Monday, June 12, 2017

Shoulda Been Done Long Ago

Today it was 95 degrees (35 C) outside. Which meant it was 95 degrees (35 C) in my classroom. The fans just move the air around, like a convection oven.

One of my best and sweetest little girls found a bed bug crawling along the edge of the cabinet, right where she was sitting. This occasioned a lot of angst on the part of my students and myself.

My co-teacher positively identified the vermin by Googling a photograph of one. Neither of us had ever seen one before.

As a class we are about to begin A Raisin in the Sun. Half of my students said they already read it in middle school (!) and had seen the movie. They pronounced it stupid and boring and darkly hinted that they wouldn't do it.

At the last faculty meeting, the principal said we would have a "dress and grooming code" in the fall for all teachers. We will be expected to attire ourselves in "industry standard" clothing.

The refrigerator in the faculty dining room broke. My salad dressing got thrown out.

The water fountain across from my classroom is broken. It has been broken all year. School rules prohibit bottled water in classrooms.

Some classrooms are air conditioned. Some aren't. This means that we never get early dismissal on hot days, because all of the students have at least one class in air conditioning. The exercise room and the locker rooms are air conditioned. All administrative offices are air conditioned.

All this is my way of saying that school should be out for the summer. Last Friday should have been our last day. But we soldier on, right to Solstice. This is public school, and this is what we do.

If you have any idea what "industry standard" attire is for a public school teacher, please post your findings.


7 comments:

Janie Junebug said...

During my brief teaching career, I was told to be covered from my neck to my toes. No leggings, not even with a long sweater. No jeans. The teacher who told me what the standard was had on jeans and a t-shirt. She said she was only wearing them because she didn't have anything else clean. I say if it's 95, then you should wear shorts, a tank top, and sandals.

Love,
Janie

anne marie in philly said...

cripes! schools in my hood are finished this week. that just sux.

"industry standards" prob means a collared shirt and dress pants/skirts, kinda like business casual. no jeans/t-shirts/etc.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Hmmm, I can see you now in flat sensible shoes, a heavy tweed skirt, a corduroy jacket with suede patches on the elbows, a white blouse with a frilly cravat thing at the throat, and cat's eye glasses. Well, that was "industry standard" for lady teachers 50 years ago when I was a kid in school. I can't imagine things have changed all that much since then, have they?

Debi said...

Jesus H Christ, what the hell is going on down there? Befor I was Internet crazy, I always pictured 🇺🇸 in a Hollywood frame of mind.
Sadly that bubble is burst and I have nothing but disbelief! Our teachers strike over a hang nail compared to 🇺🇸 public school teachers.
I feel rantin coming on, sorry!
I do agree with your class, nix on the book choice, Margaret Atwood more modern, your school board would hate it! Your new school attire a. Well I'd love to be a fly on the wall for that one! Words not yet heard I'm sure! Mona Lisa's Smile, you will be one of the few never forgotten educators! I have faith xoxoxoxoDebi

Davoh said...

Um, as a wry comment from Australia; "industry standard" for teachers coping with 35C plus should be thongs (errumm, footware, not brief underware), shorts and a singlet (tanktop?)(though from my impression from American movies; teachers should really turn up in "real" tanks ... heh) ..

Sarongs, caftans, are comfortable in warm weather (or is that too "un-American?) wry heh.

yellowdoggranny said...

and it will only get worse with devos...sigh*

Lucretia said...

Oh, crud, bed bugs!! I hope the school is taking that seriously and is getting the exterminators out there pronto. We got them in our apartment complex several years ago, and it took us ONE YEAR to get them out of our apartment. During that time, I was chewed on by them almost nightly. It doesn't matter how clean everything is; once they get in, they are next to impossible to get rid of without a professional exterminator. It was one of the most horrible experiences of my life.