Australia's Science Forum

Does any one know where it is written down that we need ----- hours notice for a experiment. I know I have seen it some where, but for the life of me I just can not find it.

I am trying for 24 hours notice, here, but see other schools say 48 hours.

Thank you

Hi Sue
I have never seen it but I have always said 24 hours notice because that seams to be the norm 48 hours would be great all the time .
I must admit that some of the teachers here give me a weeks notice that is great
It would benice if all teachers stuck to it but this is the real world and I know thats not going to happen
Noona

I thought it might have been written down in our manual, but can't find it. The only thing I can quickly find in on page 26 of "job skills for science assistants":
For these reasons ordering procedures must incorporate the need for advance notice. Negotiate and agree upon the amount of notice with the science staff.
I have always tried to maintain 24 hours, but lately can't even get the new teachers to put an order in writing! I think I'll have to try something stronger than sarcasm.

Hi Pommy,
Because I only work three days a week, My HOD and I asked for a weeks notice, but you can imagine how hard that can be to grasp. I think it should be up to the labbie to determine what is a reasonable time, according to working conditions. As Noona said, in the real world, there will always be teachers that don't "get it". I try to accomodate late notice pracs when I can, but when they see steam coming out of my ears, they know they've pushed their luck too far!!!
Cheers,
Lisa

I have 5 teachers and 3 give me more than 24 hours notice most of the time. The other 2 just come in at the last moment for an order or they help themselves.I then have to go looking for equipment which someone has ordered but taken by the teacher who has'nt put an order in!!!The joys of being a labbie.

Thank chemtalk family, Perhaps it needs to be put in writting in the minutes, or some thing, most teachers are just great, but the odd one or two, say if its in wirtting show me. Some people can be awful!

Doncha just hate that Jaimie! What a waste of time it is!
Lou P.

Our teachers love 24hrs order time. The day before they need anything, they catch me in a corridor or prep room and tell me that they will need ..???...for tomorrow. Cannot remember what peroid or where they will be. As I have 7 teachers and only one brain (without overflow) i just tell them to put it in the book. Yes you guessed it only a few will do it. But I am getting better at saying NO.
Lada

My teachers just love telling me at 3.30pm Friday what they will need period 1 Monday and then telling me that is 48 hours notice - more than the 24 hours required!!

Robbie

My HT and I are trying to educate the teachers about at the very least of 24 hours notice for a prac request. Now it's not perfect but it is better than it was...
At least they have been told that giving me a prac request Friday arvo for monday morning is not on. My Friday afternoons are for cleaning and checking equipment as this is the school sport time.
My HT would prefer to see clean and functional labs rather than a frazzled labbie way behind in maintenance and classes attempting practicals with dirty glassware and broken equipment.
Lou P.

Looking at what is done in our jobs, the minimum requirement must be 48 hours notice.
Why?
We need to organise our day. I try to make sure that all of Wednesday's pracs. are out before I leave Tuesday night. I believe we are all the same with this. To do this, we need to know before Tuesday morning exactly what is required for Wednesday. We should have all of Tuesday to get ready for Wednesday!
Are we required to buy any items? This needs to be done the day before or collected on the morning of the prac. Orders may need to be written, the pracs. discussed with the respective staff and equipment to be sourced or even made!
And all that, is when a day goes well.
Staff need to be stopped accessing other class's equipment/chemicals.
NEVER, NEVER get chemicals prepared in a hurry. It is a health and safety hazard. You must have 48 hours for chemicals. I don't care what those chemicals might be, just respect yourself.
Good luck to you all.
Maree

Thanks for that, Voice. It is obvious that you have sat down and thought about this. I also have problems with staff not ordering. I start work at 7am every day - and I know at 8:15am there is nothing on the Orders board that I have not seen and either finished preparing or in the process of doing it. However, I can go into the Staff room (where the Order board is located) at 8:40am, and there can be up to 2-5 orders for the first 3 periods of that day. It almost brings me to tears. The worst offender is the HT, even though he seems to back me up whenever I say I need at least 24 hours notice.

