Snowy Day

Despite wearing my PJs inside out and backwards last night and sleeping with my fingers, arms, toes, and legs crossed, Mr. Bloomberg decided that the weather was not severe enough for us to have a snow day today. My disappointment at 5am was overwhelming, and I could not manage to get up and start my routine until 5:45.

Truth be told, the weather was not ridiculous, although the commute was challenging. My street was not plowed when I left for school, and some of the side streets around our building were untouched at 6:45. I saw many a car spinning its tires in the snow drifts along street sides. Lucky for me, I take the lovely subway to school and thus, did not have to do any window-brushing or tire-spinning of my own.

I arrived at school to find out that 50% of our staff had called in sick for today, in large part because the traffic and driving conditions were horrendous. Since only 1 of the "sick" people had managed to get a substitute for the day, we were in a panic about being very short-staffed.

Our students were even less interested in trucking through the snow than the teachers. Attendance for the day: a whopping 26%. (Ladies and gentlemen of NYC, your tax dollars were hard at work today....). As a result, we were on a modified schedule and I did not actually teach any of my real classes and instead spent the day hanging out with students, watching movies via streaming Netflix, and sending kids home through early dismissal. Today was less about me being a teacher and more about being a glorified babysitter. On the upside, however, was the chance to get to hang out with and talk with kids on a more personal, relaxed basis. And to watch their photo-shoot as we took pictures of the "Student Snowstorm Survivors" in recognition of their attendance in school. All in all, it was a strange, and funny, day on the job.

I wonder, in looking at our attendance record, if the Mayor wants to continue his reasoning for not calling off school by saying that he has to keep the kids in school so parents can get to work. Clearly, 74% of the parents today were not so concerned about their kids being in school.

Quote of the day, from an 11th grade girl: "Miss, I ain't tryin to be racist, but why is it that all you white girl teachers be wearing skirts and tights to school in the winter? Ain't ya'll legs mad cold?"
Response, from one of her friends: "It's called professionalism."