...get out of my classroom.
As I drove home today the temperature outside was a bit over 90 degrees. You can imagine how hot it was in my classroom after lunch.
What, you ask? How could it be hot in the classroom? Why not just turn on the air conditioning, you ask? My reply: I don't have any control over the hvac system. In fact, the district office controls that. They won't turn on the a/c in classrooms until we've had three consecutive days of hot temperatures (I'm not sure what constitutes "hot").
The air conditioning is on in the district office. The air conditioning is on in our school office. It's not on in our classrooms, which have a bunch of teenagers trying to learn in them. It was so hot and stuffy after lunch today that kids were struggling to stay awake, and it was a losing battle.
You want more proof that actual education isn't the primary goal of my school district? Add this to the long shelf of exhibits.
Oh my goodness, Darren, I am in the exact same situation at my high school in PA. We were roasting today - hard to keep them focused on the Cavendish experiment when they are pouring sweat. But the office is borderline frigid.
ReplyDeleteWe've been doing inductive proofs in my afternoon classes the last couple days. An example of an inductive proof:
ReplyDeleteProve that 1+3+5+7+...+(2n-1)=n-squared for all positive integers n.
Imagine doing proofs in such an environment! Ugh.
Been awhile--I had to look up the Cavendish experiment :)
Why do we put up with this? Parents don't seem to get the message from their kids about the heat. We have the excuse "the blowers won't kick on until the outside temp. hits a certain number." Meanwhile, the rooms, with sealed windows, are hot, stuffy, and airless.
ReplyDeleteThe powers-that-be don't have this problem, of course. Their windows open and their a/c works-now how does that happen ONLY for their area??? They tell us that school is to be a "business" but most businesses would not put up with this!
I can't stand students who fall asleep during class. But, "we're not doing anything important today, right?" :)
ReplyDeleteYou aren't alone.
ReplyDeleteI encountered the "Hi-Tech" heater control problem way back in 2005. Not everything needs to be centrally controlled
http://kauaimark.blogspot.com/2005/03/royal-pain.html