Just a brief word to let you know that (insert heavy sigh) I've already started back at The Rock. I know--so early. Tell me about it. Not my choice, believe me. But we are all Victims Of The New School Construction Schedule. Pawns, as it were, of The Master Building Plan. I am surrounded by scaffolding, dust, noise, and hardhatters. What, didn't I tell you? The New School is being built on site around our existing school as we are conducting school. Because That's How We Roll.
Oh, and the forecast for Monday, our first day with students? As usual, 91 degrees, sunny, high humidity. Whether or not I can even have windows open remains to be seen.
All of which is to say, this space may be static for a time. Pity me.
Oh, pity me.
Gasp! That's not as hot as it is here, but I am counting on functioning AC.
ReplyDeleteI do not envy you the noise, the dust and the heat. I spent last year at my old school in temps due to construction. The temps were referred to by the staff as "The Village". Students called it "The Trailer Park of Knowledge." The good part was that we were fairly isolated from the construction. The bad part was... we were literally exposed to the elements every time we stepped outside the classroom door. Which was often. It was especially charming on days with unexpected Texas downpours.
Hang in there, dear. Meantime... take up a collection and buy a fan?
I have to admit that "The Trailer Park of Knowledge" is an awesome name.
ReplyDeleteI'm lucky that the heating/AC very nearly almost works in my building, which is much better than usual. What doesn't work? The clock in one of my rooms. I've put in countless requests, and they keep changing it, but it never ends up working completely in the end. Someday...
Ah, I feel your pain! I was stuck in one of Dante's Circles of Hell myself, at the end of our Great American Silo Tour. 5 hours in downtown Chi-town with morons for mechanics! Hmmmmmmmmmm...made me wish for some particularly hideous inservices. It was that. bad.
ReplyDeleteOh, I do pity you. HoneyHaired started school on the 11th, and no air conditioning in the school. They say,"This too shall pass," but they don't fool me. That simply means snow and ice.
ReplyDeleteYou have my pity. Construction stresses me out, and humidity puts me on edge to the point where I fear I'll fly apart into 20 directions at once with the least provocation. Suspecting your teens might feel the same way makes me pity you all the more.
ReplyDeleteYou, of course, have all my pity. More this year than ever before. My guys are mighty jumpy about starting Hard Hat High in the morning!
ReplyDeleteI've been there, done that. When the school where I taught was being renovated, the art classes moved to "the dungeon," two rooms made out of a storage space in the basement. We had no sinks, so we had to do with drawing, weaving, paper and paste for an entire school year while most of our supplies were in a storage bin (read, the trailer for a semi) in the parking lot. There were no windows down there, but it was relatively cool and there was a door to the outside if we needed some air.
ReplyDeleteIn the renovation process, they added more rooms and installed air conditioning throughout the building. But I remember years of May/June and Aug/Sept days when the heat was so oppressive, students occasionally passed out. I used to take a small cooler with some "blue ice" packs to place on my head or the back of my neck or my feet ---anything to feel a little cooler on my breaks.
As much as I loved teaching, now that I am retired, I lost all interest in anyone under the age of 18 ---and want absolutely nothing to do with needy people. It was almost as if my nuturing switch turned off the day I retired.
I hope the renovation process isn't too painful for you and I hope air-conditioning is in the plan for your new building.
Yep. Me too. Got the sweatstained, grubbly blouse to prove it.
ReplyDeleteCan you take them outside and away from the mess? I've done that. The principal was Not Happy, but he put up with me.
Anyway, cool and sympathetic thoughts flowing your way.
I feel so sorry for you. And how utterly miserable to have started early. How affected will the learning be while this new school is built? How detrimental to the students?
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
So, let me get this straight.
ReplyDeleteThey are using the materials from the old school to build a new school and will continue to use the old school until the new school is finished. Brilliant!
Sounds like the plot of an old Laurel and Hardy movie. I can just hear Stan Laurel saying ,"A fine mess you got us into.".....
Nancy--They are building a brand new school around the existing school and have demolished part of the existing school so far. We are literally surrounded by the walls of the new school as they go up. The building I currently teach in is historic--well more than 100 years old--but must be preserved and used as classroom space under the rules of the Ohio Schools Commission. It will be gutted, but the actual building itself be restored. Supposedly, this is the last year it will be used as classroom space; part of the academic wing will be done in time for me and others in our historic building to relocate there next year.
ReplyDeletejenomena--well, let's just say that all last week, we had temps in the upper 80s and mid 90s. right outside my windows the constant noise of heavy construction vehicles, cement mixers, incessant backup horns, and then the usual traffic noise of the city street out front made it almost impossible to hear me.
Mary G--there is no "outside and away." our entire area for two blocks is an active heavy construction zone. our school is the only high school in our city and serves 2200 students. there is nowhere to go.
CJ--sigh. sounds familiar in many ways. and yes, it is now thankfully the law that all new schools must be climate-controlled.
J.--Hard Hat High it is!
J@jj--You know, there is a lot to be said for the old cliche "it's not the heat, it's the humidity." I really do believe that. I have to be able to breathe, and it's impossible when you feel as if you're walking through a bowl of soup.
dbso--how true. it's Ohio Weather, isn't it? cruel, cruel, cruel.
melissa b.--ack. that IS bad.
mikey--hey, guess what STILL doesn't work? THE CLOCKS IN THE HALLS. or the bells when they mess with the schedule. duh.
Ortizzle--I have a fan. One day, I made the mistake of checking the thermometer in my room during 7th period (my class of 30 juniors). It read 95 degrees. The fan does nothing except blow in construction dust and hot air. Sigh. When you're surrounded by dirt, blacktop, and no shade, and it's 95 and humid, nothing helps.