A question for the parents about snow days.....

Hi! A childless special education teacher here. My question is do you feel inconvenienced by snow days? I feel extremely resentful when Mayor Bloomberg insists on keeping schools open so parents can go to work. Last time I checked we weren't babysitters but I do know that parents go to work when their kids are in school! I think its a terrible reason to keep schools open and endanger the safety of students and teachers by doing so. The DOE has had 9 snow days (I believe) since 1978. This is insane!!!!!!

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

many parents HAVE to go to work, there is simply no choice in the matter. I was lucky to have a flexible job when I was working, but many people do not. So I do think the schools should be open. Teachers can try their best to get in, if you can't make it in, then you can't.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Yes, I understand that people HAVE to work. I am one of them! But in eight inches of snow either you stay home or have a back up plan.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

I haven't met too many parents that worked b/c they wanted to - it's cause they have to - just like you. I'm fortunate that I can work from home when the weather is bad and my DS stays home with me. But that's just b/c of the nature of my job, not everyone has that ability - most people I know don't have that luxury. So yes, it is an inconvenience to parents when the schools are closed and they don't have they type of job where they can work from home. In some cases that takes food off their table that week cause they can't make $$ that day.

Message edited 1/27/2011 11:13:51 AM.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

I highly doubt that the city schools are kept open so that parents can go to work.

I feel inconvenienced by the snow itself...not school (or daycare in my case) being closed. There are times when daycare is open but I chose to keep my kids home and take the day off because it's just not safe out on the roads.

I don't expect teachers to babysit my children...I expect them to educated them while they are together. I know it's hard getting to work in this weather but everytime you are dealing with this so am I.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

every parent I know feels inconvenienced by snow days. it makes life very difficult when you have no coverage for your children but you have to go to work.

ETA: I guess that is the biggest thing that bothers me about this whole debate. I trudged my *** to work today in these same conditions. I don't understand why any one occupation needs to be singled out.

Message edited 1/27/2011 11:22:01 AM.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Yes, I do. I work from home, there are no snow days. And yes, I could keep my DS home, but try working with a spirited one year old and you'll see how that doesn't work. I depend on my daycare center to be open. Especially right now, when my DH is on a business trip and I am the sole caregiver.

Also, I keep reading this comment about teachers not being babysitters. But you are child care. As a school teacher, you "watch" our children during the day. Yes, you are educating them, but you are also the main childcare for school-aged children.

Message edited 1/27/2011 11:24:01 AM.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

No school for DC today so no work for me. Inconvenience? Absolutely. I lost $$ today. You see I don't have sick days, snow days, etc... if I don't work I don't get paid. Plain and Simple!

My work is closed because of the snow. If it was open I still could not go because DC's school is closed.

As far as back up plan, well good luck with that. We don't have family on LI. So scratch dropping my kid at grandma, SIL, etc... and our friends work and those SAHM friends we have cannot take care of our kid on top of their kids. So here goes the back up plan! DH and I are each other's backup plan.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

I am not the parent of a school aged child and I am a SAHM so its not an issue for me, but for the teachers who feel school shoudl be closed.


What about Drs, Nurses and really hospital workers in general? My SIL got stuck numerous times last night coming home from work but she had to be there because she works with open heart surgery patients and they had a few surgeries planned. Her work NEVER closes.

So while I have total respect for teachers and their profession...in general people need to stop complaining! You have a JOB that you get PAID to do. You get PAID to show up when your JOB is open...When I worked full time I did the same...I had to go. I never remember my work closing even when it was horrible conditions. But those of us who could made it to work because the powers that be didnt see the need to close the office and well our JOB is to come and work!

So accept that nobody is asking you to BABYSIT...they are expecting you regardless of the weather to do your JOB!

Sorry if this comes off snotty but I cant stand when people complain about something that guess what hte rest of the area is dealing with too! My neighbor works for a bank...his bank isnt closed to he dug out and went to work. My DH is lucky to work from home but at 7:30am one of the people working for him called him with questions from a job site....Its LIFE!

