OT - Send the Kids to School
If you are in the same boat as me, your kids are home for an eight time since January 1. 8 "snow days" in a little over a month. This is now completely ridiculous. I don't care if there is ice on "back roads." I don't care if frostbite can occur on "exposed skin." I don't care if there are "boil problems." I really don't even care if there is electricity.
Is the standard for closing school "the existence of winter condition somewhere at some point, kind of" now? Is that what we are rolling with?
I here you XM, I need to sit with my family in front of the fire place and read, and read, and read, until everybody falls into a peaceful slumber after a round of "I love yous." I get it. And I do love them. But I have two kids who complained this morning about another snow day. The kids complained about not having school.
Send these kids back to school. Enough already.
/End rant
/Until the next "snow day"
February 7th, 2019 at 7:24 AM ^
Rant heard. Rant appreciated. That is why I live in the South. Hurricanes are similar here but I can deal with them easier than the lack of sunshine.
Sorry for your frustration.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:29 AM ^
NoSy then
February 7th, 2019 at 8:02 AM ^
No Sy? No sympathy? 'Splain yourself.
February 7th, 2019 at 1:27 PM ^
He lives in the south. Sympathy is for those stuck in the cold
February 7th, 2019 at 9:43 AM ^
It's worse down here. Here in North Carolina 3 inches of snow is a week of closings. And not just school. Friggin doctor offices, stores, etc. Hell, even the post office and UPS said nah a couple weeks ago. All of them shut down. It's insane.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:25 AM ^
Michigan’s funding must be completely out of whack. I graduated HS in 2001...I remember maybe 2-3 snow days a year, max, and plenty of times where there were none. When it was closed, it was never closed more than one day at a time except when there was a crazy huge storm (over a foot). Why? Because the roads were treated, at least the main ones. There were lots of “busses on main roads only” days. The lack of road treatment is costing parents, and the local economy, billions. That doesn’t even mention the non-monetary cost of the kids not being in school. It’s ridiculous. Snow days cost WAY more than the cost to treat roads, except the cost falls on businesses and families instead of the government. Does the state just not have the money it used to? Or is it that poorly managed?
February 7th, 2019 at 7:27 AM ^
"Michigan’s funding must be completely out of whack. I graduated HS in 2001"
One way to find out. Look it up. I would encourage everyone to see how the Michigan budget is divided. Also, the difference between a budget between now and lets say 2000. You will spot the problem real quick.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:30 AM ^
Perhaps the Flint River and Larry Nassar are taking up some of the money.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:33 AM ^
Some of the snow days these past few weeks came about as result of extreme cold. Road conditions didn't factor into it.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:07 AM ^
I know. I’m referring more to the actual snow/ice days. There’s no reason the roads couldn’t have been treated these last two days (ok, not knowing the timing, maybe not yesterday). The temp is plenty warm enough for salt to work, so what’s the problem?
February 7th, 2019 at 8:14 AM ^
They were treated. They are fine.
February 7th, 2019 at 12:23 PM ^
I have no data to back this up, but from my observations it seems that certain counties have drastically cut back on the use of road salt.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:49 AM ^
I am one of the parents affected here. I get it when we have a large amount of snow/ice overnight that overwhelms the municipal resources to have the buses run safely. I also get it when we have negative wind chills. Both have been the case several times over the last two weeks. I think the reason this topic is being brought up today instead of previously is because neither of those things are the case today. They’ve had over 24 hours since yesterday’s school closing to salt the roads, and the rain has melted anything that was left where I am. Temps have been above freezing since they called school this morning and the highs are forecast in the 40s. There have been a few days in the last couple weeks where closure seemed unjustified - especially today.
Whitmer claiming a state of emergency allows schools to not make up those days later, so now there is a bigger bank of “free” snow days for school districts to use than usual. With today’s weather being very mild, I personally don’t think schools would be closed if they had to make it up later. So if they are just taking advantage of those extra days as it seems, that is a legitimate complaint.
