The Lesson Came Under Fire

(I’m in 11th grade chemistry. The teacher is doing a demonstration and can’t get the Bunsen burner to light.)

Teacher: “All right, I’ll just get another Bunsen burner.”

(The teacher proceeds to unplug the original one, without turning the gas tap off, with the hand holding the still-lit match. Predictably, this causes the gas to catch, sending flames across the desk. It singes his arm and melts the spines of his books. He stares at it in shock for a moment before turning off the gas tap.)

Students: *applauds*

Teacher: “Uh… don’t do that.”

(No one took that teacher particularly seriously, and this did not help that. At the end of the year, his class went from 24 students to 6!)