Teaching in a Toxic Environment. Twenty-six years ago today, I became very ill while teaching in a classroom with air full of toxic chemicals. On that day, I finally had enough documentation to show that the classroom was not a safe one for my students or for me. Many of the details of the initial exposure are fresh in my mind. It took me years to get over the emotional effects of learning I was teaching in a very unsafe environment. I believe I carry the physical effects of the chemical exposure in my body today. I’ve never again been healthy like I was twenty-six years ago. The doctor’s notes, the legal papers, tell the tale. If they weren’t in my possession, sometime I wonder if even I would believe this story of my first year of teaching.