State of emergency or not, the schools shouldn’t get any additional free days off. Most schools in Michigan are struggling with performance and test scores as it is. Yes, this continues to be a huge burden to working parents like myself, but a failure to the kids first and foremost.
February 7th, 2019 at 9:00 AM ^
Well said. Out of the 8 days that my district has been off, probably four or five have been legitimate. Calling today off was a joke.
February 7th, 2019 at 11:12 AM ^
Maybe you should wait until 3 pm before you call it a joke.
February 7th, 2019 at 9:21 PM ^
Ha! I got negged for this. Yesterday school was in session and I had to clear away the 6" of snow we got overnight. Last night we got nothing, but freezing rain was forecast beginning around 1 - 2 pm today so they cancelled school. Well, they got it right this time. The morning was fine, but by 3 pm we had over 1/2" of ice covering everything. I spent about 2 1/2 hours spreading salt and sand on our driveway and private road to try and make it usable.
So, yeah, you can wait until 3 pm before you call it a joke. I imagine the more than 115,000 without power in Kent, Montcalm and Ionia counties don't think it's a joke either.
February 7th, 2019 at 10:24 AM ^
The State of Emergency does not automatically grant additional free snow days.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:39 AM ^
It's that poorly managed.
February 7th, 2019 at 9:46 AM ^
Does the state just not have the money it used to? Or is it that poorly managed?
Yes.
February 7th, 2019 at 12:14 PM ^
I don't know where you went to school, but I was in public school not far from Ann Arbor in 2001, and 2-3 days definitely would have been on the extreme low end, and my school was known for being conservative with calling them - we were always jealous of Ann Arbor, who often got them when we didn't.
February 7th, 2019 at 6:18 PM ^
Do they still do the "busses on main roads only" thing? I remember that from living/teaching in Michigan but have been gone from there for a while. (It's not a thing in Ohio)
February 7th, 2019 at 7:28 AM ^
8 days? that's cute... Here in the West-Central Michigan area we are on our 13th day.. haha
February 7th, 2019 at 7:30 AM ^
Yep let’s have school smart one, when a bus full of kids slides into the ditch on a pure ice back road injuring kids and causing damage all the parents can call u to sue is that cool? Good thing your not in charge
February 7th, 2019 at 7:33 AM ^
I live on a "back road." They were fine this morning. And not fine because I am like "truck guy" who drives 85 mph on every road and weaves in and out of traffic while giving people the finger. I am typically uneasy and overly cautious in winter conditions. They were literally completely fine, and I live in the bulls-eye of where the storm hit.
And even if the busses can't get to back roads, 90% of all parents have the means to get their kids to school on their own. At some point, all of this becomes not my problem.
Send the kids to school.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:40 AM ^
It's easy for you to say that, because it's "not your problem." You come off like an entitled brat. What if the district opens school and a kid gets seriously injured or killed on the way?
February 7th, 2019 at 7:44 AM ^
I would have gladly "risked life and limb" today to take my kids to school on the completely fine roads.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:39 AM ^
Are you risking your life and limbs or your kids? Cause previous poster is taking about risking kids lives. Instead of ranting we should be coming up with solutions . With modern technology like the interwebs Idk why we can't hold online classes at times like this
February 7th, 2019 at 8:44 AM ^
Neither. Or both, like in the same way that somebody could have rigged my car to explode when I started it up this morning. There is always that risk, too.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:44 AM ^
It is better to have class in July than a funeral next week.
At what point does the safety for the student trump your distaste for your children being at home instead of in class? What the conditions are at your house might not be the same conditions a single mile in any direction from your house. Where I live, in town it looks like a nice snowfall with not much of an effect on the roads, but two miles out of town into the fields, the drifts are three feet deep and the road cannot be discerned from the ditch. Accept that in a frivolous lawsuit seeking society that will make the rest of "their lives" easy, administrators are going to air on the side of caution. There are no more "Back in my days". Yes, it sucks, swap your pull-ups for a pair of boxers, stop whining, and move forward.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:49 AM ^
No, I like my pull-ups. I don't even have to get up to pee.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:53 AM ^
In the same boat in Northern MI, but the problem isn’t now, it’s in about 6 hours when the freezing rain arrives. Getting them home is the issue. Be safe this afternoon/evening, it’s going to be nasty.
