It’s that time of the year again… WINTER! Personally, I cannot stand this season with it’s cold temperatures and all the snow and ice that accumulates on the ground. Having to put on layers and layers of warm clothing just to be able to go out to my car each morning is a chore in itself! If you are a teacher who works in an area where winter weather impacts your life, or are a parent whose children attend a school in an area like this, this post is definitely for you.
So far this year, my school has been closed twice due to inclement weather – and each time, the closures are met with both intense happiness and contempt. Students, obviously, are super happy to have a day off — I was the same way when I was a student! Parents, on the other hand, are sometimes not as excited and some tend to release that unhappiness on social media outlets for everyone to see.
I completely understand why some parents are upset when schools are closed due to bad weather. Yes, it makes planning for the day very complicated. Some parents scramble to find appropriate childcare while others are forced to take a day off work in order to take care of their children. Some parents become angry because where they live the conditions don’t seem “bad” enough to warrant a school closure.
While browsing on Facebook last night, I came across this post which seemed to put the whole issue of closing schools into perspective for me.
“I can’t speak for you, but I would rather be a fool 50 times over than be fatally wrong once.”
This little quote speaks volumes to me because it is all about perspective. It can’t be easy to make the decision to close schools… and I am sure the ones who take the decision don’t do it lightly. I have children in my classroom that travel well over 2 hours each morning just to come to spend the day with me. What might seem like okay conditions in the town in which our school is located could be treacherous in the outlying communities that my students live in. I’m not willing to lose any of my students over 1 day of school missed and I am sure that parents would willingly give up 1 day of work in order to have a lifetime of memories to look forward to with their children.
As the title of this blog post suggests, please remember this the next time your School Board or School District makes the decision to close your child’s school. That one little decision may just prevent an unthinkable tragedy from happening.
Parker Donham says
This illustrates the trouble with anecdotal evidence. The fact is that school bus transportation is exceptionally safe. Accidents are very rare, serious injuries vanishingly so. There is all kinds of data to verify this on line, if you care to look it up. Life is full of risks. There is a risk to keeping kids home onj snowy days, when some will be poorly supervised, others will go off to the ski hill where they could break their necks.
If we used your formula to make decisions — If (some imaginary terrible outcome) were to happen just once, we should not do this — we would never do anything.
Kids can be safely conveyed to school on modern buses driven by professional drivers in all but the most extreme weather conditions. Keeping them home teaches them that when the going gets tough, the right response is to give up and stay in bed. It’s a terrible lesson.
I Heart Grade 3 says
Great points! Thanks for contributing to the conversation!
R says
Perhaps, but have you ever driven a school bus? I’m not sure where you live, but I grew up with my dad driving school buses and I remember feeling terrified about making up and down hills when it got slippery. I feared we’d slip right into traffic, and my father had this fear as well. Bus drivers shouldn’t have this responsibility. Of course, it depends largely on where you live! Roads and topography really differ from place to place.
I Heart Grade 3 says
I have so much respect for our bus drivers! Their job is not an easy one. I cannot imagine doing the job myself… 48 children, various ages, all the noise, having to supervise all those students through the use of mirrors… oh goodness they have hearts of gold and nerves of steel! Thanks for your comment!
Aimee V says
I always found it amusing how enraged people get at the cancelling of school. I mean seriously, how much work are the kids going to miss in an afternoon, or for a day? With everyone’s lives being so hectic.. I enjoy any opportunity I can get to have a full unplanned day with my kids. Is it inconvenient sometimes to reschedule work, or take a sick day.. yes, but worth it to spend the day with the kids where they get to chill and relax, without a doubt.
The comment about taking a snow day and the relation to giving up when the going gets tough makes no sense at all. When bad weather is predicted, it is the goal of the school to get children home before the the weather gets bad, not try to get them home when the roads are not as safe. A lot of the busses have to double back to schools to do more than one trip… if your child is the last one getting off the bus, do you really want to put their life in danger rather than them have the day off of school. Keep in mind.. it is not only the driver of the bus you have to think of. With no seat belts, or air bags on a bus, I know I would not be risking it with my kids.
I Heart Grade 3 says
Well said! Thanks for contributing!
Jan says
Woo! You got some passionate responses to your post! I appreciate the way you respond with grace. I’m about DONE with snow days as a 3rd grade teacher in the Northeast. They interrupt the flow. However, safety matters. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Spring is only about 8 weeks away!
Jan
Laughter and Consistency
I Heart Grade 3 says
Thank you, Jan! You are so kind! Today has been a beautiful day but we are expecting a snowstorm on Tuesday – 30 cms of blowing snow and ice rain on top of it! But then again, weather here is very unpredictable and could change in a moment’s notice! I really hope that Spring comes earlier rather than later! Stay warm in your neck of the woods!
Linda Vitiello says
A “snow day” is not a school day lost, it’s a school day deferred and will be made up when conditions are safer. I think in my region, it’s a given there will be some snow days, so parents plan for them. The PTA/PTO helps to connect parents who help each other out in such situations. Class room parents have snow phonecall chains that spread the news and that helps as well. If they’re planned for, they can actually be fun.
I Heart Grade 3 says
Absolutely! We have “floating” Ped Days which get turned into the missed days. For the teachers, who in my Board are required to go to school on snow days, it’s just switching up a Ped Day that we would have had during the spring months.
Thanks for contributing!