Too hot to learn?
Did you dream of having water games in your schoolyard last week? If so, you are not alone. It was so hot on 1er June that heat records were broken in several regions of Quebec. And in several classes, it was suffocating. Not ideal for concentrating… A brief overview of the situation in Quebec and elsewhere in the world.
During last week’s heat wave, teachers shared on social media the temperature recorded in their classroom: 32, 33, 34 degrees Celsius. It’s very hot !
PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK
A little over 34 ° C: this is the temperature it was in a class in Quebec on the 1er June.
Some teachers have found that students are more impatient and less focused. During the end-of-year exam period, this is not ideal. Fortunately, the cool weather has returned.
But we know that the climate is warming and that the number of days per year when it is over 30°C will increase.
Most schools were not designed to deal with the increasingly frequent heat waves. The government is working to find solutions to this problem.
What can we do while waiting?
Rest assured: children are not among the people most vulnerable to heat. This is why it is not recommended to close schools during heat waves.
We can still try to make these days more comfortable by installing fans in the classroom, for example.
Some teachers even decide to leave school and teach outside, in the schoolyard in the shade or in a nearby park.
We also recommend that you follow Public Health recommendations: during heat waves, drink plenty of water and reduce the intensity of your physical activities.
And elsewhere in the world?
In the United States, in the state of Michigan, schools were closed last week due to the heat. In another state, Pennsylvania, 18,000 Pittsburgh students have returned to online education as classrooms have been in hot water.
This week, it was also very hot in Winnipeg, in the province of Manitoba, Canada. There too, there are few air-conditioned schools. Some teachers have moved their group to the school basement where it is cooler.
Further in the world, in the Philippines (a country in Asia), in the city of Manila, class hours have been modified to avoid the hot periods of the day. Some students go to school from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. and others from 2:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
According to an article by Marie-Eve Morasse, The Press
Do you know the indigenous realities?
In Canada, June is National Indigenous History Month! Let’s test your knowledge of the First Peoples together in this video. Can you get all the right answers?
Find out which indigenous words you use without knowing it!
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Did you know that French contains several words from different languages? Greek words like “psychology” or English words like “sandwich” are part of our daily lives today. But that’s not all ! Indigenous languages have also shaped French. You are probably using several words from Inuktitut or Algonquin without even realizing it! It is thanks to these influences that our language is so rich and colorful. You know us, at As… it inspired us to play a little game!
Can you guess which words come from an Aboriginal language?
Answer: The word “kayak” comes from the Inuktitut “qajaq”, which means “boat of skins”. This is because these boats were originally made with seal or caribou skins.
Answer: The word “caribou” is derived from the Algonquin word “xalibu”, which means “shoveler”. It is believed that the Algonquins named the caribou so because it feeds by digging through the snow with its hooves.
Answer: The name “Quebec” comes from an Algonquin word meaning “narrow passage” or “strait”. It’s true that the St. Lawrence River is shrinking in front of our national capital!
Answer: “Bullfrog” is a word of Huron origin that designates the largest frog in North America. This kind of frog is so big that it is sometimes called the “bullfrog”.
Answer: “Toboggan” comes from the Algonquian word “otaban”. It is used to talk about a sledge or sometimes a slide.
Sources: Government of Canada, The Canadian Encyclopedia, Little Illustrated LarousseLarge Terminological Dictionary, Usito
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