School closures

[Over The Hill]

Wife is expecting 8 inches tonight but that is a different story.

 

[Headgardener]

Wife is expecting 8 inches tonight but that is a different story.

Its supposed to be about 16 up your way (inches of snow that is)

 

[jamesxyz]

So the part time school teachers want even more time off. Meanwhile those with children have now to find alternative arrangements to cope with the unexpected kids being at home.

Teachers aren't baby sitters - you have children, you have to be expected to look after them!
Parents would be first to complain when their little darlings slipped and broke a limb on the ice ...

 

[dellzeqq]

received at 8.06 this morning - the first day of term

Good morning-
School is open - the building is lovely and warm - let the Spring term commence!
Kind regards
P------ W----
Office Manager

 

[wafflycat]

As a kid at school in the 60s & 70s, when lots of snow during the winter was the norm rather than the occasional "Woe! We'll all die!" over-reaction we seem to have these days, I don't recall school being shut due to bad weather. I do remember having the layers of thick clothing, the thick knitted tights, the winter boots, winter coat etc, and we walked to school (more than a mile) through thick snow and on ice-covered paths, did lessons in cold classrooms (ice on the inside of the windows) and had great fun on playgrounds covered in snow and ice making 'slides' and having competitions to see who could slide the furthest on the ice. Snowball fights too.. Teachers came into school - kids went to school and we had lessons.

Are we breeding wimps these days?

Edit: Mind you I did grow up in Northumberland. Obviously we are tougher than the average wimpy southerner

 

[lazyfatgit]

Teachers aren't baby sitters - you have children, you have to be expected to look after them!
Parents would be first to complain when their little darlings slipped and broke a limb on the ice ...

err - no. I can't believe our local primary is keeping kids cooped up in the hall instead of letting them ou in the fresh air. Yes its cold, yes its snowy. FFS. Its january. What happened to taking a spare pair of trosers and socks and getting on with it?

Agreed, school is not a baby sitting service, but i'd say in general, theres a lot less effort to get to work in adverse weather today, than there was 35yrs ago.
Maybe something to do with the gross reliance on motor transport.

 

[4F]

The only thing that has changed since the 60's and 70's is the health and safety culture. I am pleased to say that despite 3 - 4 cms snow both schools my children attend are open. In snowy conditions as long as they have wellies they can play snowball fights in the break time.

 

[lazyfatgit]

As a kid at school in the 60s & 70s, when lots of snow during the winter was the norm rather than the occasional "Woe! We'll all die!" over-reaction we seem to have these days, I don't recall school being shut due to bad weather. I do remember having the layers of thick clothing, the thick knitted tights, the winter boots, winter coat etc, and we walked to school (more than a mile) through thick snow and on ice-covered paths, did lessons in cold classrooms (ice on the inside of the windows) and had great fun on playgrounds covered in snow and ice making 'slides' and having competitions to see who could slide the furthest on the ice. Snowball fights too.. Teachers came into school - kids went to school and we had lessons.

Are we breeding wimps these days?

Edit: Mind you I did grow up in Northumberland. Obviously we are tougher than the average wimpy southerner

Wafflycat, this is what i was alluding to in my post. I think it hepled back then that we lived in communities. Teachers lived fairly locally too. we didn't have league tables. people didn't choose to send their kids off to a school because it was on the route to work.

 

[lazyfatgit]

4F, health & safety culture may have changed, but unfortunately for some its now blame & sue.

 

[gavintc]

Not baby sitters, but teachers. A child enters a school for an education. Teachers seem to find any available excuse to not provide that education. Oh, we a little bit of snow - another day off, thank you. Oh we need a training day, we might as well do that during the teaching year.

 

[Young Un]

Well, it's all very well keeping primary schools open, but once you get to high school it's a bit differnet, especially with me going ot a grammar school. I live 6 1/2 miles away, and my mates live up to 20 miles away from the school, do you expect them to walk?

 

[Young Un]

Rode from Redditch to Shirley at midday today, not surprised the schools were closed.

Brave brave man

 

[wafflycat]

Well, it's all very well keeping primary schools open, but once you get to high school it's a bit differnet, especially with me going ot a grammar school. I live 6 1/2 miles away, and my mates live up to 20 miles away from the school, do you expect them to walk?

Funnily enough, back in the 70s when many of my school friends lived that distance, and further, from school (also a grammar school), they still managed to get in when there was significant amounts of snow & ice on the ground. Some walked, some biked, some bussed in. People were *expected* to be able to get in - so they did.

 

[Young Un]

Funnily enough, back in the 70s when many of my school friends lived that distance, and further, from school (also a grammar school), they still managed to get in when there was significant amounts of snow & ice on the ground. Some walked, some biked, some bussed in. People were *expected* to be able to get in - so they did.

Meh. it's a snow day, I'm off school, I'm not complaining

 

[2Loose]

I don't think schools close to protect the kids, I think teachers live a lot further away from their schools nowadays and can't guarantee to get in. I know if a teacher lives on road, heshe won't be going anywhere any time soon.