Snow

When you are an educator, the word snow has a totally different connotation than for the rest of the world.  I was always aware of this, but in the time that I was retired and working for Bowen, I came to a rude awakening - when you aren't an educator,  snow does not equate with two hour delay or closing.  When I heard that East Allen Schools had closed, I went to the office to find out what to do.  What I found was that I was expected to work, change my schedule to be productive without going to a school.  Really?

Immediately, I have to amend my blanket inclusion of all educators in this.  When I was an administrator, I became aware of the fact that delay and closing don't apply.  As the principal at Jefferson, I was required to be there along with my secretary/treasurer.  We actually spent most of the day answering the phones and sending kids home. (Somehow the word didn't get to some households).  Otherwise it wasn't too bad.  I got a lot of paperwork done.

With the snow coming down quite well right now, I feel compelled to relate what it used to be like back in the day.  In fact, I am going to use one year to make my point.  It was 1978.  Those of us who were around that year know exactly where I am going with this.  It was the year of the blizzard.  Michele and I were newlyweds.  We had a house on Lafayette just south of Rudisell.  It was a small bungalow that was usually shaken by the semi's that regularly sped by.

I thought trying to get to the garage was a good idea, but who needs a car when you can go nowhere.

 In this picture you are looking at Lafayette towards Rudisell.  No cars, no trucks.

So that you get an idea how high this was, refer to the picture of me above.  This is what I went through.

Our view across the street.  You can't even see Lafayette.

We are just a few days shy of the 36th anniversary of that blizzard.  Over 10 inches of snow fell in the beginning, then the winds came, and then more snow.  Schools were closed, but so were businesses, roads, and highways.  We couldn't get around.  Our street which was usually packed with traffic was empty.  In fact, we needed groceries, but we knew that we couldn't drive, so we walked right down the middle of Lafayette.  Then we walked down the middle of Rudisell to get to the store.  We weren't alone, but there were no cars or trucks.  Just a lot of people walking. Remember that this was before cell phones, so if you left your home, you had no means of communication, so if you were venturing out, you were taking a risk

We couldn't go out our back door because the drift was up to my waist, as you can see in the pictures above.   I think after the snow stopped after a week, there was an actual 2 feet of snow on the ground.  So, it is obvious that we didn't have school that day, or the next, or the next.  We didn't return until the middle of the next week.  Students were very happy, much happier than students today.  Why?  We didn't make up the days then.  I actually remember teachers who complained that they lost so many days that year and were afraid that they wouldn't get everything covered.

There was no internet.  No cable or satellite TV.  No video games.  No VCR let alone DVD or video streaming.  What we had for entertainment was the TV and the radio. A new TV station had just started at the time.  They had Steve Shine, yes that Steve Shine on with old movie after old movie.

Now fast forward to today.  Most of the schools in the area are now canceling school tomorrow well before usual.  This is much like what we went through all those years ago.  The difference is that we already know the makeup day.  If there is another snow day in the future, we know that day too.  So, even though the staff and students feel like they are getting a day off, it is just an illusion.

I feel the soap box creeping under me at this time.  Yep, it is there!  When we look back at the students of 1978, the question begs to be asked - did they lose so much time that it affected their education?  I know many of them. They seem to be doing alright.   I do know that this affects the assessment schedule that has been established so that we test our students almost every week so that we know how well they will do on tests.  What a shame if that would happen.  Someone is getting snowed.