This is teaching in America. One of the classrooms in my building completely flooded this week, water pouring into the hallways. Student work and materials have been ruined by the water. Teacher supplies, manipulatives, curriculum, and personal belongings have been damaged and/or destroyed. I have had maintenance workers come tell me that there is no solution to this issue until the summer of 2026. That is two entire school years of dealing with stuffy, humid environments and water dripping (and sometimes pouring) from our classroom ceilings. Our students and teachers deserve so much better than this! We deserve to have our classrooms in order to have far less daily distractions, healthy kids and staff, and less injuries regarding slipping/falling. Teachers deserve a 2-day break without worrying whether or not their bucket/trashcan was large enough to hold the water over the weekend. All of us deserve to have the fostered learning environment that teachers have put tireless, unpaid hours into creating. I dealt for two years in this environment without A/C or airflow in my classroom. I purchased and was gifted fans and air purifyers and did so without complaint. The constant dripping and leaking from the sky, however, has pushed me over the edge. I spent an hour after school today moving furniture and items from my beautiful classroom in which I have treasured this year. And I know I’ll have to figure out a new configuration to my classroom once all of the leaks have been located. And I am always happy to put in the extra hours for my students and amazing teachers. But I should not have to be putting personal hours to “fix” this horrible situation by moving student desks around and taking home important materials for safe-keeping. If we truly care about the students in America, this problem should have been fixed a long time ago. Work orders were submitted, professionals came to our classrooms to view the scene, and we were told to deal with it. This is teaching in America. We can and must do better.
#teachersoftiktok #flooding #fyp #teacherlife #america #virginia