Aaaand, there won’t be school tomorrow either, but let’s not start another thread.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:54 AM ^
There will be school tomorrow down state. It is going to be 50 degrees today. Then again, the puddles at bus stops could pose a hazard to those without boots so I guess we will have to wait and see.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:44 AM ^
U have no way to back up your 90% of parents have the means to get kids to school, I guarantee it’s way less, I live on a dirt road and it’s a sheet of ice, I also live in one of the poorest counties in state and a lot of parents and teen drivers would have difficulty getting kids to school.
So your totally wrong on having school in these conditions so just quit trying to back yourself up
February 7th, 2019 at 9:04 AM ^
How is it a sheet of ice when it is 40 degrees outside!?!
February 7th, 2019 at 9:41 AM ^
The state of all matter and the temperature profile of said matter is not necessarily in equilibrium.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:42 AM ^
In 1994 my school district got sued by several parents when they decided to hold classes on a day with -50 wind chill. Something like a dozen kids at the HS got frost bite (we had to walk outside between classes).
So I get why they cancel classes when it gets that cold out. But a snow day for anything less than 6-8 inches of snow seems silly.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:48 AM ^
What's weird is that not all 6" of snow is created equal. When it's cold you get this light, powdery snow that a hatchback can plow through with no difficulty. On the other hand, even an inch of stuff on a warm-ish day with melting underneath can be a nightmare to drive on, even for buses, yet nobody will close because it's only an inch.
As it happens, I was going to fill in for a school bus route this morning. We're under a winter storm warning, but the snow isn't that intense and will take the whole day to build up, and it's the powdery stuff.
I was at the gas station near the base getting coffee when another driver told me the schools were closed. I'm surprised. A bit annoyed, too, honestly.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:14 AM ^
A little thread jack just for Hatter.... my annual UMS update for you. Next weekend at Hill Aud. Britten’s War Requiem that of course has me singing and two organs, large orchestra, children’s choir and plenty of anti war sentiment.
February 7th, 2019 at 9:02 AM ^
Thanks, you're the best! I've never heard it live before, so I will absolutely try to be there.
On a side note, my daughter and I have made an annual tradition of attending Messiah. We plan to keep it up as long as one of us lives in the area.
You guys really do rock.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:46 AM ^
TCAPS in Traverse City gave two solid weeks off for Christmas. It seems like once a month there is a at least one half day and one full day off for whatever. There is so much slack on the system for ''inservice dates" that they could make up these days pretty easily if they wanted to do it.
It's a bit annoying to me as somebody who apart from Xmas and new years hasn't had a vacation or sick day off in six months
February 7th, 2019 at 7:51 AM ^
10th snow day today so far for us.
I made the mistake of saying how mild the winter was back in mid January and how unusual it was for us not to have any snow days right before the deathstorm last week.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:57 AM ^
I agree and disagree with you. The roads yesterday after the ice storm were not that bad at all. The commute to work was pretty much normal and would not have caused major issues. So for that, there probably should have been school.
But there is absolutely nothing you can do when the temps dip into -30 degree windchill. That's dangerous for everybody, not just kids. Sure, some districts close school probably earlier than they have to and sometimes when it isn't even necessary. But there are just some days where you can't really do anything about it.
And as for the people in the UP having school with even more snow...there's less traffic and overall business up there so it is much easier to clear and coordinate safety when the roads are bad. They also have even more equipment to clear the roads faster.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:59 AM ^
I may have used a bit of hyperbole. I agree that schools should have been closed last Wend and Thursday.
