First Day of School

I don't know the exact decibel (db, a measure of loudness) level of the Simplex Truealert Fire Alarm siren, but national fire codes require that it exceeds ambient noise levels by at least 50 db. Noise experts say that the typical classroom noise level is around 55 decibels, which the Noise Experts call "Intrusve". Add those up and we get 105 db when the siren goes off, which those experts say is beyond "Very Annoying" and "Hearing Damage", nudging up to "Very Annoying". The level at which "Physical Discomfort" occurs is 110 db. Why am I telling you this? Because we all got to experience covering our ears, wincing in pain and saying bad words well over a dozen times today...every time the fire alarm sirens and strobes went off. In case you're thinking it was a result of a mischevious student pulling the fire alarm (which happened daily when we were back on the main campus), nope....here's how it all occurred.

I arrived in my classroom at 7:15, 45 minutes before class was due to begin to finish setting up my classroom (more on that later) and get ready to greet my students. When I got there, even before I entered the building I heard the pulsing sirens of our campus fire alarm system. I steeled myself to go on in because (1) they go off several times every month for testing, and (2) I had work to do! When I arrived at my new classroom I saw about 8 gentlemen in shirt and tie (and other clothes too) standing in the hole in the back wall of my classroom (where it goes through to another classroom, more on that later too), looking around. I greeted them and proceeded to prepare for my students. At some point, one of the gentlemen asked me if there was going to be any school today. I replied that not only would there be school today, it was the First Day of School, The Most Important Day of the School Year. At that point they left my classroom without saying why they were there.

The individual alarm tests usually last anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes (I know because I like to time them...can't help it, I'm a data freak). We had over a dozen separate alarm tests by 11:00 (I can't believe I didn't keep an accurate count...just goes to show you how it threw me off my stride). We were spared further tests (possibly due to a visit to our satellite campus by our Principal, but maybe for other reasons) until the 3:00 bell...and they began again and kept on until I finally gave up and left. Definitely an Excedrin Migraine day.

By the way, since the noise was so loud and definitely painful and we couldn't hear each other speak, I allowed the kids the freedom to say their own bad words at normal voice levels when the siren went off. I did not model this aloud for them, but I said a very, very bad word at lunch with the other teachers.

So, that was my first day back at school! Tune in later this week to find out why there's a hole in my classroom wall and why I wasn't already completely set up and ready on the first day of school (like any "good teacher" should be).

Oh, one more thing. I plan to make lemonade with this (as I always try to do with the unexpected challenges that occur). My Biology students are required to create a Science Fair project this year and to provide an example of one, I'm going to propose an experiment using a decibel meter to measure the actual loudness of the sirens, the length of time to which students are exposed to them and relate that to national standards published my Hearing Health professionals. I think that all of my new Biology students will definitely relate to that, be able to learn science and pass their meaningful understandings on to their parents and the rest of the community.

Tutu