Wednesday, September 06, 2023

Back to School in the Heat

Back to School hereabouts is always the day after Labour Day. Thank goodness Shauna thought to get photos.



According to my recollections. it was fairly typical back to school weather with the temperatures rising to 34C/93F. The kids would be alright because their school is air conditioned.

In my 30 years of teaching I never had such luck. Not only were my rooms not air conditioned, but they were usually extra hot. My first ten years were spent in a room with lots of windows, but we were stuck in a well with a tall gymnasium, brick wall only about 10 feet away.

Later, I had six years with a southern exposure overlooking a roof. The room had windows, but they didn't open very wide. Then, my last seven years were next to a parking lot with only two tiny windows. By then, I had invested in a fan. (I also supplied my own chair because I had to look for ways to spend my huge salary.)

So, that is what I recall about back to school. There always seemed to be a heat wave for at least the first few days. Shortly thereafter, the weather would become pleasant for the rest of September and even until Thanksgiving, mid-October here in Canada.

In other news, Shauna drove us into the city for Sue's follow-up appointment with the surgeon. With marvellous air conditioning everywhere, we were cool kids. Happily, as far as the surgeon is concerned, Sue appears to be on a good track.

Afterward, we stopped at Swiss Chalet for a rotisserie chicken lunch.


Our server looked like he was twelve years old, but he was most pleasant. He is a sophomore who is heading back to university classes today.

I just saw this ↓ photo after I hit publish, but I don't think anybody has read the above yet. Posted by the kids' stepmom, they are with their two stepsisters.




20 comments:

  1. I used to love the start of school because it meant a month of fairly frequent early out days due to heat and no air conditioning and according to state law, an early out day counts as a whole day so we never had to make them up. My daughters will never know that feeling. They just went through two weeks of one of the hottest spells in memory, attending school every day, all day, thanks to air conditioners. My oldest even complained that she needed to pack oven mitts so she could grip her steering wheel for the drive home after practice.

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  2. Sending along some belated birthday wishes. You certainly had quite a birthday celebration & what a jaunty hat :)

    OH my the grands are certainly growing up quickly - right before our eyes. Hopefully they will have a good school year with few, if any, disruptions in their schedules.

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  3. We too have a burst of hot weather for the first week of school, high 90sf. It always seems to happen, even if August has been cooler.

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  4. That was a gruesome day for temperatures.
    Can you believe how fast they grow?!
    Glad Sue checked out well.

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  5. Oh my! How quickly they grow up!

    Glad Sue healed so quickly and well! Go Sue!

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  6. We'll have close to 90 today again, but due to cool a bit tomorrow, with intermittent showers here and there in the mountains. I'm not a morning person, but did get up to open the windows more, only to have the lawn crew roaring around throwing bits of grass into the air...so this is a game I play, run close the windows where they're mowing now.Loved seeing your young people off to school. So glad Sue's recovery is going well!

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  7. Kids grow up so fast.

    The apartment building I showed has rents starting just under $4,000 so not cheap.

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  8. My first classroom had a wall of windows facing west. Set in windows, with small slots at the bottom that were supposed to open. Luckily, I had blinds on the windows, and could block the sun on really hot days. But my principal was a control freak, and I got grief if the blinds were not aligned. Do you remember the days of too many kids for the school? Every slot that I was not in my classroom, another teacher was in there with her class.
    I love your school photos - we always took them. And I envy the kids their uniforms. Another of my control freak principal's things was immodest dress. And we all had to patrol the halls for it. Those were the days (sort of), eh?

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  9. I'm glad the medical appointment went well. Great looking kids and how FAST they grow! It's only in the 70s here for the first day of school. Delightful!

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  10. Nice to see all your kidlets ... glad Sue is mending, and you too. -Kate

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  11. Ah the growth years. You look exceedingly pleased by your lunch!

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  12. Nice family pictures. Aren't you glad you don't have to earn a living anymore?

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  13. Great back to school photos. when we were younger, our Mom always took back to school photos.

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  14. Family photos bring memory

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  15. Glad to read Sue's good news! AC with no AC: hard to wrap my head around.

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  16. I remember those first hot days of school!

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  17. The heat has been bad.

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  18. Good to hear Sue is doing well. I miss those back to school days. I guess some of my great grands went back in August, but I have not seen any photos. And one started his first year, preschool but a full day and in a regular school setting.
    Hot here too, 90 yesterday but perhaps cooler today.

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  19. To me there is nothing much more morbid than being too hot and not being able to get cool. I keep my house cool year round and many, many fans are always going (almost all installed in the ceiling). I'm sorry for the years you had to teach in a stuffy room. Those Swiss Chalet fries look to be a bit of all right! xoxo

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  20. It’s incredible for me to see those two growing up through your blog. They are such gorgeous young people. I can see why you’re all so proud of them.

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