Wednesday
Dec092009
Snow Day - a reprise
Wednesday, December 9, 2009 at 07:57AM 
Originally posted March 1, 2007.
The Mankato Area Public Schools are closed today on account of snow. You have to work in schools and live in the northern parts of the United States to understand the real meaning of "snow day."
- It is God giving you an additional day of life.
- It is looking out the window and seeing beauty in the snow and wind rather than work.
- It is getting to that movie, that book, or that task that would have eaten up a weekend - guilt free.
- It is digging out and fixing a favorite soup recipe that takes too long to make on most days.
- It is not being jealous of your colleagues' weather in the South - for at least one day.
- It is remembering the delight of having a snow day when you were a kid.
- And the best thing - it is not setting the alarm knowing tomorrow will be a snow day as well.
Do I sound insufferably smug and happy? Good. I am.
Today's snow day came at a great time. I'm planning to:
- Read an advance copy of Daniel Pink's new book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
- Play with and watch a Netflix movie using my new Roku device
- Get handouts updated and sent to CEESA for its March conference
- Book tickets to Mumbai for February's ASB Un-plugged Conference
- Make some homemade chicken noodle soup or chili
- Get caught up on blog reading and my blog post responses
- Finish my June Head for the Edge column for LMC
- Break out the cross country skiis if the wind goes down
- Take a nap - or two
Hope you are having a nice day where ever you are. Life is good here.
Reader Comments (13)
Snow day yes, but...
Here in Iowa we now lose one day of Christmas Break for a snow make-up day. We're trading a horrible weather day for a potentially nice weather day on Dec. 21.
Imagine the students and staff when they come back from a weekend to have one more day of school on Monday and THEN we begin "Winter" Break - sorry, we're not supposed to use the word Christmas.
Just got done shoveling, did a couple short video clips for my Facebook page, and now I'm heating up a cup of capuccino (French Vanilla).
I guess it's not so bad...
Here in Parkland County, we have "cold days" where busses may be cancelled because the temperature is -40C. However, schools are still open, and we are in business. Even in extreme snow conditions we are expected to make an attempt at coming to school. Sigh. Enjoy your Stolen Day!
Don't think I've ever seen that much snow! Certainly not in England. Here, we have to cancel things for a few cm of the stuff ... that would kill us completely I think! (Scots are better ... they get it, we don't!)
Oh geez, here in the twin cities, Doug, we just shovel out the driveway and crawl to work. I would appreciate it if you would refrain from bragging about snow days in the future. Thanks, Tor
Yeah, in St. Cloud we just got cold wind with a little snow. Fortunately, Wednesday is my work-at-home day anyway and I don't have to drive to our Little Falls office.
That's certainly an ambitious list. I hope it's not obliterated by the overwhelming urge to take a nap. :-)
Wish we could have a snow day, sigh, but cold doesn't seem to count. I want more snow here so please send some our way.
Hear, hear! I grew up in MD, and our snow days were rarely as intense as those in the mid-west. But we loved them all the same! Now in NC, the delight of a snow day springs from their rarity!
Love, love, love snow days! I think we were truly meant to hibernate.
Snow days are wonderful. Billy Collins, one of my favorite poets and former Poet Laureate of the U.S., has a terrific poem about snow days: http://www.americanpoems.com/poets/Billy-Collins/1758
Enjoy and hope for some more.
Relating to snow days . . . I have enjoyed snow days off from school from a variety of perspectives: as a student, as a school bus driver (in Mankato, as a matter of fact), and as a teacher, now commuting 35 miles to school. I've never been a superintendent (never aspired to be) but I often wonder why the top dogs are so gun shy about calling school off on winter storm days. I was especially keen to this perspective when I was driving school bus. One bus full of children sliding off a slippery road or into an oncoming car (which thankfully never happened, but was close enough to envision) isn't worth the risk. Last year severe cold caused numerous Bloomington buses to stall (coagulated, jelled biofuels...), stranding numerous students in buses and those waiting to be picked up on the streets. This wouldn't have happened if the Superintendent had simply erred on the side of caution, which they seem so reluctant to do. Superintendents should base their school-closing decision on the hair-raising experience of driving a bus full of children through the icy, blowing snow, then decide if the weather warrants a school closing, or at least a late start.
Maybe I'm biased, first as a former school bus driver and second, as one who has become a connoisseur of snow day experiences, as you appear to be (judging from the detail in your snow-day list). I fear, though, that your snow day was a little too jam packed with tasks. Allso, your list had the glaring omissions of: blow out the driveway, shovel the walk, dig snow tunnels like when you were a kid, and pray like hell for a slapback snowstorm. And oh yeah, snuggling with the wife while listening to Van Morrison.
Hi Bob,
We don't get out for winter break until the 23rd here anyway. But then we don't start until after Labor Day by state law. I suspect the grass is always greener (or the snow is always whiter) on the other side of the border!
Doug
Hi Todd,
But we've always known the farther north one lives, the tougher you get. That's why you don't mess with polar bears either!
Stay warm, you Canadians!
Doug
HI Emma,
Do the Scot's wear long underwear under their kilts???
Doug
Hi Tori,
A couple houses for sale in my neighborhood here on the lake. Move on down!
Doug
Clint,
The nap always wins!
Doug
Hi Susan,
The cold rarely counts here either. And I like the snow. Except in March. You can have it then!
Stay warm!
Doug
Hi Libby,
I might very well trade your generally pleasant weather for a few snow days!
Doug
Thanks, Skip. Wonderful poem!
Doug
Hi Keith,
Oh, thanks. Now I am probably in trouble with the LWW for not mentioning the cuddling bit in my original post!
I suspect calling snow days is pretty much a damned if you do, damned if you don't proposition for superintendents. Like you, I'd always err on the side of safety, but when that predicted storm doesn't materialize, I'm sure the phones light up with disgruntled parents needing babysitters, disgruntled employers whose employees couldn't find babysitters, and store owners who are annoyed by shops full of kids!
Hope to see you at TIES!
Doug
Snow days are wonderful, but since i moved to spain i´ve to abdicate. I´m jealous ;-)
Hmmm, living in Spain with a German internet address and a Scandinavian name! You are an international!
I am a little jealous of you living in Spain as well. Only visited once, but really enjoyed it.
Doug