Last week, thermometers went crazy in classrooms. An episode of heat never seen outside of the summer period: from 30°C at the start of the week, temperatures climbed to 35°C on Friday. In a statement published on Monday September 4, UNSA Education warned of the difficulties that this climate would cause in educational establishments.
Inside the classrooms, teachers and students describe the obstacles they faced. On them.
“It wasn’t easy… One of my students even felt unwell,” Ludovic, a history and geography teacher in Alsace, told L’Express. For this teacher, the start of the 2023 school year represented a double challenge since he was returning to middle school after two years at high school. “The start of the school year is the first contact we have with the students. But we find ourselves sweating and not comfortable in such heat,” he explains. By his own admission, Ludovic was not the worst off: his class has blinds. They made it possible to limit the impact of the sun while allowing a little light to filter through. “Despite this, the heat had an impact on the students’ concentration,” continues the teacher.
“It was the worst course”
In Lyon too, the return to class was trying. Zine-Eddine, vice-president of the high school voice union, returned to final year on Tuesday September 4. “My school is old. In my classroom, the sun was beating down on the same side of the window so much that it was warmer inside than outside.” A warmth also reinforced by the large number of students in his class – 35 in total. Thus, Zine-Eddine regrets that the teachers did not let them go home sooner. “Our return to school was effective and we finished thirty minutes before the end. We could have been taken out at that time, but the teacher decided to start an SES class. It was the worst class”, laments- he.
He admits, however, that the teachers let them leave classes as they pleased so that they could hydrate. Which was not the case in Olivia’s high school, in Clermont-Ferrand: “In my class, many students asked to go to the toilet, which was often refused by the teachers.” The high school student admits that she couldn’t keep up with classes, especially since the heat caused her insomnia at night. If there was more tolerance on clothing – possibility of coming in shorts and tank top – the young girl regrets that nothing has been put in place to better support these high temperatures.
According to some teachers, no meeting has been organized in the establishments to talk about a special device under this heat dome. This is also due to a busy schedule at the start of the school year. “The timetables are a real headache every year”, confides Véronique *, vocational education teacher in a private high school (Loir-et-Cher). The teacher tried to adapt to the students’ needs by letting them go to the bathroom to drink water. “Some people are addicted to sugary drinks, it’s sometimes complicated to hydrate them,” she assures.
Water guns at recess
If Véronique did not have a thermometer on her desk, she guessed a temperature between 30 and 32 degrees inside her class. “It’s difficult to concentrate when seven or eight students are using their notebook as a fan.” The teacher had to slightly adapt her practices. In the morning, she tried to do class normally, but was less “demanding” in the afternoon. “I gave them independent work and I came to see them individually,” she says.
During these hot periods, the teaching staff must demonstrate flexibility and vigilance, especially with the youngest. “We ask them to hydrate themselves every thirty minutes and we monitor any signs of sunstroke,” says Nathalie*, director of the establishment. Despite these precautions, she was forced to send home two students who were not feeling well. Water games were also offered to children to refresh them. “We asked them to bring small water guns, if there is no drought alert constraint obviously,” explains Nathalie. If the school is mobilizing on the subject, the teacher is worried to see young children boarding a non-air-conditioned school bus where they are “crammed in”, without being able to open the windows.
“We are not in the best position to welcome the students. Especially since the start of the school year remains an emotionally charged period for the little ones. Some parents had provided their children with water bottles and caps”, adds Marlène, director of a nursery school in Bobigny. The teacher says she received instructions from the rectorate of Créteil, “but they break open doors”. Among the recommendations: a lot of common sense, such as studying the possibilities of limiting heat ingress into the rooms and checking the functionality or installation of blinds or shutters. “I don’t have the impression that the administration plans to adapt anything to improve our working conditions. There is no gauge that allows us to know when the conditions are harmful to class. Colleagues would like to use their right of withdrawal,” she gets annoyed.
Schools, “thermal sieves”
In addition, the heat rushes more easily into the classrooms because of the lack of insulation in some schools. According to Guislaine David, spokesperson for SNUipp-FSU, the building is not at all suitable and some schools remain “thermal sieves”. “It is urgent to invest in renovating buildings. For example, this winter, we experienced difficulties during periods of extreme cold, she laments. There are buildings built ten years ago that do not meet the standards.” She gives the example of large bay windows built to “bring light into the classrooms”, or even schools that still have tarred floors.
However, this is not the first time that schoolchildren and their teachers have to deal – as they can – with high heat. “Each time, it’s the same story. We’ve been experiencing periods of heat waves for two or three years. We have the impression that on this issue, we are not making progress when there has been an emergency for several years,” complains Guislaine David. For his part, the President of the Republic presented, Tuesday, September 5, a thermal renovation plan for schools. He announced an additional 500 million for communities to finance this work. Funds welcome, but whose implementation must be supported.
* First names have been changed.