At six this morning, my phone started blowing up with text messages. A thread of my colleagues had turned overnight from hopeful snow-day enthusiasts to disappointed teachers bound for another day of teaching. As one after the other cited neighboring schools that were closed, or difficult road conditions or even the challenges of getting out of personal driveways, I got up and showered and headed out the door.
I am certain, not just from the text thread, but from my own usual desires, that I am the only one glad to be at work today. Second only maybe to summer vacation, snow days are unplanned but much appreciated days off to a teacher. For all the evenings, weekends and early mornings we put in, a call or text at 5:30am saying we don’t have to work that day is a gift straight from the heavens above.
But today, I needed to be here. Today may be the only time I am thrilled that my superintendent did not call off school like the districts around us, because today I have a long overdue IEP.
Today, a student who has been on our radar for additional support services since the very first day of fourth grade and, through conversations and paperwork, for years before now as well, will finally qualify for additional and much needed support. Many factors contributed to the delay, not the least of which is her own attendance record, but our school’s less-than-streamlined child study process has also made it feel more difficult and frustrating to get some students more help than we can feasibly provide in our own classrooms.
There is work to be done to determine, create and provide appropriate and meaningful supports for all of our students, but for today, I will, (perhaps silently or at least away from my colleagues) be ever so grateful for the silver lining that the snow didn’t cause more of a problem on the roads and that our team is going to be able to officially start providing help, support and at-level academic instruction to a much deserving young girl. Today might be a bummer for staff that wanted to say in pj’s, but it is an absolute and unquestionable win for this struggling student.
Teaching at 3am 