Schools out for winter!

Living here in Missouri most of my life I still find it mind boggling how one day we can have below freezing temperatures, snow falling and ice on the ground; but then days later, we have upper 60/lower 70 degree weather.

Today marks probably the fourth or fifth winter storm our neck of the woods has received since January. We had no snow for Christmas...but then closer to New Years we finally got some flakes. I really wanted the girls, especially Destin to play in the snow for the first time...since last year she was too young (at 9/10 months old).

With so many winter storms...that means no school for several school districts in the area. The roads are horrible, people are nervous/crazy/slow/fast (you name it - its out there on the road behind a wheel of a car!)...I am thankful that the students are not put in harms way, and that the supervisors of the schools are smart enough to close the schools when the weather gets so bad outside. But I do feel sorry for all those children  AND teachers who will be attending school way past the "official last day" and for some going into June. I have heard that some schools (instead of going to school til June something?) are attending school an extra 15-20 minutes everyday to make up all the lost days. I am not sure if that will work or not...but some schools are desperate and have other things going on come summer time (like construction, etc.).

Summer vacations will be cut short, and summer school will be sooner than expected. Last year, I remember the same thing occurred...in fact, my mother (who is a school nurse in Blue Springs) had 1 day off of school, then the following Monday is when Summer School started. Craziness?!?

On days like this I am glad that I am not teaching...I am happy to be home with my girls, not having to brave the roads, worry about rescheduling all of my lessons, and how to fit all the subject areas into two or three days a week.

Not to change the subject...but speaking of teaching/schools...I have heard several schools in order to survive the many government/state budget cuts are thinking about 4 day school days, or no more buses. But that's another post discussion...teaching in chaos - chaos not from the students, parents or even the demands of state standards - but from budget cuts.