SNOW DAY!!!!!

I think it’s pretty safe to say that everyone in the world has a snow day today. Okay, maybe not everyone in the world, but if you live in the tri-state area or anywhere in the mid-Atlantic states, you are hopefully just getting up, sipping some coffee and reveling in your snow day. (Unless, of course, this is your billionth snow day THIS YEAR…If this is the case for you, sorry for the Snow Day Clusterf*ck because there is a point where snow days no longer warrant high fives, inside out pajamas and prayers before bedtime. At that point, enough is enough.)

Regardless – NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS GOT A SNOW DAY, Y’ALL! We had ONE last year and that precious day was the first snow day called in FIVE YEARS! And don’t be fooled, that doesn’t mean NYC hasn’t gotten heinous amounts of snow, it just means we, the teachers, have trudged to work in all sorts of conditions like we had taken the oath of the postal service or something.

But, NYC teachers just didn’t ‘get a snow day’.  They got a snow day that was called the DAY BEFORE! Which means there was time for extensive Snow Day Preparations. By Snow Day Preparations, you may think I’m referring to something involving the children, however, I’m not. I’m referring to a moment where a teacher can revel in indulging HERSELF or HIMSELF (for once) by going to the grocery store on the way home to buy delicious treats for the next day (picture grilled cheese for lunch, friends…and maybe some soup NOT from a can), renting copious amounts of movies (you know, all the ones we missed when they were in the theaters because we ritualistically drag home enormous piles of work that consume our free time),  turning OFF their alarm clocks and (gasp) perhaps choosing a book to read for pleasure.

The luxury!

Now I recognize that making the call to cancel school is a big decision. There are a ton of factors to consider, one of which is the infuriating fact that weather men (and women) love to hyper-predict storms of biblical proportions. Like a few weeks ago, when we were supposed to get DUMPED on and nothing happened. I actually had Snow Envy because I had worked myself up into a Snow Day Frenzy. I mean, one could conceivably declare a snow day and have no actual snow fall which then makes one look kind of like a douche, right? HOWEVER, this is not the ONLY way that the Keeper of the Snow Day can look like a flaming douche, friends. No, not at all.

Pause for a moment and remember this lovely moment brought to us by the NYC Department of Education just a mere year ago.

Setting: A snowy morning. 5 a.m. (Yes, 5 a.m.- that’s when I had to get up.) Teachers all over the tri-state areas sit in the dark, squinting at the bottom of their TVs, waiting for their school’s name or district to pop up on that oh-so-mystical scrolly thing. BECAUSE SEEING THE SNOW OUTSIDE THE WINDOW WAS NOT ENOUGH CONSIDERING WE HAD NOT HAD A SNOW DAY IN FIVE YEARS DESPITE COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF ACTUAL SNOW.

5:30 a.m. Nothing.
Me: (to my cat) Are you insane? It’s like totally blizzarding out there.

5:35 a.m. Nothing.
Me: Crap. I have to get in the shower or I’m going to be late. This is ridiculous.
Turns off TV and goes upstairs.

6:05 a.m. Cell phone rings.
Me: (fully dressed and about to put on my coat…I can be fast when I want to be) Are you kidding me? We don’t have school today? Are you SURE?

6:15 a.m. Back in bed.

That day, the day of the Late Snow Day Call, teachers and parents everywhere were furious because they had a) left for school already b) had no time to make other day care arrangements and c) HAD LEFT FOR SCHOOL ALREADY.

When the Keeper of The Snow Day was questioned as to why he waited so DAMN LONG to call the snow day despite the mountains of snow outside the window, he responded with something like this:

“If you looked out your window and saw all that snow and didn’t think there was a snow day, I can’t help you. And if you don’t know the ways in which to find that type of information, maybe you NEED another day in school.”

Oh no he di-in’t!!

But yes he did. Don’t believe me. Click here.  

Please keep in mind that there had not been a snow day for five years and, despite the fact that he said, “Snow day!” at 5:35 ish in the morning does not mean that the message was instantaneously delivered round the world or to people who were busy getting themselves or their children ready.

I mean, if that’s not a way to win over the potential votes of parents and teachers everywhere, I don’t know what is.

So enjoy today friends. Luxuriate in the early call, the turned off alarm clocks and the grilled cheeses of your day.

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16 Comments
  • Did he SERIOUSLY?! What an ass! Well, judging by his comment, all teachers & parents in that area are now certified to make their own school-attendance weather decisions. I imagine if he lets that go, there will be a LOT more snow days from here on out.

