Monday, January 26, 2004
SNOWDAY!
a.k.a. "School's out for the [insert season here]..."
So today was to have been the first day with my new students. I stayed up and diligently worked on my worksheets, my procedures, my plans, making sure everything was on track. I'll be honest...I was freaked. Despite seeing a bunch of my friends this weekend at an exciting quiz bowl tournament down at Penn (Congrats to them on their victory, by the way), I was feeling very depressed and nervous. On reflection, my past semester went worse than expected and I still had a very limited idea of how to improve in the coming weeks. My aunt attempted to assuage my concerns by saying there might be a cancellation due to a rumored winter storm, but I dismissed that as the city never closes school. It's just unheard of.
Boy, is my face red.
I wake up this morning and because I'm a naive idiot, I turn on the news on TV to check if school has been delayed. Not cancelled. I don't hold out that hope. The precipitation when I went to bed last night was minimal at best. (You long time readers of TOTIB know that I needed to turn on the TV because my radio is fixed on NPR in the mornings...) So I turn it on...and it's on the early part of the alphabet. Great... I start watching as the names scroll by on the screen. When it finally gets to my district, I'm surprised to see that it's among the closings.
Immediate reaction: Disbelief
Secondary reaction: Need to reconfirm...
I rush over to the bedroom next door and pound on the door. My previously slumbering roommate asks what's up. I inform him of the possibility of cancellation. We check the district website and it turns out to be true. All public and parochial schools...CLOSED!
Immediate reaction: Giddiness
Secondary reaction: Now what?
I reconfirmed thrice over (radio, TV, internet) that school was cancelled; even tried to call into the school just in case, but no one was there. My roommate plans to go sledding later. In a few minutes I'm going back to bed. But I'm just too excited. I even called home on a Monday morning...and I was cheerful. My folks will tell you that's something of a rarity! What a weird situation: normally winter weather is supposed to increase depression and its assocated emotions. Yet another example of teaching turning everything you thought you knew on its ear!
The only possible down side to this is there may be grad certificiation classes tonight.
But even then, the news just gets better. Because tonight we get the start of a rather nasty wintry mix. And you all can guess what that means. We're all getting a little spoiled, and perhaps a lot ahead of ourselves here...but can you blame us?
To mix meteorological metaphors could lightning strike twice with this whole snow day thing?
Figure I'll plan for the worst case scenario and pray for the best, even though really I'm not much of religious fellow.
I'll let you know how the new class is when I see them...
a.k.a. "School's out for the [insert season here]..."
So today was to have been the first day with my new students. I stayed up and diligently worked on my worksheets, my procedures, my plans, making sure everything was on track. I'll be honest...I was freaked. Despite seeing a bunch of my friends this weekend at an exciting quiz bowl tournament down at Penn (Congrats to them on their victory, by the way), I was feeling very depressed and nervous. On reflection, my past semester went worse than expected and I still had a very limited idea of how to improve in the coming weeks. My aunt attempted to assuage my concerns by saying there might be a cancellation due to a rumored winter storm, but I dismissed that as the city never closes school. It's just unheard of.
Boy, is my face red.
I wake up this morning and because I'm a naive idiot, I turn on the news on TV to check if school has been delayed. Not cancelled. I don't hold out that hope. The precipitation when I went to bed last night was minimal at best. (You long time readers of TOTIB know that I needed to turn on the TV because my radio is fixed on NPR in the mornings...) So I turn it on...and it's on the early part of the alphabet. Great... I start watching as the names scroll by on the screen. When it finally gets to my district, I'm surprised to see that it's among the closings.
Immediate reaction: Disbelief
Secondary reaction: Need to reconfirm...
I rush over to the bedroom next door and pound on the door. My previously slumbering roommate asks what's up. I inform him of the possibility of cancellation. We check the district website and it turns out to be true. All public and parochial schools...CLOSED!
Immediate reaction: Giddiness
Secondary reaction: Now what?
I reconfirmed thrice over (radio, TV, internet) that school was cancelled; even tried to call into the school just in case, but no one was there. My roommate plans to go sledding later. In a few minutes I'm going back to bed. But I'm just too excited. I even called home on a Monday morning...and I was cheerful. My folks will tell you that's something of a rarity! What a weird situation: normally winter weather is supposed to increase depression and its assocated emotions. Yet another example of teaching turning everything you thought you knew on its ear!
The only possible down side to this is there may be grad certificiation classes tonight.
But even then, the news just gets better. Because tonight we get the start of a rather nasty wintry mix. And you all can guess what that means. We're all getting a little spoiled, and perhaps a lot ahead of ourselves here...but can you blame us?
To mix meteorological metaphors could lightning strike twice with this whole snow day thing?
Figure I'll plan for the worst case scenario and pray for the best, even though really I'm not much of religious fellow.
I'll let you know how the new class is when I see them...
