Photo #33/365: My Hero!

Today was our first snow day of the school year, and I have thoroughly enjoyed it. I stayed in bed until 8:15 this morning, and then remained in my pajamas until around 2:00 when I had to face the task of clearing the driveway. Dealing with the aftermath of the storm is the one downside to a snow day, and I thank God everytime my snowblower starts up and stays running until the job is done. This snowblower is truly "My Hero!"

Photo 11/365: Is School Cancelled?

We had a very crazy start to our day. We woke up to seven inches of snow this morning. I stayed in bed for awhile watching to see if there was any chance of a snow day. While many other districts had delays and then cancellations, there was no mention of Des Moines, so begrudgingly I got up and got in the shower.

I continued to watch the news as I ate breakfast, with no mention of Des Moines Schools. Shortly after I arrived at school, however, calls began coming in from parents, telling us that one of the local TV stations and a radio station had announced that school was cancelled. By this time it was 7:40 and the high schools and middle schools were already in session. Most teachers had arrived, and we had children in Metro Kids Care. The young musicians pictured above were taking their strings lesson.



It turns out that school was not cancelled. The announcements were made in error. At first we heard that the website had been hacked, but it turns out that there was an error at the television station. There was a mix up of codes, and when Webster City cancelled classes, it went out that Des Moines was cancelled. It was just a few numbers but it had a big impact for more than 30,000 students. Here is a screenshot of the announcement that is currently on our district website.

Surprisingly, I ended up with all but three of my students, so we had a pretty normal school day. We did have inside recess, of course.

Photo #7: Another Iowa Snow Day

It was another snow day for us here in Iowa. We have now had about 36 inches of snow this winter, and very little of that has melted. We added just five inches of snow today, but the snow was accompanied by high winds. I love snow days, even though I know that I have to eventually make them up. Today I had already taken a shower, and was in the process of getting dressed before I heard the announcement. I wonder who gets more excited about snow days, the kids or the teachers? I really like my job, but nevertheless, I shout and cheer when I hear that school has been cancelled for the day. I never completely believe my good luck, until I see the words confirmed multiple times: DES MOINES PUBLIC SCHOOLS: CANCELLED!