I say 1 working day is needed for notice (it takes away the Friday Avro notice for Monday Period 1 etc), unless it is something that requires me to order something in especially. Some give me a weeks notice which is good. I give the teachers a fair bit of notice if I will be away (on Union Business or at a Lab. Tech Assocation meeting etc) or leaving early on a particular day so it works both ways. However if I am sick then I am sick

Coxy - I KNOW what you mean ... same situation here...
I have even been told to go out and buy something for a prac for THATperiod!
If students were so unprepared they would be on detention!

Ahhh yes the students would be in all sorts of trouble if they were that unorganized! But the teachers... well teachers are so busy, they work soo much they have so much to prepare it simply isn't possible to organize themselves more than (on a good day) a few hours in advance... That's the excuse that I am getting anyways! Seriously, teachers think they are the most important people in the whole world and that no one else is a busy as they are... its a bloody joke! In the real world you would never get away with being so unorganized, teachers are molly coddled (or what ever the expression is)!

Seriously had it with their winging, from now on it is gonna be tough ass Sass watch out all you teachers I will not put up with you pathetic excuses no more

Sass
PS Wish me luck

Well said sassi

I did not know it was written down any where more that it was a negotiation between labbies and staff. I ask for 3 days for chem pracs but no less than 48 for others in case I need to shop or do prep work (deshelling eggs 70 at a time takes time). If offal is needed then they have to give me at least a week as I need to give the butchers time to get the stuff in. But it is all negotiable to a point.

I think the good old but we have always done it this way or but the labbie before you is a way of manipulation that isn ot on.....things sometimes need to change to make things flow better with less melt downs and so forth. That is getting tried here by one of the science staff memebers who taught science before i got here 2 years ago and now she is back full time in science thinks it should all go back to the old ways cause she is more comfortable with that - which includes her putting pracs in at the last minute and expecting me to put them together now regardless of what is needed ect. (sorry this sounds more of a whinge now huh not any help - sorry )

After all the issues about this here a while back, the relieving H/T sorted it out over a few Faculty meetings when he started last year (bless him!).

I asked for the next day's pracs to be in by Roll call each morning ie. pracs for Tuesday ordered by Monday morning. That gives me at least a full 24hrs notice, and supposed to be more if there are solutions to make up. This is now clearly stated in the minutes.
Of course, it's not a perfect world, so they also know that if they need something in a hurry, I'll always do my best - but that I expect them to come & ask me about it, nicely, and personally(!)and H/T keeps reminding me I have the right to say 'NO'. (What an amazing turn-around!Yay!). It's a much happier place to work, just with that sorted out, and I now feel like a valued member of the team.

I keep this on a piece of paper in the drawer where they put the orders:
This drawer is cleared after Roll Call each day.
Please come and discuss any late prac orders that need to be done for the following day with me in person, so that I am aware of them. Many thanks for your courtesy,

Like Jamie, one of the hardest things to deal with is the ones who help themselves, 'cause it's such a time-waster trying to track it down when you need it.

Science is a huge job, above & beyond preparing pracs. Many teachers do not realise just how much you actually do, and assume you're just there to do their bidding - perhaps you could find a way to show them!

Good Luck, and keep plugging away at it until it works for you - after all, as Richard used to tell me "You're the most important person in the faculty, the Lab Manager. If the Labbie's happy, everyone's happier.'

Wise words....

Talk to your SAM/manager/whoever too, and make sure they see common sense, and are supportive of your needs.

wow liz wow liz, and sassi too, I have printed out both of comments, they are great. Shall take that to the meeting, thank you thank you

I'm with you Sue, wow liz, wow sassi! I also am printing out your comments and taking them to our next faculty meeting (to which I am not usually invited.) Seems like lots of us have this problem. Thanks again for the comments and support.