snow day--->snow week

I didn't post earlier because there was a snow day today, and I just learned there's a snow day tomorrow. I am not second guessing PPSD's decision to close schools either day. I don't have the info the decision makers there have nor do I know all the factors. Nevertheless, as I've described previously, I worry.

I worry about the learning loss that's happening. When I was fretting on Facebook earlier today about this, my friend Robyn, who teaches kindergarten, commented that January is usually a great month for learning and momentum for her kids, but not this January due to all of the interruptions.

I worry about kids being safe, warm, and fed. I don't know how many kids rely on breakfast and lunch at school, but I know there are such kids at every public school in Providence and many other towns. I don't know how many kids live in homes struggling to keep the heat on, but I know they're out there. I hope those families are getting what they need and that all of us are finding ways to help. One way is to make a donation to Keep the Heat On, a heating assistance fund that's a project of Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence.

And I worry about families that must be scrambling for childcare as parents and other caregivers figure out how to get to work.

This is not to say that we should be asking teachers to hit the roads when conditions are awful, or put kids on buses, or ask them to walk what are often long distances, or to ask families to risk bad road conditions to drive kids to school. A parking ban, to allow plows to go through, is necessary, and that's enough to prevent teachers from parking at many schools. It is what it is, and what it is is a necessary evil and a frustrating situation for many.

Okay, enough winter whining. Onward.