Snow Days

[wayne foundation 07]

There was an article in the paper the other day talking about the snow days that were used up this winter beyond what was alotted.Now thinking back to when I was in school,I can hardly remember school ever getting canceled.Were we just tougher back then?How often was school canceled for you?

[Mikey]

We used to have TONS of snowdays back in the day.

Sometimes they'd last 3 days in a row.

Most of the times we'd have to make them up at the beginning of summer vacation (a few days)

I remember 1978 being particularly bad.

North West Jersey used to get lots of snow.
Way more then they do today

[hobub]

When driving in the snow, approach it like you are skiing or sled riding. You can go, steer and all but be aware upon steering that you may skid in a straight line from the direction in which you are traveling and you can predict and control a skid. Also realize that you may slide upon stopping thus increasing your stopping distance. If you plan for this stuff and use laws of physics and inertia while you travel, you'll have less problems (an item moving in a straight line will tend to continue moving in the straight path in which it is headed when there is no traction to change the direction). That's the way I drive in the snow and I never have a problem. I spent 10 winters driving 40 miles to downtown Pittsburgh and back for work and never had but witnessed quite a few wrecks and flipped vehicles. Safest way is to simply slow down.

We had much less snow days back when I was in school. Everything is softer and more watered down now. They even have level 1, 2 and 3 emergency alerts to get people to not get on the roads to get to work. Funny how the news media always seem to make it to work to tell you to call your boss and see if it is necessary for you to report to work.

Four wheel drive is a no brainer (but doesn't work too great on ice) but front wheel drive is excellent for snowy road travel. It is literally pulling your vehicle, not pushing it. Rear wheel drive tends to cause you to fish tail because the vehicle is being pushed from the back.

Also, beware of black ice, the most trecherous road condition in winter. If it is subzero and you see tailights reflecting in the road like water, chances are you are on black ice and should again drive as if you were on a sled or skis. (in a straight line taking bends and stops very easy).

On a side note, I'd much rather see them cancel school and have to make the day up than to wreck with our kids on them. But I'm going out unless I can't find my truck.

[jwyblejr]

Not too often. The principal lived across the street from the school. If he made it across the road we had school. If not,no school.

[toys2cool]

it gets canceled a few times here because of Tropical storms or Hurricanes

[livnxxxl]

I can remember having a 3 dayer. Rare - Although I think that it happened a couple different times when I was a kid. For the most part there had to be ice on the roads in order for us to have a snow day. Unless it was a real blizzard outside. I cannot help but laugh as most all of todays kids do not even stand outside in the cold waiting for the bus. I see a lot of subdivisions with vehicle after vehicle lined up to drop their kids off and pick their kids up from the bus stop. I do not think that a lot of us had that option back in the day. The kids today are too spoiled. Hence forth the term weaker but wiser. I am not even so sure about the wiser part some times.

[livnxxxl]

Hurricanes

I would certainly hope so.

[Bizarro Amy]

My school district didn't have buses back then, so they must have felt less liability. We rarely had snow days, and it had to be pretty bad to even get a delay. The rumor was, that the Superintendent would let his dog out on a snowy morning. If the dog had to struggle a little to get over the snow and do his business, then we'd have an hour delay. If he had to struggle a lot, but still made it, there was a two-hour delay. But if that poor dog gave up and didn't make it across the yard, then school would be closed. The thing was, his dog was the biggest Doberman I've ever seen.

[livnxxxl]

My school district didn't have buses back then, so they must have felt less liability.

THAT and the fact that not everyone sued for every stupid little thing like they do these days.

My coffee is too HOT = law suit
My coffee is too cold = law suit
Making fun of coffee temperatures = law suit

[HardyGirl]

Yeah, I remember snow days. We did have some when I was a kid. 4th grade was the worst, b/c there were not only snow days, but a teacher's strike after the first day of school. I don't get the alloltment though, they just made us make up days at the end of the school year. And b/c of the teacher's strike, we didn't get out until June 28th that year.

And my mom wouldn't let me go to school if it actually hit zero degrees, (only happened once).

[bgrimm77]

I remember having very few snow day's and I grew up in New England. If we had snow day's they were made up in June , which would shorten our Summer vacation. Also , I would like to touch on the kids these day's not having to wait out in the cold for the bus. I used to wait out in the cold and so did the majority of us....but back then the risk of JOHNNY Q. PERVERT wasnt as likely and if it was it asnt as well known. I dont think that all these parents waiting with their kids at the stop or being there to pick them up is because they are spoiled...I think it's because their parents are afraid of anything happening to them. I'll tell you this...when Adler is old enough to go to school , not only will we send him to private school , but I will bring him and pick him up everyday. iF THAT MAKES HIM SPOILED THEN SO BE IT. OOPS sorry forgot to shut off the caps

[livnxxxl]

iF THAT MAKES HIM SPOILED THEN SO BE IT. OOPS sorry forgot to shut off the caps

That's it! I'm sueing! I feel offended. Not to mention distress, trauma and whatever else kind of crap people get sued for over nothing these days.