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Re: VanderGraaff safety (fwd)



More ideas: Make sure that your liability insurance coverage is increased to the maximum and that the premiums are paid up.

As a physics teacher who has shot off a 22 rifle in class, used the VanDeGraff student chain, exploded hydrogen, etc. I found myself getting more and more conservative as time and law suits against teachers and school districts increased.

It only takes one student with either a slightly messed up pacemaker part of his/her heart or some undiscovered cardiac or neurological deficit to totally mess up a teachers career and life.

I love putting on a good show and entertaining the students. I love it when they leave the room talking about the demo. I love it when new students ask if I am going to do a particular demo that they have heard about for years but as I get older, wiser, and my assets become more vulnerable I have backed off of the ones that could hurt a student. Granted, in 27 years I have only shot 3 holes in ceiling and had only two epileptic fits (not caused by demos, good or bad) in my class but it only takes on student injured or killed and there goes the farm.

Ray Rogoway

--
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep
And I have no more papers in a heap
And in the morning I can sleep
And stroll in those woods so dark and deep.
    r. frosted