The classroom worked its way above 90°, so we did most of our work outside, chasing shade around the school as it shifted with the hours. I mother-duckling’d the kiddos: “Bud, you need to get under that tree,” “Sweetpea, scoot back a few inches, your shoulders are in the sun.” They were sent home sweaty and flushed, but without sun damage.
Did I take similar care of my own precious skin? Not so much – although I didn’t realize this right away. I noticed my coworkers giving my sidelong glances after school. A couple made comments: “Spend some time outside today, Tiffany?” Being an idiot, I worried my class had been too loud and disturbed others – but no, they were unusually quiet, subdued by the child-melting heat of our classroom. It wasn’t until I arrived home and looked in the mirror that I figured out how my colleagues knew I’d had a courtyard-classroom today.
Do I match my powder pink polo shirt? No. I am burned darker, more like the color of a Macintosh apple. I’ve got reverse racoon eyes, white in the places my sunglasses covered. Guess I might have to add sunblock to my morning routine.
I’m too cranky and pink to do much more of a blog, so I’ll just leave you with this:
Ten Signs it’s too hot in your classroom
10) You can pick up a piece paper by pressing your warm palm to it. Sweat makes an excellent adhesive.
9) Each time you shift in your seat, it makes an embarrassing ~squeeelph~ noise. Each time it makes this noise, you feel the need to say: “It’s just the chair.” And everyone gives you a sure-sure look, even though they know it’s really just the seat.
8) The room starts to take on a funny odor that reminds you of childhood summers – you hunt for the source and realize that it’s the crayons melting in their bins.
7) The room starts to take on another odor – this one isn’t funny at all – the smell of 26 pre-teen bodies post recess-basketball.
6) Pens and pencils slip from sweaty hands while writing. This may occur spontaneously and accidentally once or twice. Then it becomes accidentally-on-purpose.
5) Snack time string cheese becomes snack time soup cheese.
4) Math class features problems like: If it’s 90° in Doylestown, snowing in Denver and 26° in Montana, where would we like to live right now?
3) Your projector overheats before morning announcements, rendering all of your PowerPoint, SmartNotebook files, and lessons unusable.
2) The kiddos ask you to play ♫Frosty the Snowman♫ and ♫The Nutcracker Suite♫so they can “visualize snow”
1) Despite being alarmingly under-caffeinated, you wait until your coffee is room temperature before drinking it.
Tomorrow’s supposed to be in the 50’s again – so we won’t have a repeat of today. What we may have, however, is students who come to school dressed for a repeat of today – and spend the hours between morning announcements and dismissal with chattering teeth and goosebumpy arms.
At least I won’t have to worry about sunburns.
Heh. I'd like to know what their answer was to #4. :)
ReplyDeleteI believe their answer was: Do you really expect us to do anything but sit here and drip sweat?
ReplyDeleteAnd then their Expo markers all accidentally-on-purpose slipped out of their hands.
Trade you! It's going up to 75 here tomorrow! Snow is all gone! 56 again by Saturday. Denver is for the Bipolar. :D Math here does not make sense.
ReplyDeleteMan, that makes for a miserable day, a bunch of hot sweaty childern (and their teacher).
ReplyDeleteHope today is better.
Here is another one: You walk into a room that is 80* and say 'wow, it's NICE in here, not hot like in my room.' ;)
ReplyDelete