The most angry, and at the same time wonderful, day of school

I stopped really watching the weather years ago. I mostly rely on a look out the window and the occasional call to the weather hot line. So imagine my surprise when I awoke yesterday around 4:30 to hear a really loud car crash outside the building. I simply thought people must have been drunk. Then when I really woke up at 6, I saw a sheet of ice outside on the roads. Since it was 6 already, I angrily started getting ready for work since the school would have already called me if we were off.

Made it to school safely with only one slippage, close to the school I almost hit a lady as I tried to turn right. She looked at me like she wanted it to happen. Perhaps she thought in my old Carolla that I had some money to pay for her even junkier car.

All day there was an air of animosity in the school. At lunch we discussed how the librarian had heard the Central Office folk say that we would never be dismissed early, that we were going to stay in school until the end of the business day.

Even more anger brewing.

I let my kids make calls home, some on the cell phones they are not supposed to be using, to have their parents excuse them from school. I even made a call to my mother in hopes that she would do the same. She asked me to repeat myself, then proceeded to laugh for a full minute over the phone. I kept telling her that it was not funny, that I was serious, that I should be able to go home if the kids are able to go home with a mother's call. I asked her if she loved me, and if so she would do this for me.

She said love had nothing to do with it. That she wished me a safe ride home, but would not clog the school lines with a useless call.

Fortunately, I did not have to be angry with her for long, because after another student made the call to her mother, the mother called back saying that school would be dismissed early and that the child would not need to be excused.

Shock. Excitement. There was suddenly a party in the hallway as the child ran to let everyone know. I double-checked the school e-mail to make sure, and there was the message. With the confirmation, there was even more screaming and jumping in the hallway. Later found out that it may not have been the school's generosity, or care for our safety, but rather the cops who called and said they had to let everyone go.

Either way, I taught nothing the last hour and a half of school. In fact we played some Discovery Channel games on the SmartBoard. Man v. Wild, Life or Death, Mummy Maker. It was good times. Especially knowing that I would be leaving and not have to see the kids in my, previously, already angered state.

That was the first good happening of the day.

Next one came while I was sitting on the couch later that night. Had just finished watching Lost, which I am already addicted to after only two episodes. Checked the local news channels on tv and online to see if school for the next day had been called. No such luck. So I began making sub plans -- there was no way I was going to risk my life in the morning when there is a winter weather warning until 6 pm on Friday and the weather is only expected to get worse while at school on Friday.

I'm making the sub plans, creating a pretty cool graphic organizer to help the AP kids.

Suddenly, a phone call. Number of the school on the caller ID. I let out a yelp - this could be the call.

And it was. No more sub plans. No more waking up early on a Friday to warm and scrape the car. No driving trying to avoid swerving cars early in the morning. No trying to teach classes half full of kids since the rest stayed home due to the weather.

Sorry to all of you who have to work today...

I AM OFF TODAY!!!