Stupid Question - but do you consider air-conditioning in a school to be important??

[Vixstar]

Liz...presuming it won't be a Penrith school, then! 40 degrees in a hot box in Penrith is horrible! I worked in a place with no ac for 7 yrs and it was horrible esp having customers ask to have the ac on!

I went to school in Winmalee with no ac from yr 2 - yr 10...no dramas!

IMO - I think the rep of the school, teachers etc are more important. i think kids these days need to toughen up.

xxxx

[kawazuki]

sorry but i do.

my son is a child who thinks its boiling at 20 degrees and sweats just thinking of exercise.

so for his comfort and ability to learn as he can concentrate better yes aircon was a decider in teh school we chose.

i knwo it is a luxury.
but we decided if he was able to be comfortable in class eh may pay attention more as he is concerned about sitting there dripping in sweat.

[skybie]

agree with u kawazuki, it doesnt matter how good the teachers/school is, if a childs uncomfortable, they arent going to learn

[misty]

Not important in my opinion. But then we live without it at home.

I know others who would certainly disagree with me who live in the same place as me - so I guess it depends what you are used to.

[alicia]

Having worked in schools both with and without aircon I do think it is important if you live in an area where it gets reasonably hot in Summer. I think it is particularly a factor to consider in primary school where the kids, not matter how hot it is, run around like mad things at playtime and then come inside hot, tired and unable to concentrate. There are so many factors to consider when picking a school - good luck!

[JLeigh29]

I've just gone on maternity leave after working as a teacher in an area with high humidity and 35 degree plus temps. The first 5 years I spent in a class without air con and noticed my students were often listless and unable to concentrate, not to mention numerous nose bleeds and even vomiting from heat stress (I did too when I first started).

I think that children concentrate better in an air-conditioned environment. Having said that, nothing rates more highly for me than quality teachers.

How old are the buildings? New classrooms are being designed to take advantage of breezes and with better materials that don't heat up so much, so that would be a factor too.

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

It is a brand new building, so it surprised me even more when there wasn't any air conditioning. The air in the top rooms felt humid and stagnant. Though I was happy with most other factors there, there were a couple of older teachers which I have heard from some can be a negative as younger teachers are generally more enthusiastic? The principal seemed great but the AP didn't seem to happy to be there, hard to tell when you don't know them and going off first impressions.

[~clover~]

Though I was happy with most other factors there, there were a couple of older teachers which I have heard from some can be a negative as younger teachers are generally more enthusiastic? The principal seemed great but the AP didn't seem to happy to be there, hard to tell when you don't know them and going off first impressions.

I wouldn't go by age hun. The principle here is a grandmother in her 60's & is more enthusiastic & fun than DD2's 25ish year old infants teacher. Its the personality, not the age. DD1's kindy teacher was also in her 60's & a great teacher.
I've found alot of the younger ones (around my age) can be quite stuck up at times. Not sure if they actually are or its just me, but they just don't seem as fun either. There is a male teacher at the girls school who the kids are loving in his early 20's, but the others the same age I know of they don't relate to as well.

[jesses_girl]

Im pretty sure ALL of the schools in townsville have air conditioning, it just gets too humid here. I didnt have air conditioning for half of primary school and it was hell! But i did learn, i didnt know any diferent, but i did realize that when ac was first being bought into my school and only a couple of building had it, i couldnt concentrate in the non ac room, all i was thinking about was going into ac. I think it depends on where you live, here in townsville i couldnt send my kids to school with no ac in summer, but if it wasnt as humid i dont think i would have a problem.

[LoveKnowsNoBounds]

Hmm, some food for thought there! We live in Sydney and while it isn't excruciatingly hot it does feel warm in the class room. I noticed it on their open day. I teach at a high school without an aircon further out west and it doesn't really make a difference. Only last period after lunch the kids feel the heat and by then most of them aren't paying attention anyway. I think next year I will look at both schools again, but it is hard to go past the convenience of being able to walk your kid to school and being near grandparents for emergencies. What do you all think? I also want to make friends for myself and my son in our local suburb, this seems very important to me too....Gee it is complicated!

[~clover~]

Maybe find out about the zoning first. As I said before, you may not get a choice.

[Bathsheba]

We don't have air conditioning at home and I agree kids need to toughen up. I never had it when i was a kid and it was horrible... especially as i went to school in hot places like Kalgoorlie!!!

Because we dont have it at home i feel that my kids benefit from having it at school. I know my daughter can't wait to get to school (a private one) in summer because it has a/c. My son however really feels the heat and doesn't have it at his local public school. I really notice the difference in their moods at the end of each day in summer. This has kind of swayed me to go private too with my son when we move interstate. Melbourne is getting hotter with several 40 degree days now each summer and then have never sent them home... so public schools really need to consider getting a/c in the rooms... adults in their offices wouldn't put up with it so why force it on kids? Makes me cross when that's the prevailing attitude. My daughter's school isn't creating "soft" individuals either... they expect resilience in many other ways... but when you pay so much for them to learn well, you can't expect a child to learn if they are uncomfortable. The girls are expected to cope with the elements in many other scenarios... just not in the class room.

ETA: I also don't drive... so my kids don't get a reprieve in an a/c car... they often arrive hot to school in the mornings after walking to school... it would be better if at least they had a/c at school. If i drove an a/c car and had it at home maybe it wouldn't be so important ?