Day 106

Today was all about machines. In the O, L, and S sections we covered all of the ways that machines make work easier--changing the direction of force, changing the distance the force operates, and/or changing the magnitude of the force. We played the Scottie Pippen Homework Game, but for the O and L sections it is getting very old for me--so many of the students simply either do not do their homework, or they put little or no effort into getting the information from the book.

My goal with homework is to have students learn to access the information on their own, before we discuss the concepts in class. That is how it works. For some students, who take the homework seriously, their comprehension is strong. When they don't understand something, they are more attuned during class to make sure they learn that item. They can ask appropriate questions. Too often, though, students don't take ownership of the information. They give up before they try to really answer the questions. I wish I had an answer for how to motivate students more.

In the W section we completed the levers and work lab. In this lab a meter stick is used to balance weights, and the distances that they balance is compared. It turns out the the work for each side must be the same, so that the distance x the weight on side a equals the distance x the weight on side b. Amazing, I think, that it works out so well. These students did well at the lab and finished with time to spare.

Sweet justice.

Day 105

Today was an early dismissal, PSSA 8th grade writing day, and for me, tour day at Three Mile Island. For me, it was a dream come true, a chance to see from the inside how a nuclear reactor works, and to see such a historic place like Three Mile Island was amazing. Mr. K-rebs, Mr. Neumann, and Mr. Neumann's student teacher got to tour both reactor 1, the reactor currently in operation, and reactor 2, where the accident from 1979 happened.

First, the people at TMI are awesome. Sarah Moody's mother is the human resources director and she hooked us up with this awesome tour. The security was the first thing I noticed, with guards carrying semi-automatic weapons, secure areas with razor wire and gun towers. Once inside, we got to see the turbine (pronounced turban) room, the generator, the steam pipes (which operate at 1000 psi), and most amazing of all, the control room. We actually got to go into the control room for a couple of minutes. This is an incredibly secure area--the concerns for terrorism are very high--and there is no way in except through the tour we got.

Perhaps most amazing of all was the tour we got of reactor 2. On March 28, 1979 at 4:00 am a faulty valve stuck open and through a series of events the reactor core was allowed to overheat. Though no one was hurt, the nuclear industry was changed forever. It was an event that shook the entire world, and from what our guides told us, shook the industry for the good. Now, so much training goes on that a similar incident is near to impossible. We stood in the control room where it all happened; I saw the valve itself. It was eerie, very unlike museums I have been in where I see something, where I feel very removed from it.

As we left, I felt so thankful that I got this great opportunity. The weather was getting bad so we left before we had a chance to eat lunch, but it did not diminish my feelings that this was the best field trip I have ever been on. My hope is to bring in a guest speaker from TMI who can share insights about the industry and perhaps encourage some of my students to consider a career in nuclear science. With concerns for global warming, this is an industry that is going to be very important to us to curb our reliance on fossil fuels.

We took a picture in the control room that I will post as soon as I get it.

Very very sweet justice.