Feliz Navidad

Yesterday was my first Christmas pageant. In our school, every grade sings a song. We chose Feliz Navidad. It was really crazy coordinating the effort, attempting to inspire the students to actually sing. We had them make shakers out of milk cartons and practiced the words over and over in our individual classrooms. And yesterday, we decided it was time for us to practice as an entire third grade. The experience was quite memorable. But what stood out to me was not the mumbling boys or the over expressive cool kids. It was the heat, the incredibly sweltering heat.

You see, there is a problem with the heating system in our pod of the school. During winter, it is so incredibly hot in our classroom. I am told that during the summer it will be incredibly cold. I do my best to keep the kids cool, but our fan is wimpy and we are required to keep the doors closed. Yesterday, we felt the heat even more keenly as 45 third graders jammed themselves into the pod area outside our doors. We had been practicing for about forty-five minutes when something quite alarming happened. The children had just practiced the about-face they have to at the beginning of the song when I saw my sweet little A, the most willing and compliant child I have ever met, crumple to the floor. I thought he tripped and didn’t want to embarrass him so I just nonchalantly asked him if he was okay, not wanting to draw to much attention to him. However, when he bounced back up, he was staggering back and forth as if here were drunk. I thought perhaps he had rolled his ankle so I rushed over to him. I caught him just in time before he fell to the floor again. He whispered to me, “Miss Brendsel, I am a little dizzy.” I finally realized that he had fainted from the heat. Truly alarmed I immediately started to lead him to the office. However, he could not walk and so I carried him to the water fountain (in my high heels). I made him drink some water to fight the dehydration. He seemed to feel revived and could walk better as I led him to the office. On the way, his grandmother, who happens to be Crazy M’s grandmother as well, ran into us. She was obviously very concerned and they took him to the clinic. Turns out it was indeed the heat—ironic since was about thirty below zero outside that day.

I ran into my principal yesterday and asked her how he was doing—it is her great-nephew that fainted and her great-niece that I lost. She seemed upset and said that I “keep it too hot in there.” She told me that I should open the doors. I was a bit annoyed as I have tried not to complain about the obvious heating problem in the room. I am not allowed to open the doors for safety reasons and I have a fan running all day long. There is little I can do about it. When I tactfully tried to note this, she dropped the matter.

Of all the children that trouble could be befall why does it always seem to follow the relations of my principal?