I’ve heard rumors about some areas of the country where they cancel school due to heavy snow and impassable roads. I say rumors because I’ve never experienced one. Here, in Silicone Valley California, we rarely get snow. The couple of times in the last 40 years when it actually did snow on the valley floor, it was gone in a few hours. We do have the occasional “rainy day” session where recess and or lunch is held in the classroom but in reality, the weather here rarely interferes with school activities.
That’s why I was surprised yesterday by the office noon time announcement that due to the “cold windy conditions”, teachers should decide if they want to allow the kids to eat lunch in the classroom as there wasn’t room in the cafeteria to eat indoors. Half the cafeteria had been taken over by the Halloween Haunted House they were running this week. I stepped outside to see what “cold windy conditions” the principal was talking about.
The classroom is situated near a small curved stadium like seating area outside the classroom door. It’s in bright sunshine and must have been in the mid 60’s with just a bit of a breeze reaching the bottom steps of the protected seating area.
Eat inside because of rain, falling snow, raging floods, freezing temperatures or even typhoon force winds, I might relent. But, a little bit of Calif breeze? No way!
“But it’s so COLD!!” says the kid standing in front of me dressed in T-shirt, shorts and shoes without socks as I’m locking the classroom door.
“Remember this moment when you get dressed for school tomorrow morning”, was my reply as I lead them off to get lunch.
Coming back to the classroom after lunch, I see that the door to the classroom is wide open and no one around. Evidentially, someone had talked the janitor into unlocking classroom door to allow some kids to eat inside. I don’t know if there was any adult supervision while I was away, but no one closed the door after they left.
Fortunately, the teacher’s laptop computer, portable document camera and, more importantly, my personal subbing bag looked to be unmolested.
I see that it isn’t just kids who seem to be lacking some common sense.
2 comments:
It really shows you have spoiled and pampered some kids are. Of course, if they were at home, they would be outside enjoying themselves and refusing to wear jackets.
Here in Las Vegas, we have been experiencing strange weather. Cold in the mornings, high 80s in the afternoon, and my classroom feels like it's the dead of winter. But then the next day, the wind could be blowing at bone-chilling temperatures. Hard to get a handle on what to wear. Of course, we know this as "layering" weather, or "jacket" weather. My own children don't get this concept, and when they do, they don't want to be responsible for keeping track of their clothing. Sigh.
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