WAR: Teacher Allegedly Gave Bomb-Making Lesson

A Florida high school chemistry has been arrested after students alleged he gave step by step instructions on how to make a bomb. David Pieski, 42, according to students even mentioned using a electric detonator to help stay clear of the blast. The arrest warrant also indicated that a student used the lecture to explode his own device on a golf course which was videotaped.



You have to wonder what exactly this guy was thinking. i can just see the outline in his lesson plan. From 12-2 today, bomb making 101. The teacher claims that this was to show the reaction rate of the chemicals, and I love to see teachers using applied science instead of abstract ramblings on a chalkboard, but bomb making?

step one: obtain enough material to produce the desired amount of explosive force.

step two: obtain a suitable container to collect this material in

step three: obtain the appropriate length of fuse [sold cheaply on the internet by fireworks companies]

step four:

we all did it as kids, with mixed results.








look, if you want to deny young people the knowledge to make bombs then you want to defeat the entire purpose of setting up schools in the first place, which is to facilitate learning. teaching research skills is a big part of that facilitation....so, anyone with intermediate level chemical knowledge could build a bomb, or fifty bombs, with just a little self-guided research [timers are not exactly advanced technological devices].

i don't think the safety speech was omitted in that classroom "kids, don't try this at home" so what is so terrible about this little incident?

let's worry about something else.

[edit on 16-2-2005 by victor was right]

look information like "how to make a bomb" can be found all over the damn place, but it shouldn't be found in schools. I am not worried about the terrorists, but more of dumb kids who could seriously hurt themselves and others just "experimenting".

and as to the teacher's excuse, couldn't he have come up with a simpler or alternative method to show the breakdown of chemicals??

I only what wonder what would've happened to me. As an undergraduate, I wrote a chemistry paper on how to make TNT.

IMO, anything that gets students interested in chemistry is fine as long as no one gets hurt. My General Chem teacher blew stuff up all the time... made class very interesting... that's why I have a degree in (bio)chemistry.

Our Chemistry Teacher did the same back when I was in school. He figured it was a way to get the attention of a bunch of rowdy teenage rednecks without the slightest concern over chemistry.

It worked for me, I passed the class

I hope they remembered to burn his copy of the CRC Handbook. Always good to see them dumbing down the future.

The problem as the inital report infers, a student took the lesson built a device and detonated it on a golf course. Apparently the teacher "reviewed the footage" and gave it a thumbs up. How was that okay?

Considering all the violence in schools these days I do not think a teacher should be teaching kids how to make bombs. Besides he had been told no explosives were allowed in the schools.

you can make explosives from common things found in all chemistry classrooms. Getting it into the school would have been no problem.

What is all of the violence in schools? Yes violence occurs as it does in most places in society. But, having now taught in several different schools ranging from rural to suburb to inner city I don't see quite the emergency level of violence that seems to be the common perception. There was a string of horrific events that occured a few years ago that pushed us into this zero tolerence mentality, but it almost follows the old adage that you never hear about the planes that land safely. You never hear about the thousands of schools that have no more violence then the occasional fight. I mean, its to the point that the school I go to no longer provides those little flimsy plastic picnic knives in the caferteria because they could be used as weapons. Keeping people safe is one thing and should be observed and there were reforms made that were completely necessary and proper, but sometimes it goes too far.

As far as the bomb thing, mixed feelings. Probably not the smartest thing to do, but I guarantee those students will remember that chemistry lesson. There are uses of explosives beyond vandalism and terrorism. Also, I didn't see how large the explosions were. I mean you can go to most stores and buy fireworks, so if it wasn't anything more then that, its just a cool science experiment.

ON THE OTHER HAND if he was told not to do the experiment by the administrtion as the article say then he was wrong. Finally, even though it may be cool and educational, teaching such things to teens sets up some liability issues that I wouldn't want to incur, as evidenced by the kid going out and trying the experiment on a golf course. So, I've covered every side of the issue and not come to a conclusion lol. Tricky issue.

Materials from which bombs can be made are not just found in the laboratory, but are literally everywhere. Burn the CRC? I hope not. I think it's ironic that this gent taught at "Freedom" high school. Ah, yet another oxymoron I suppose. I haven't seen his lesson plan, but doubt he had any sinister intent in presenting this class to high school chem students.

There's worse things than teaching kids to make bombs..like for example teaching kids to trust politicians.

I would rather my kid have the knowledge than not, personally. If my kid is stupid they blow themselves up, if they're smart they stay alive and maybe put the info to use one day. Information is power. It's all in how you use it.

If the citizens ever realize how badly they've been misled, it's going to be guys like that science teacher and those kids who save you all from the detention camps!

Sticking To The Curriculum

I'm pretty sure bomb-making is not on the curriculum for this course, nor is it likely a skill that is required for graduation.

Teaching children how to make bombs is both maliciously irresponsible and a great way to be sued for everything you're worth.

There is little or no moral difference between teaching kids how to make explosive devices and teaching them how to make crystal meth or say, nerve gas, in chemistry class.

For those equating this sort of gross irresponsibility with free speech, would you defend this teacher's “right” to convince his students to commit suicide?

There is plenty of case law on free speech. None of it holds that incitement to commit a crime is protected speech, and bomb-making is a federal felony.

Those confused about free speech and the law in this country would do well to educate themselves about it.

If the charges against David Pieski are true, this guy needs to do some prison time, and should never be permitted near children again.