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

A friend of mine in the education field mentioned something the other day - everyone wants a snow day. No school for the kids, teachers and kids shouldn't have to risk their safety, etc. But besides the fact that many (if not the absolute majority) of parents have to go to work and some of them do not get paid if they call out, thereby financially affecting them in an economy that makes it super difficult to take an upaid day (never mind the parents that are very BARELY scraping by as it is), BUT there are also children that absolutely depend on going to school for things like their meals. Yes, some kids don't come from homes where every meal is a given. Add the fact that MANY parents do not have alternate means of care for their kids (either don't have family around or cannot afford to pay for care), and well, parents need the schools to be open when they work.

When my friend said this, it really made me see things in a different way.

No one wants teachers to go in to babysit. If you don't want to go in, if you don't feel it's safe, if you can't get out of your driveway, whatever it is... you have the choice to stay home also.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Posted by maybesoon

Posted by jgl

Posted by maybesoon

Teachers can try their best to get in, if you can't make it in, then you can't.

Im not getting into the debate about snow days. We get them or we dont whatever.. But It isnt that easy to just not go in If you dont feel safe. We actually do care about our students and fellow employees.

Certified teachers have to be thete to watch them. If there arent enough thenkds get shuffled around and fill up other rooms so now one teacher may havr to watch 40 kids. Do you want to watch 40 kids all day?? Alone????

Why shouldnt parents have to have other arrangments set up? We are NOT babysitters.

Most people in the private sector HAVE to get to work no matter what, so why would you be any different? and if the kids can make it in, most of the teachers should be able to as well. No I don't want to watch 40 kids , so I am not a teacher

some people will Just not be able to make it into work today, teacher or otherwise, such is life.

Message edited 1/27/2011 1:02:54 PM.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Message edited 1/27/2011 12:32:27 PM.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

I guess parents dont care if their kids are sitting in a classroom of 40 students and 1 teacher.


parents don't care?? wow, sounds like you are the one that doesn't care! how about parents have NO other option but to go into work most of the time and they don't get any snow days and in this economy they can't risk losing their job (yes, most paretns don't have tenure at their jobs for security and pensions that they can fall back on either if they do).

so when school is open, you'll have to shovel out and drag yourself in just like the rest of us do

Message edited 1/27/2011 12:37:45 PM.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

To answer the OP's question the answer is YES when my DS's daycare is closed for snow I do feel inconvenienced because I have no one else to watch him and even if I can get to work I sometimes have to stay home for him. So I do understand where the mayor is coming from.

That being said - I am a NYC teacher - and as a parent, and someone who worked for several years in Manhattan in the corporate world, I see both sides of the issue. People don't realize that teachers cannot just go in late like other professionals would. We are expected there at 8am or whatever the time may be. There is no flexibility to adjust hours, work from home or go in Saturday to make up time. Also many teachers call in sick on snow days (just like many non-teachers) and it really never is a normal day of instruction because there are substitutes or classes are split, etc. So yes I think we are babysitters on those days - and that's fine - it is what it is. I don't think teachers deserve special treatment by any means just a little unerstanding.


ETA - I never understand these debates. Teachers sometimes come off as lazy or spoiled and others come off as teacher-haters. What's the point?

Message edited 1/27/2011 12:41:56 PM.

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

Re: A question for the parents about snow days.....

As an ex-NYC teacher who lives in Stony Brook and had to travel into Flushing every day when it snowed I ALWAYS took a sick day. I didn't care who had a problem with it, the DOE can kiss my a$$. On a GOOD day it took me 2 hrs. to get to work and another 2 hrs. home, when it snowed...........there was NO point in even trying to get to work. Not to mention that most of the time the city doesn't even have the consideration to suspend alternate side parking so there isn't even a single place to park when you get to school. The one time I actually showed up because it wasn't going to start snowing till later (which it did) I left school at 2:40 and didn't get home until 7:30pm.

So while I get that whole argument of you have a job and you get paid to be there it doesn't mean I want to sit in a car for 15 hrs. to literally babysit (because on snow days it is what you're doing since they collapse classes since many teachers don't show up) and risk my life on dangerous roads because it's "my job". Do I think the city should close schools when there is a bad storm?...........H-E-L-L yes because it's a danger to the children, parents, and teachers who are all trying to trudge through 15 inches of snow to get there. It's not safe. But I will also say, because the city hardly ever closes............thank god for sick days! At least half of my 10 earned sick days per school year were spent on "snow days".