By writing this, I risk sounding like any upper generation person starting of "back in my day..." However, it baffles me, and I think it has more to do with where I live now, rather than anything generational.
On Thursday, I woke up, and turned on the local news like any other day. It was about 6:00 - 6:15am. Any way, I knew the forcast was calling for snow, and a decent amount - 6 - 8 inches. Lying in bed I see the school closings scrolling across the bottom of the screen, and they had numerour "weather updates;" where the storm is, show the Doppler radar, when are we getting it, it's snowing right now! So I peek out the window.... nothing. I see no flakes and no indication that flakes were there overnight. All morning from the moment I woke up to the snowless ride in the car, I hear about this snow.
While at work, I do not have a window in my office, so I went to my bosses office to check on the snow. It had finally started snowing around 11:00 - 11:30am, and it wasn't very hard. Nothing was sticking. The roads were just getting wet. It did pick up in a couple hours. But nothing started to effect the roads until about 5:00pm.
In West Virginia, where I went to grade school, there had to be tons of snow for school to get called off. I remember days, when it was prediced that we would get a foot or so, and if it hadn't started by the time we had to catch the bus, we were on our way to school. Occasionally, they would turn around and let school out early. But we always seemed to make the attempt. One time, my father was tking me to school in a horrible snow storm and coming down a hill we slid and hit a curb. By the time we had gotten there they called it off, but obvioulsy waited until the last possible minute.
Here, if the forcast says "snow" people shut down as precautionary measures. And it's not just the schools. On my way home from work that Thursday, I stopped at a gas station and they had a sign up that they were closing early due to weather. I thought gas stations were open all the time no matter what. Apparently this was not the case. I just find it funny that schools get cancelled based on forecasts. If they had gone to school that day, they would have been fine. School would have been let out long before the snow was effecting anything. And of course, since it started so late - they had to cancel the next day too. I didn't go to the grocery store that night, but I bet that it was full of overreacters stocking up for being snowed in by the daunting 6 inches of snow.
I have to admit that there is a level of jealousy involved too. Do you know how many days off I would have had if my school district had the same philosophy! I want my office to adopt it too. "Hey it might snow tomorrow, so just stay home."
If I think about it, it mirrors the reaction of the people as they are driving. Like I said previously - people freak out; overreact. On some level I would like to say that this will ultimately effect the work ethic of our youth, making them think it's okay to not try if things might get hard. But I don't think it will have that large of an effect.
I just want a day off for free too.
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3 comments:
I completely agree!! It is crazy how they cancel school due to forecasts. I have never heard of such a thing! When I lived in Erie, we had a total of over 100 inches of snow for the winter, and there was never a cancellation. Last year there were a few times that I went to school when it was cancelled. I learned my lesson, though, and I always check the internet before I get ready for work-just incase I don't have to go in on time. However, I continue to be shocked when the ground is bare and school is cancelled. I'm actually rather annoyed at this point because I am losing other days off (spring break, easter break, and then they'll start adding on days to the end of the year!). I'm starting to get cabin fever!
You'll be happy to know that we have adopted the same policy now in WV . . . no school due to forcast. My teacher friends have been home all week & some of last week. Only one of these days (today) would I have considered a "snow day." To make it even better, they have missed so many days that they will not have to make an additional ones up. All this in a relatively mild winter! I, too, am jealous . . . I would love to have a snow day!!!
I think it depends on your perspective. Driving from Braxton to Monongalia everyday, it didn't seem all that mild. Some areas would have nothing, but then suddenly you're in the middle of a blizzard. I almost had an accident nearly everyday I left home and honestly took two snow days myself b/c I just refused to finish the trip even though I'd already made it half way...but that's going to get me started on a whole 18 wheeler rampage..
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