Q: Ms. Lawrence you’re famous here at Paly for being the craziest chemistry teacher and I’ve heard tons of rumors about children being blown up in your lab or kids getting locked in the chemical stock room. What can you tell me about these rumors?

A: Ha-Ha. These rumors are not true. No, I am very careful and for the most part my students are all very careful as well. My students are conscious of not blowing themselves up. However, I am very good at catching kids before trauma happens.

Q: Oh really? Will you please elaborate on this?

A: Well, I always tell my students to pull their hair back while doing labs (those with long hair that is) and one girl a few years back didn’t put her hair in a ponytail. She just happened to brush her long hair against a Bunsen burner. I swear I have eyes in the back of my head because right as she did that, I turned around and leaped across the room, Cat Woman style I might add. I was there to pat the flames out of her hair in a second. My class was really very impressed with my skills.

Q: That’s cool! I am very anxious to know, why you always call your Chemistry A classes little “bunnies”. Where did that come from?

A: Oh, a long time ago we were studying organic chemistry and we were studying the ether group. And I guess it was near Easter because I started calling them “ether bunnies” and it just stuck.

Q: Is that what you call your AP Chemistry students, too?

A: Oh gosh no, those are my fat rabbits. They have graduated from Chemistry A and are ready for a bigger and better name.

Q: I see. Sometimes your AP Chemistry students get to school early. Why is this? Sacred rituals? Marshmallow eating contests?

A: AP Chemistry students don’t need to come early all the time, it’s more their choice when they want to come in. And no there are no rituals that go on. Students come in early so they can have extra time in labs that require more than a 90-minute period to complete. When students come early it really depends on if they want to or not.

Q: I understand that you went to Paly. Did you always know you wanted to become a chemistry teacher?

A: Oh my gosh, when I was at Paly I struggled with chemistry so much! I think my big problem was that I had to use slide books because there were no calculators and I could never figure out how to use those books. But once I did start learning to use them, chemistry became a lot easier for me. And at the time I took chemistry, it was changing forms. It was changing from complete memorization to more experimental observations of patterns. The course I took was probably between a Chemistry A class and the AP Chemistry class. I just remember having to always come in after school to room 802 to get extra help. I always used to ask my teacher “what would you do if I came back and taught chemistry!” and he would just look at me and say, “Attend! Attend Ms. Lawrence to the issue at hand!”

Q: Have any students ever played a practical joke on you? Was your door ever taken off your office or frogs put in your room?

A: Well, I did have one class that was infatuated with hiding my keys. The worst was one day when I was doing a demonstration of pressure and temperature and I had three baths of boiling water. I just remember starting to look for my keys and suddenly I began to get frantic and some students were laughing! Sure enough my big key ring was at the bottom of one of the baths of boiling water. I was trying to get them out but I had to use tongs because they were too hot to even touch, they had been boiling all period!

Q: In the new science building what is the secret room in the basement for?

A: Ha-ha, there is no secret room in the basement. There is an electric room and a hydraulics room. We wanted a cool room upstairs so the teachers could have a private hot tub. But there really is no secret basement even though people think that there is.

Q: A hot tub? Wow, that’s awesome! How did the teachers get the idea for one of those?

A: While we were designing the building, a bunch of teachers who ride their bikes to school thought it would be fun to put showers in. However, that couldn’t really happen and a hot tub seemed like a fun idea to fantasize about!

Q: I have heard that besides chemistry and teaching you have another love, shopping. I especially heard about a love for shoes. What is your favorite type of shoe?

A: Right now I am in love with boots. I would have to say that boots are my favorite shoes, and I really want a pair of tall equestrian boots. Those are my new obsession. In my ideal world I would get to have a beautiful Hermes bag accompanied by wonderful Hermes boots! I just love classic pieces.