I Am Teacher. Watch Me Sweat.

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Okay, it isn't my business anymore.

I'm retired.

I'm not heading back into a sweatbox next week.

Why should I still care?

I tried to do something about it when I was still working.

When I was close to retirement and not afraid that I'd be transferred to the-school-in-Hell, I phoned the Director of Education's secretary and asked to speak to Himself, himself.

"What's this about?" his admin ass asked.

"It's about the fact that our Jk classroom is 38 degrees."

My own classroom was directly above the Jk room and had a similar temp but the kids were older. The other classrooms weren't any better. I was the union rep.

"And it has been this way for days!" I added.

"I'm sorry, He's busy."

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" I asked the ass.

"You should take your class and sit under a tree. That's what I would do," said she from her air conditioned office as she hung up on me.

An inner city school, we had two trees - one in the front of the school and one in the back and over 300 kids.



It still bothers me.

I wonder how important kids are in our society. The work they produce is important. We compare it to the work other kids do in other schools, boards, cities, provinces, countries. We congratulate ourselves or beat ourselves up over the results.

But are the kids themselves important?

How many adults would work in airless, 38 degree rooms packed with thirty or so sweaty bodies for at least eight weeks a year?


Just because it hasn't been done, doesn't mean it shouldn't be done.













We need to invest in air conditioners for our schools.













It just ain't getting cooler out there, folks.