Freeze Flame!

There is no justice.

This week in Jackson's classroom the temperature ran into the 90's. No joke, 91 degrees in a classroom while end of year testing was taking place. Kids were sweltering, stifled by the heat escaping from the vents. Windows were opened, but were of little use as the temperature outside was barely cooler than it was indoors, and heavy with humidity. Jackson has been a champ, still wearing a long sleeve shirt and tie every day even though it's been warm enough to teach in swim wear.

Over at Northern Vance, temperatures in my classroom have plummeted into the 60's. High-powered air conditioning has sent my students into a learning coma. You know, the kind of coma that forces their arms are inside of their T-shirts, huddling against their desks trying to muster any form of body heat in order to survive. I've become a layering queen, arriving to school looking like I'm ready to teach in the tundra. By looking at my wardrobe you would have no indication that the temperature outdoors is regularly in the 80's. I even keep an extra sweater at school and lend it to students as they try to stay focused on the class and not on the cold.

For those of you who know us well, the irony of this situation is cruel. I am perpetually cold, running about 10 degrees cooler than the normal human. Jackson is a human heater, radiating warmth reminiscent of the sun, or at least a distant star.

We battle our temperature demons by day and in the evening I wrap myself up in a blanket (usually a stylish snuggie given to me by my adorable mother-in-law, Norma), while Jackson stands under the air conditioner as we stabilize our temperatures and prepare to face another day.