…. and the school board kept schools open today….sigh!!!!!!!!!!
The accumulation of snow overnight was far less than predicted so the TDSB decided at 6:30 this morning to cancel school buses but keep schools open. The forecast for the rest of the day, however, was for even more snow than originally predicted because of the delay. The drive into work was hazardous but coming home was even worse.
Over 120 students didn’t come to school this morning and over the course of the day another 40 were picked up before the end of the day. Even though we were willing to combine classes and let teachers who had a long drive ahead of them leave a little bit early the powers that be at the board office refused to let principals make those arrangements.
The city claimed that there were hundreds of snow ploughs out clearing the streets, but we didn’t see one all day long. The ploughs that are suppose to clear school parking lots never made it to our school. Our first worry, after getting to school unscathed, was how we were going to dig out of the parking lot when we were finally allowed to go home.
My friend L took her music classes outside in the afternoon with shovels and brooms in hand to clear off teachers’ cars and dig out the snow around them. They loved it and we appreciated the help.
Even with all their help, one of the most difficult parts of getting home tonight was getting out of the parking lot. We made sure that no one was left behind and with lots of guidance, patience and muscle each car was directed and pushed to the road.
The drive home was slow and scary. At times I wasn’t sure if I’d make it over the unploughed streets or up and over the bridge. When I finally got to my street I knew immediately that it hadn’t seen a plough all day. Twenty feet from the house I couldn’t move the car any further. When I tried to open the car door to get help it hit a wall of snow. Luckily a neighbour was out with his snow blower and came over and cleared the snow around the car and in front of my house. My husband came out as well and cleared away more of the snow so that I could finally pull into the driveway.
All I wanted to do was curl up on the couch and enjoy a glass of wine to calm my nerves. After more than 24 hours of snow it’s finally come to an end.
Believe it or not I’m actually looking forward to getting out tomorrow for a long walk through the white fluffy stuff.
Mama Cormier 
that’s a lot of snow!
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Oh no, that was a terrible choice on your school district’s part! Sorry you have to deal with that. Yuck! We don’t get much snow in these parts, but when we do my school district almost always keeps school open. And they expect teachers to get there on time and stay all the way through the day, even when there’s early release or late starts. Yeah right.
Glad you made it home safely. Sounds treacherous.
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There are times that I am so glad I work from home! Water cooler chats may be less than inspiring – but snow storms don’t slow my commute!!! But then again, I was working in Montreal that weekend! We got hit pretty hard too! Thank you Via Rail – no problems on the road for me!
Love that the kids got to get out and help with the snow! They would have had a great time! And all that fresh air – the kids would come home tired and the parents that were frazzled from the drive would get the chance to relax once they finally got home! Perfect!
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My husband who also works at home would agree with you. A lot of kids didn’t come to school that day so there were as few as 6 children in some classrooms. It was pointless to teach new lessons so taking them outside to enjoy the snow was a perfect solution.
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