February 7th, 2019 at 7:58 AM ^
I hear ya, teachers get frustrated by snow days too. School cancellations are above my pay grade as a teacher as they are handled by superintendents and generally the smaller surrounding communities follow suit with the larger school districts. However, since you brought it up I would like to give the perspective of the other side of school/parent responsibilities.
In Maine we are now required by law to teach and assess kids on what are called the Maine Guiding Principles which include things like being a "practical problem solver", a "responsible and involved citizen", having a "growth mindset". None of these concepts belong in any content area nor was any teacher trained on how to teach and assess these. The only explanation I can offer as to why we are required to teach them is that parents are no longer teaching their kids.
Just about every teacher/parent conversation regarding a struggling student involves parents asking "why didn't you any communicate with me about this" or "what did you do to help my child"? And, as I see families about, I see a lot of parents on their phones and computers more and more and less interaction with their kids. There's no doubt technology has made work life busier than ever and making time with the kids less and less. But, it's getting a bit ridiculous how many parents are basically asking schools to raise them and teach values that have long been taught in the home. There is a serious lack of instilling values, teaching, parenting, and disciplining done in the home compared to a generation or two ago.
February 7th, 2019 at 8:11 AM ^
It is my opinion that two-working parent families has a lot to do with it. For five days out the week, my wife and I see our kids for about a total of 4 waking hours per day. One of them is used getting ready for school, one for dinner, and one for homework. It certainly is not ideal.
Nonetheless, I don't see any issue with schools emphasizing those ideals. I certainly see them as being as important as being able to list all state capitals.
February 7th, 2019 at 9:31 AM ^
Well, when I was a kid I was lucky to see my mom, who was a stay at home mom, 3-4 hours/day.
We were OUT THE DOOR after breakfast, begrudgingly came back for lunch, scarfed a couple of bologna sandwiches down our throats, and we back out the door again until dinner. After dinner we'd be out until she yelled at us to come in because it was getting dark.
During the school year I'd have sports until 6, come home for dinner, where we would all sit around the table and eat, actually watch the news (local and then national) with my family because there was 1 TV and dad had control of it, watch a few awesome shows, again watched as a family, and then my dad snoring in his chair was the signal it was time for bed, which was usually around 9.
The number of hours spent with kids hasn't changed much. It's the quality of those hours that has. Technology has not made our lives better, in pretty much any way, excluding medicine. Honestly, can't think of any. I'm glad I grew up when I did (I'm a Man, I'm 50).
February 7th, 2019 at 12:58 PM ^
I don't see any issue with schools emphasizing those ideals. I certainly see them as being as important as being able to list all state capitals.
I'm sure you don't as I'm guessing you're not a teacher. I do believe these skills are absolutely important. We can debate somewhere else how they stack up to other skills that are taught in schools. However, IMO this is beyond the scope of what school was designed for. Parents should be teaching these things in the home and kids should already come to us with these skills. In fact, the lack of these skills is preventing learning because kids lack the resiliency skills to go through the learning process and the failure that comes with learning new skills and problem solving when things aren't easy and hand fed to them.
February 7th, 2019 at 2:37 PM ^
I think that is basically apathy because they don't really believe that what they are learning is particularly related to their future existence. If elementary and middle schools had a curriculum that was focused 30-40% on coding, computer literacy, computer programming etc., I think kids would eat it up. As it stands, my son completed an assignment last night regarding the planet Pluto and truly had a look in his eyes that said "kill me, just kill me now." Why? Because that kid is never going to need to know a damn thing about Pluto in his life and he damn sure doesn't care about it now.
February 7th, 2019 at 6:20 PM ^
That is a terrible mindset to have about learning. Schools already are prioritizing stem above all else. Learning is not just about preparing students for a future job it is about teaching them to be citizens that can think critically.
I am sure he may not care about learning about Pluto, but unless he has a terrible school/teacher there were other reasons he was assigned the work. The same skills that were being lauded above in this thread are a part of what your son is being taught. How to conduct research, how to identify perspective/bias in sources, etc.