Monday morning:
6:00 a.m. – alarm rings in my ear
6:15 a.m. – roll out of bed (still half asleep)
6:20 a.m. – shower
6:30 a.m. – stand in front of my closet gazing at piles of clothes
7:00 a.m. – breakfast (sometimes)
7:15 a.m. – leave for school
Every morning before school, at 6:30 a.m. or so, I stare at my closet, my eyelids heavy, contemplating what to wear. Sometimes for half an hour I go back and forth between pants and shorts, tee shirts and sweatshirts. Summer is quickly approaching, and I would love to wear shorts and a tank top, but the varying temperature inside school is keeping me in sweatshirts and other ‘winter” clothing.
On Tuesday I wear shorts and a tee shirt. I walk through the door to English class, and goose bumps travel up my legs. During the whole class I am focusing more on how freezing I am and less on what’s on the board. My teeth are chattering as I rub my arms trying to stay warm. But it’s boiling hot outside!
Next period I stroll into math, and instead of being cold I am now feeling small beads of sweat rise behind my neck. The room is sticky, and the air is heavy.
I want to wear my new spring clothes– floral skirts and colorful tank tops, but how can I when I run the risk of shaking from the lack of heat in the classroom?
During that half an hour every morning I have to decide whether or not I want to be cold that day or extremely warm. Either way, I’m setting my self up to suffer; its like trying to find the solution to something so far out of your reach.
The school’s temperature is rumored to be monitored somewhere in Arizona, so if there is any malfunction they cannot fix it. Students complain daily of the severe heating and air conditioning in certain rooms, and no matter how much teachers want to lend a hand they are powerless. No matter how many complaints are filed, the temperature stays the same.
I think that I am feeling the effects, but then I think about the teachers who have to withstand these conditions for seven hours, the duration of a school day.
You would think that after so many years the school would fix this
ongoing dilemma, but still I come to school and dread going to math and English.
Some teachers have even tried to solve the problem on their own. Many times teachers put on fans or open windows, but to their dismay, the hot air is blown around the room, right back at them.
Yes, someone could argue to keep a sweatshirt in your bag when you get cold, but why should I have to carry that around, adding to the weight of my backpack when outside it’s 80 degrees?
In a perfect world, I would be able to spend 10 minutes picking out what to wear in the morning, because in that world, I would be able to dress for the actual weather. I don’t have any confidence, however, that the temperature will ever be normal, so I will continue to spend half an hour each day in front of my closet deciding my fate.
