My prinipal was already aware of the issues with my classroom (she spent a lot of time during my evaluation watching the leak and asking questions about it) and has done everything she can to help me. She even got facilities management to come out and look at the problem again. When faclities couldn't do anything for me at this time (read here: probably ever) she offered to find us another classroom. Here is the e-mail I sent her in return:
"Thank you but we're fine. We call them our "water features"---let's see those fancy suburban schools beat that! They don't have waterfeatures! :) In all seriousness, we're able to work around them easily enough for now and the students use their word walls and other reference materials on the walls a lot. Facilities says it's going to be awhile and they're getting a real roofing company out to take a look. Now if the Promethean bulb goes, then we'll be in real trouble and want a new room! Thank you again for the offer."
Her response was a huge laugh and then over 24-hours later (as we sat in another late-into-the-evening meeting) she was still talking about it and laughing. All I could think again was: it's all about perspective. Yes, I could have demanded a new classroom, complained as I moved or made my principal's life miserable until the roof was fixed, but what would that have gained me? Higher blood pressure, more unhappiness? Is that really going to help me or my students? Now I won't lie to you---if given the choice I would prefer to not have water features, or a black & brown garden (mold) on my ceiling but that's just not within my power to control right now. So rather than complain and make everyone's lives miserable I'm choosing to put a positive spin on things, be thankful for what I do have (currently the heat in our classroom is working!) and do the best job I can with what I have for the students. It's all about perspective.