mel jacobson on mon 6 nov 06
from my view, as a teacher...i would
not use barium/manganese in a public school class room.
it would take only one kid to get sick from
anything...anything..flu, whatever, and if
a parent suspects that it was caused by something
in the pottery.
BAM, WHAM.
i am put up against a wall, and shot.
science, evidence, careful cleaning.
nothing counts..but what the parent `thinks and knows` what
has happened.
the world is a funny, strange, blaming place.
that is why i ran away from teaching at 55.
damn glad to be gone.
and that hurts, from one that loves high school kids and
the adventure of learning/teaching.
i have heard from college teachers too...parents call.
grades, too much work, cut back on the homework.
man, i cannot believe that. college...soon
the grad school program will have to admit parents
with the kids.
and those that have never been in the public forum teaching...
remember, it is a tough, hard nosed place. the modern
teacher of art is fighting for her or his life. no help in most
places. it is called, the bottom of the barrel.
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
Lee Love on tue 7 nov 06
On 11/7/06, mel jacobson wrote:
> from my view, as a teacher...i would
> not use barium/manganese in a public school class room.
Mel,
At a Clay Center, I watched a passel of students mixing
up glazes unsupervised for a Raku firing. There was a cloud of
dust in the chemical room that was usually locked, where I saw someone
pouring materials from a bag into the measuring bucket. It was
barium carbonate that someone brought in (none was kept in the
chemical room. Resident artists had to bring it in if they wanted to
use it.) I explained the procedure they should take and that they
should be wearing masks but they wouldn't listen. I told someone in
charge, but nobody cared until the shop manager heard the story.
For people who know what they are doing, if they treat
silca dust with respect, the way they should, which is our #1 health
hazard, they should be able to handle most typical materials. The
problem is with folks who are not taught a craftsman's respect for
their materials.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
http://potters.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
"When we all do better. We ALL do better." -Paul Wellstone
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