I'd email school about that -it's ill advised to say the least. My ds has asd and is in mixed ability science-he would absolutely drink it and he would be very upset if he felt sick!

Salmotrutta · 11/12/2013 22:20

Grin at the Alpaca Predicament!

define - I personally have never met a teacher who would behave like the one in the OP and I'm hoping that this is a case of teenage exaggeration and embellishment!

MrsCakesPremonition · 11/12/2013 22:24

We used to be allowed to take a soft-toy mascot into school on the last day of term (many, many years ago). Our physics teacher snaffled one 11yo's precious toy, demonstrated how to do a hangman's knot and executed it from the blackboard - and not in a funny way.

EllenJanesthickerknickers · 11/12/2013 23:26

I'm a science technician. I don't have a dishwasher! Sad Envy

We do do blind tasting of acids, though. Orange juice, cola, lemon juice, vinegar, salt water, sugar water etc. Using straws and plastic cups rather than beakers though.

bumpybecky · 11/12/2013 23:37

I'm a school science technician too and I do have a dishwasher! :)

I wouldn't drink from any of our glassware. But I do put my tea mug through the dishwasher in the same load as other chemically glassware...

ABitterPIL · 11/12/2013 23:48

If there were 5 of them can we assume it was a mouthful rather than a beaker each. I bet the cless remembered the lesson. Like when my chem teacher told a boy to be really careful with a small dish of ethyl alcohol as it would burn him teacher then "accidentally" knocked his hand.....

Original poster
wakemeupnow · 12/12/2013 09:10

Apparently according to Ds the beakers were clean because they washed them out themselves before the experiment...
The physics and chemistry teacher are the same person so I guess it was actually a Chemistry lesson. I'm sure it was a lesson well learnt , but I was a bit Shock when he told me.

When I was at school it was the PE teachers who were really sadistic. We spent a lesson once queing up, getting into our PE kit, getting undressed and into shower then dressed, queing up again... over and over again for 2 hours !

OP posts:
hackmum · 12/12/2013 09:15

I think I would write a polite letter to the school questioning what has happened - say this is your understanding of what happened, you're not sure it's true, can they confirm it happened, and does the head share your concern that encouraging kids to drink salt water is probably not a good idea?

curlew · 12/12/2013 09:20

I think some people need to look up the meaning of the word "sadistic"

I also think that the issue that concerns me here is the teacher leaving the class unattended in a lab with equipment and chemicals out. I would be pretty sceptical that that actually happened- but if it did, I would be taking it up with the school.

Original poster
wakemeupnow · 12/12/2013 09:44

Maybe "sadistic" is a bit extreme... Though encouraging kids to do stuff that will make them suffer, even mildly, is pretty sick IMO..

DS is an honest kid and I'm sure he didn't make this up. The teacher is clearly lacking in common sense and health and safety, but Ds likes him and I don't want to create problems with the head. I will definitely be bringing it up with the teacher at the next parents evening.

OP posts:
curlew · 12/12/2013 09:48

He's 15, OP- drinking a bit of salty water isn't going to make him "suffer"! And if he doesn't already know that it wouldn't be a particularly pleasant thing to do, then maybe it's time he did? Hasn't he ever swum in the sea?

Anyway, I would raise the thing about leaving them unattended now and just laugh off the other thing.

Takver · 12/12/2013 09:51

Am I the only person who wants to know more about the alpaca???

Floggingmolly · 12/12/2013 09:53

You can make your own version of Dyoralite; it's just equal parts salt and sugar. I can't believe it's actually poisonous.

Branleuse · 12/12/2013 09:58

overreaction. He sounds like a good teacher whos got the children interested