    February 10, 2010 at 4:59 pm
  • Today made the tenth snow day for my district so far this year and I'm getting a little sick of them 🙂

    February 10, 2010 at 4:59 pm
  • If you can believe it, we actually found out BEFORE we left school yesterday! Like 2 hours before. That has NEVER happened. (Except for one time at my previous school, and then it didn't even snow one flake. Thankfully it had been a workshop day so we didn't have to make it up.) And now some municipalities are calling for a snow emergency through 4 tomorrow afternoon which means another day! *woo*hoo* (I must still be sick because I am the one always complaining about making up snow days in June, and this time I don't really care! 😉 After two huge storms this winter, it's nice to get one during the week! Ha ha.

    February 10, 2010 at 6:17 pm
  • Yeah, well, here in ChiTown, we NEVER, EVER get snow days! And, on top of the 12+ inches of snow we got yesterday, we had a freakin' earthquake this morning!! God, I LOVE this city!!! (and, NO, I'm not being facetious, I really do!)

    February 10, 2010 at 6:17 pm
  • I am envious. We do not have snow days here. Yes, we get snow. And we get weather that only polar bears survive in. But it is the policy that we NEVER close the school. Seriously.

    February 10, 2010 at 6:17 pm
  • Going on our 11th snow day here…with only a half a day in two weeks time. Now they are hinting at taking away our precious spring break (which they've never done before!) I can see my already made travel arrangements to sunny Key West slipping away before my eyes…the only thing that gets me through to June! These 11 days have been no vacation as report cards were due and we missed our teacher workdays. However, we've been able to correctly guess we weren't going back to school with the ridiculous amounts of snow here!

    February 10, 2010 at 7:17 pm
  • Assuming that everyone else assumes the same thing you know, so you assume they don't have to be told. Awesome.

    Coincidentally, one of the very first things I learned as a pre-service teacher was to NOT assume anything.

    Enjoy your snow day!

    February 10, 2010 at 7:17 pm
  • We build hurricane days into our school calendar and are getting a 4-day weekend this weekend because we didn't have to use them this year — yay! Most of my students (including me!) have never even seen snow. However, we did have to wear jackets outside after 10am today, so it was still quite chilly by our standards!

    February 10, 2010 at 9:11 pm
  • Careful what you wish for. We also had people complain that the call for a snow day came in too late. The next time we got the call, mine came at 4:12 a.m. 🙂

    February 10, 2010 at 9:11 pm
  • No snow day for me! Or should I instead say – Snow Day for 2 of 18 of my 2nds and early dismissal for another 2 so that leaves 14 wondering "Why??? It's just not fair!!"

    The joys of private school! Our busing depends upon the district you live in so … if you live in Greenville you had a snow day. Unless .. . your parents decided to drive you to school so they could go to work! And if you live in school district X you get to go home at 11:30 and district y at 1:00. Try teaching when some kids get to go home and the others are praying that the snow comes heavy our way so they can go home, too.

    February 10, 2010 at 10:57 pm
  • I didn't get one. =( But, that's okay, we usually have 2-3 a year down here in South Carolina! We can't even handle flurries…

    February 10, 2010 at 10:57 pm
  • We do not have a snow day in central Ontario….instead I boarded a bus with 50 grade 8 students for a three day overnight trip to Ottawa, Canada's capital!! Hope everyone is enjoying their day off.

    February 10, 2010 at 10:57 pm
  • ChiTown Girl…though I live in Indiana I was born and raised on the North Side (Rogers Park) and I remember that we had one year where we had at least 3 days off in a week…must have been some storm. That's the only one I remember as a kid (50s and early 60s. I graduated HS in 66).

    We had our second snow day in a row today…third for the year. We'll likely have one tomorrow. Not as much snow in the Midwest as in the east, but the land is flat…and the snow blows building drifts.

    When I retire I'm going to volunteer myself to be one of the "weather watchers" for the school system. I LOVE it when we call it the night before.

    The last two days have been filled with hot chocolate, videos, and yes, reading for fun!

    February 11, 2010 at 2:00 am
  • We don't get snow days here, but I can feel your pain. I once had to got to work during a TROPICAL STORM. The trees lining the roads were actually bent over.

    February 11, 2010 at 2:00 am
  • In AZ, we don't even have snow. We do have excessive heat days andd air pollution days, but all that means for us teachers is that we watch the kids during recess…

    February 11, 2010 at 12:24 pm
  • I did NOT get a snow day…. Though, I did wake up to 5 different text messages from our weather station alerting me that EVERY single county in the surrounding region was out… with the exception of mine, of course… We are completely land locked, and all those counties are out, but not mine…. Fabulous. I'm pretty sure the director of transportation for my district has a target on his back! And BONUS– my kids were totally out of control all day… Lame.

    February 12, 2010 at 3:39 am

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