The No Child Left Behind legislation means that science teachers have more students in their classrooms as well as a more diverse group of students. Teachers are also under pressure to improve their own teaching qualifications. These challenges make this book an absolute must for every high school campus.
Investigating Safely: A Guide for High School Teachers is not like traditional safety manuals, which tend to focus on safety rules, regulations, and lists. By contrast, this book is designed to gives teachers the skills and self-confidence to increase the level of investigations in their classroom. It was written to address specific topics and has a detailed index to help locate information that is specific to the needs of an individual.
The authors try to be positive about safety by listing do's as well as don'ts. The guidelines are logical and consistent: "Safety is more than a set of rules; it's a state of mind," which says exactly what this book is all about. The recommendations given are not only based on physical dangers but also on developmental appropriateness. I love their first safety guideline: "Never assume." Vignettes ("The Savvy Science Teacher") can be found in each chapter, and they relate the chapter topic to a real-life situation and have "Connections" for further reading.
The responsibility of safety instruction is an important part of science instruction. For administrators, special education personnel, paraprofessionals, and maintenance staffs, the book's narrative form will be easy reading. Whether one reads the entire book or portions of it, this book is a must for a campus. It provides all caretakers of the science curriculum with a guide and resource to which they can go with questions about safety on campus.