It’s been a pretty bland day so far. You zone out during algebra, struggle through the AP world test, and now you’re tiredly entering chem class. You’re in for a treat- it’s a lab day!

School can be a pretty boring deal. Sitting in classes all day where you listen to teachers lecture, take notes, do classwork, or have discussions frankly drains my interest, and I know I’m getting restless when the foot shaking, pencil twirling, chair tipping, and drumming on the desk starts.

I’ve found one way to get that restlessness out of me in science class. Standing at the lab station and figuring out how to execute the procedure has a strangely calming effect, giving me something to do to ease the tedium of the day.

Also, working hands-on with different materials provides me with a better learning experience than a textbook or lecture could. Since I have to work out the lab myself, I think more in depth about the steps I have to carry out, and once the lab is done, I have a more well-rounded idea of the concept that the lab is addressing. Science labs are the perfect example of discovering patterns, laws, and concepts of science, rather than just reading them and accepting them as fact.

In addition to being a great way to get firsthand understanding in the realm of energy, acids, natural selection, or whatever science style you prefer, labs are a fun way to chat and mess around with classmates. I’m not saying you should dump your beaker of hydrogen peroxide onto your lab partner’s head, but working together with the materials and laughing together at your mistakes brings some enjoyment to an otherwise dismal school day.

Even to those of you who aren’t science junkies, labs are something to be thankful for this year. So, Patriots, the next time you see the safety goggles sitting out on your science teacher’s counter, slap them on, laugh at how silly your lab partner looks with them on, and have fun with the lab. It’ll get the good chemicals flowing, I promise.