Stop Raining On My Snow Day Parade

I had a snow day today – me and every other teacher on the East Coast. It felt like Christmas. I was so giddy I actually had a hard time falling back asleep, but somehow, somehow, I persevered. I know. I’m amazing.

Actually, the whole morning was quite dramatic.

5:27 a.m. My alarm clock went off at the usual time and instead of my normal routine (which involves some intense snooze button action and a lot of cursing of the morning), I hopped out of bed and ran to the window. You see, I had been harboring some hope for a snow day, but was too afraid to jinx the possibility. I even wore my pjs inside out.

5:29 a.m. After determining that it was indeed shitty outside, I ran to my computer (which I had conveniently stowed next to the bed for an immediate update on the weather…I said I was afraid to ˆjinxˆ my snow day, I didn’t say I was afraid to ˆmonitorˆit. Big diff.

5:30 a.m. I scoured several news websites and…nothing. Damn.

5:35 a.m. I checked my school’s website. Nothing. Damn. Maybe I should take a shower? Am I (gasp!) going to brave the elements?

5:50 a.m. I’m out of the shower and back on the computer.

5:51 a.m. I check the news website for school closings. Damn.

5:52 a.m. I check my school’s website. Damn.

5:53 a.m. I take a moment to stew in my own anger. Every school district around my house is closed. Every school district around my school is closed. WTF? What are we? Mailmen? I don’t remember taking that oath…

5:54 a.m. I check the weather. It says it is going to snow all afternoon. We might get 10 to 12 inches. And sleet, don’t forget the sleet.

5:55 a.m. I realize that, after my hour long commute which necessitates several forms of transportation, no one is going to be waiting for me at the door with a trophy. And, I will most likely only be greeted by a list of names of co-workers (who live much much closer) who have called out.

5:56 a.m. That’s it. I’m calling out. I open a word document and begin to write sub plans. I open up my cell phone and scroll to find my school’s absentee number.

And then….

5:57 a.m. I receive a text message from above. (Actually it was from one of my Super Colleagues, but whatever.) SCHOOL IS CLOSED!!

I leaped up in the air. I wrote several aggressive text messages back to my Super Colleague demanding to know her sources. After all, I want to be d-bag who doesn’t show up for work claiming, “I thought we had a snow day.” And of course, my cynicism is unfounded. She is right and we are free.

6:00 a.m. I run to the bathroom, put my pjs on (still inside out, just in case) and jump back into bed.

6:15 a.m. I’m still awake. Too excited to sleep.

6:30 a.m. I begin counting backwards from 100…

8:30 a.m. I wake up.

Skipping down the stairs, I made a lovely breakfast for Mr. Mimi and I to actually eat TOGETHER. I linger over my morning coffee, blogs and TV. I change into real clothes around 11.

And then…

Mr. Mimi and I decide to take advantage of his home office day, and my snow day and get our taxes done. I know, it doesn’t sound like very much fun to me either, but it needs to get done and I love crossing things off my list. So we go.

The person preparing our taxes (who was a VERY loud talker by the way) said, “Lucky you, with the day off. Teachers always want a day off…never want to work.”

Um, hello? Drive-by! Who do you think you are, person who really only works during tax season? First of all, who doesn’t want a bonus day off every now and then? Second of all, snow days are one of the bonuses of being a teacher…just like expense accounts, squashy office chairs and unmonitored bathroom breaks are the bonuses of other people’s jobs. Let me have my bonus please. And third of all, screw you for insinuating that teachers never want to work. Just screw you.

As I opened my mouth to let her have it, Mr. Mimi (recognizing the signs of an impending explosion…hey, he’s been around awhile) quickly made a joke and changed the subject.

She was lucky he was there…

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26 Comments
  • That tax bitch should have been left with a bloody lip!!

    Now, at the same time, I can’t share in your excitement. We NEVER get snow days here in Chicago. N-E-V-E-R!!!! Good for you, though. Hope you enjoyed your day. :)iniar

    March 2, 2009 at 10:59 pm
  • I wonder how one builds a tax business insulting ones clients…

    March 2, 2009 at 11:03 pm
  • A day off my foot! How about how sucky it is to have to spend your day off doing taxes because a teachers life is so busy they have make even thier extra bonus days off productive. At least you don’t have to do it after work one day.

    March 2, 2009 at 11:09 pm
  • I wish you had unleashed the fury upon the tax person! She’s just jealous she doesn’t get a snow day. I’d give her 1 week in the classroom, max and see if she changes her tune.

    Glad you enjoyed the snow day! In TN we got all our snow Saturday night. What use is that?!

    March 2, 2009 at 11:15 pm
  • No snow day in Albany, NY.

    Oh well, guess we went close enough to the coast.

    Had to “persuade” the principal that it was really a bad idea to put the kids (and ME) out in a wind chill of 4 and wind gusting up to 28 miles per hour. Some of those kids are really light!

    As for the tax person’s comment, I wish I could say that only idiots make such a comment – my beloved sister and brother-in-law actually made such a comment last time I went to dinner.

    March 3, 2009 at 12:36 am
  • ^ Lives ten minutes from the eastern shore

    ^ Did not have a snow day.. or even a glimmer of snow. Just really cold weather.

