I'm really wondering whether they're gonna close the schools tomorrow. Snow Day Calculator says there's a 99% chance, but this is New York City, so you never really know.
I hear there will be 12-18 inches of snow. De Blasio closed them last month for far less, so perhaps that sets a precedent. I hope so. I usually go in no matter what, but I remember two nights where it took me four hours to get from my school to my home, a distance of 23 miles. Right now, I'm wondering whether that's such a good idea.
On snowy days, I like to stay home and hang out with my dog. He's just a little guy, and he's utterly bewildered by the snow. What the hell is this stuff, he seems to wonder. Why can't he get into my backyard, which he sees as his private restroom. Why should he have to suffer the indignity of pooping on the front lawn? You don't see humans doing that, usually. Why should he have to do it?
Given the last snow day was a lot milder than many days I've gone in, I'm thinking a big snowfall will make de Blasio call Carmen Fariña and tell her no it is NOT a beautiful day and don't you dare say so. I'm in total agreement. A beautiful day is NOT a day in which you drive west on the Long Island Expressway with cars constantly crashing to your right and left. A beautiful day is NOT a day when you drive home at a speed of five miles an hour and have to pull over to manually wipe off your windshield. And a beautiful day is NOT a day when you drive in and hear the mayor, your boss, say, "Jeez it's awful out there. If you don't have to come in, for goodness sake, stay home."
On the other hand, a ridiculous snow day when only half the kids show up is a good excuse to give a ridiculous quiz that they all get a hundred on. Talk for five minutes about the wonders of art and the different forms that have existed all over the world at different times, and then ask them what color the whiteboard is. Talk about how language has shaped politics, how it forms the way you see the world, and how the Eskimos have twenty words for snow. Then ask the kids what language people speak in China. Give them ten questions like that so they get a high score and feel like it wasn't a total waste of their time coming in.
On the other hand, on days like that don't you feel like the people who didn't come in are smarter than you? I don't necessarily feel that way while I'm in the classroom, but oh, during those four hour drives home I don't feel so smart at all. And as much as I like to see the intrepid souls who are as crazy as I am on days like that, I think if I see a foot of snow outside I'm gonna give up immediately and stay home. I have a feeling that if it's that bad, de Blasio will close the schools.
One thing--last month Mike Mulgrew told the DA that we had only one snow day, and that any day more than one would have to be made up. However, I've now heard from both Mike Schirtzer and a very meticulous school secretary of my acquaintance that we have 182 days this year, and that we can actually take another without having to make it up. So let's hope Mike 2 is right and Mike 1 made a mistake. While you can never be 100% sure about Mikes, my school secretary friend knows everything, as far as I know. (Of course, that's only as far as I know, and I can't promise to know more than either Mike.)
What are you gonna do if Snowmageddon 2017 arrives tomorrow morning? Will the mayor's decision affect yours or have you already got your mind made up?
Update--My most reliable UFT source says we have TWO snow days, so we would NOT have to make up tomorrow.
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