Our school has fully functional air conditioners in every room of the school. These air conditioners, I have been told, are not to be used. They’ve sat, collecting dust, since last summer. Our school is in the middle of a block of buildings, and doesn’t get much direct sunlight, but is swelteringly uncomfortable. Packing ten to twelve hyperactive students does nothing to help this situation.The problem has been getting worse as the summer approaches.
A few weeks ago, when it was already approaching “toasty” levels in the class, I grabbed one of the coveted “Remote Cons” for the “Air Con” (Remote Controls for the Air Conditioners). When I tried to use the machines in class, they shot out nasty smelling air that was probably rife with diseases and dust.
Later that week, a notice went up that the air conditioners were due to be cleaned, and we weren’t allowed to use them until this happened. This was two weeks ago. The air conditioners still haven’t been cleaned, and students are gradually getting more vocal in their demands for a cooler room. They want me to sneak into the teacher’s office and steal all the hidden remote controls. I don’t know where they are! The remotes have disappeared, and they are the one way to control the machines!
One group of students today was particularly noisy in class. This means I have to shut the door to prevent the other classrooms from being disturbed. The students would then moan that the room was too hot. I told them I’d let the door stay open if they would be quiet. They agreed to my terms.
I was holding them to their bargain by grabbing the door knob every time the sound in the class got to unacceptable levels. I’d slowly start shutting the door, and students would self-regulate their volume. I didn’t want a hot class, or a noisy class, but the students were too unruly to accept either proposal.
I’m not sure of the air conditioner cleaning is a legitimate excuse, a cost cutting measure, or just some form of slow torture. Still, it’s not even that hot outside, and we’re cooking in our seats. Somethings going to change, or we’ll need to let the students bring water bottles and treat each class as a marathon run through a desert.
