The Heat Is On!

Let me tell you a true story.

A few years ago, I worked in a very smart school where everyone had to follow the dress code very carefully. If female teachers wore sleeveless dresses, they had to wear a cardigan or blazer over the top.

One summer day, the temperature went above 30°C. The classrooms felt like saunas, and the playground was so hot that just standing outside made you feel unwell. There was hardly any shade anywhere.

In the morning, the headteacher sent a message saying that children could keep water bottles on their desks and refill them whenever they needed to.

After lunch, another message arrived. It said that children could change into their PE kits and that male staff could take off their jackets and ties.

But there was no mention of the female staff. We still had to wear our tights, cardigans, and jackets.

If you didn't know, tights and cardigans keep you very warm. That's great in winter, but not when you're teaching in a classroom that feels like an oven!

As the day went on, everyone struggled. Some children felt faint, and a few even passed out. We pushed the tables back and played "Sleeping Lions" on the floor because the concrete felt cooler than the air.

The staff room was full of unhappy teachers. Every female teacher and member of staff was cross about how thoughtless the headteacher had been. He hadn't even considered how hot tights and cardigans could be because he didn't have to wear them.

That day, I promised myself that if I ever ran a school, I would have a special hot-weather policy. In fact, it was one of the very first policies I wrote when I started our homeschool school! The heat is now on!

Homeschool Hot Weather Rules

If the temperature in your home is above 30°C:

1. Stop working! Focus on staying cool and drinking plenty of fluids. We can always catch up with learning later when it is cooler.

2. Drink lots of water and squash.

3. Eat as many ice pops as you need to stay comfortable.

4. If you have not slept well and your brain feels tired, you have permission to take a break and catch up later.

You might notice your brain is struggling if you are:

• Grumpy

• Frustrated

• Being unreasonable with other people

• Having to read a question more than once to understand it

• Unable to think of an answer

When that happens, there is no point forcing yourself to do homeschool work. You need to cool down, rest, and get some sleep.

We are likely to have a few very hot days this week, so these rules will stay in place for now.

We are awesome homeschoolers, and we can handle this!

The printer, however, is not quite as awesome. It is struggling with the heat and has decided it definitely cannot handle this!

Because of that, some support materials might be sent out later than usual this week. Sorry about that!