    March 3, 2009 at 12:39 am
  • Love the whole bit about our bonuses compared to those of others… I might have to start using it! Despite her, I hope you loved your snow day JUST as much as I loved mine!!

    March 3, 2009 at 2:05 am
  • I live in the middle part of South Carolina, and we had a snow day today. Did I mention there was NO SNOW? It snowed for like 10 minutes on Sunday and nothing stuck. The weather dude said it would snow more, but he lied; they all lie.

    March 3, 2009 at 6:11 am
  • It was eighty-eight degrees in Phoenix . . . perhaps hotter. The kids all wore shorts and complained it was too hot during our track practice.

    March 3, 2009 at 12:14 pm
  • Mimi, I hear you! In Philly, that’s all I’ve been reading on the blogs … Blah, blah, blah. WTF? A day off for teachers? For what? A couple of inches of snow? Blah, blah, blah. Personally, I’m tired of people who complain that teachers got an extra day off. I just think of it this way – they’re pissed they have to spend the whole day with their “precious little angels!” That’s right, I said it. SNAP!

    March 3, 2009 at 1:27 pm
  • Yippie for a snow day. That’s one of the things I miss now that I moved from being “just a para’ to a child care center. Parents have to work so we will be there!

    About your text message I signed up for the school alerts in case there is some emergency and I have to pick up my after school students early. I got the text saying the public schools were closed. I got it @ 6 p.m. last night. GEE THANKS.

    March 3, 2009 at 11:27 pm
  • In North Carolina we also had a snow day on Monday. However, this snow day, including the one we had in January, means we need to make up two days of school. When should we do that? Over spring break! So now everyone has lost the first two days of spring break. Pray for no more snow!

    March 4, 2009 at 12:32 am
  • It was such a big deal that NYC public schools were closed that it made the new in freakin’ MAINE for heaven’s sake- I couldn’t stop laughing when my friend told me.

    I’m happy to know I wasn’t the only one surfin’ the Web looking for the news- I think we were more excited than the kids.

    March 4, 2009 at 2:01 am
  • We’re suppossed to make our days up too. I work in a private school. But, yeah….I fly outta here right after school on spring break and family is flying in right after school on summer break so HA! Won’t be there. Can’t make me. I’m busy.

    March 4, 2009 at 5:02 am
  • Well, we have to make our snow day up in May. We have a 4 day weekend over Memorial Day and that’s our make up. My contract says 193 and that’s what I’ll end up working.

    I’m also amazed by the stupid things tax people say. I also got some weird comments along the way. Please tax lady, keep your comments and judgments to yourself.

    March 5, 2009 at 12:03 am
  • Snow days….what’s that???? So far, Houston has seen…..hmmm 70 degrees and sunny. Oh well, at least you don’t have to deal with the rodeo.

    I also love it when people make comments, like “teachers don’t really work, since they LOUNGE AROUND ALL SUMMER!!!!”

    I agree, a bonus day should be celebrated…not ridiculed. Should have just gone to another tax person.

    Oh you should remove “Sexy” from your list of comments, since it’s just an adult website spam. Unless…you like that stuff.

    March 5, 2009 at 3:37 pm
  • We have school on Saturday.

    Saturday.

    March 5, 2009 at 3:46 pm
  • I had my first snow day of the season today. I was also giddy … but we don’t get to stay home on snow days.

    I’m okay with that though. The mental break from kids is enough to make me do the snow day dance!

    March 6, 2009 at 12:31 am
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    March 7, 2009 at 2:48 pm
  • your snow day adventures sound like mine a few weeks back. Oh, it was so much fun to read and giggle at! Non-teachers “of the world just don’t understand. . . “

    March 8, 2009 at 8:04 am
  • We had 2 “hurricane days” for Gustav because of the Governor. Where I live in Louisiana(a mile south of Arkansas) we get rain and stuff like that. They used our school busses for evacuating people.

    We made up 1 day by eliminating Parent-Teacher Conference Day and using our ONE snow day. They build one in and some years we get out a day early. Wish we had snow.

    Just Fyi: The average teacher I estimate works about 1800 (or more) hours a day and that’s not even counting workshops and other stuff like that. (I calculate 180 days times 10 hours a day.)I know they stay after and bfore school a lot.)

    Th average other worker works 1,777 hours a year. Teachers just have their work condensed.

    March 9, 2009 at 4:45 pm
  • Hahaha! So this is the other side of the snow day situation! I am soooooo glad someone gets to enjoy it – someone other than kids, that is!

    And you need a new tax person! What a jerk. Why do people think they can be so rude to teachers?

    March 11, 2009 at 1:20 am
  • Dumb people will always be dumb. Next time, let her have it! 😉
    Btw: You’re a KreativBlogger too!

    March 11, 2009 at 2:13 pm
  • i love your blogging style…enjoy reading your blog as a new teacher! kepp me laughing! 🙂

    March 13, 2009 at 4:29 am
  • I always loved the “almost” snow days when i was going to school. Usually that meant that most of the parents kept their kids home, we would have missing teachers, and usually not enough students to do any “real” work so we would end up watching a movie, or having a “free” day overall.

    March 14, 2009 at 4:39 pm
  • OH Girl..lol.. You crack me up!

    March 27, 2009 at 1:08 am

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