Sorry I am late posting this week. We have a two hour delay today, due to the cold weather. There is a lot of chatter about the value of two hour delays. Personally, I like them, but I can empathize with the working parents, whose jobs don’t have a two hour delay. From the school perspective, they work fine. They allow students to go to every class, but for less time, allowing for very little disruption in the teaching and learning process.
There is a part of me that doesn’t quite grasp the “cold” delay. We live in the north. If the roads are clear (so buses can get through), kids can bundle up and get to school. We own the necessary clothes. I remember my school days, standing outside in my Catholic school skirt. I was always bundled in the warmest coat that I had, but I had no solution for the skirt. I guess that there were uniform pants for girls, but nobody would be caught dead in those. Some people could pull off tights, but I would have had to buy them myself, and I didn’t have any money. We suffered in unity and solidarity. I honestly don’t remember school being called or delayed for cold. I guess I am old now, because I am sharing the “when I was a kid” stories. Hey, at least I didn’t have to hike uphill both ways in waist deep snow, like my parents did.
From my perspective now, I like the delay. I get to sleep later. That’s a win for me! Even a day off would be a win, but it lacks the fun of a snow day. Personally, I think today is delayed because the school failed to call the delay two days ago, when a bunch of snow dropped down between 5:00 and 7:00am, making the roads treacherous. That was Monday. I got up at five to check my driveway to see if I needed to shovel. It looked okay. There was some fresh snow, but not a ton, so I went back to bed for a bit. By the time I got up and got ready for my day, it looked like four more inches of snow had fallen. So, at seven, I had to beg Travis to skip his workout in favor of plowing the driveway, so I could go to work. He did. Since I was running late, he plowed me two tire marks down the driveway. He said I had mad driving skills, staying in my tire lanes. I think that’s a compliment. There were a number of accidents that involved students that morning. I witnessed the after effects of one (a few cars off the side of the road). They already had help, so I moved on by. I heard there were more. Not hard to imagine with a combination of snow, inexperienced drivers, and questionable cars. Thankfully, no injuries.
So, today, we trudge towards the brisk day, with a mix of dread and joy. Dread because the students wanted a day off, so they will be a bit grumpy. Joy, because we are still here to experience it all! That, and our heaters are still functional. Hope you all have a great week! Shake off those humpday blues! The weekend is in sight!