Snow Day ... And I feel like a Super Hero!

Today was the first snow day of the 2019-2020 school year and it was a very different experience than I have previously been blessed with in my lifetime.  

Snow Days as a kid: Toboggan all day!
Snow Days as a Teen: Basketball all day!
Snow Days as a young Adult: Shoveling ... AGAIN!
Snow Days as a young Teacher: YES! Marking all day long!
Snow Days as an almost retired Teacher: I'm a Super Hero!

Let me explain ...
When you have ZERO responsibilities, snow days amount to a sleep in, shits 'n giggles with friends, and hot chocolate to warm up. Yes, I am really old, and I spent snow days OUTSIDE! Even when you make into your teens, it means even MORE shits 'n giggles with your buds because you all XC ski into school so you can play hoops all day long. And we weren't too cool to have that hot chocolate afterwards!

When you have limited responsibilities, snow days usually mean loads of shoveling then trying to make it to your minimum wage job for fear of being fired. I can remember numerous scenarios as a young adult, taking my very life in my hands, and driving 10 kph the whole way so that I could keep my $4.25 / hr part-time job. I was such a noob!

There was a complete change of heart that accompanied a snow day as a young teacher because LOADS of planning and marking could get done without disruptions ... And nothing would be taken home! I can recall a number of times, crossing the home threshold with a HUGE smile on my face because I got 5 solid hours of work done and wasn't bringing any homework, only to be greeted by my young daughter and son, cup of cocoa in hand, excited to tell me about the day's awesomeness.

Today was a snow day and I'm only 5 school weeks from my last set of exams. You'd think that I'd have arrived at school, Tim's in hand, ready to tackle that stack of student papers on my desk! Except there isn't a stack ... because I've already marked them ... because I'm not coaching ANYTHING right now and I have discovered an hour each and every day is available to stay on top of my marking. I caught myself standing at my desk, chest proud, hands on my hips, look of sheer success on my face ... it took 29.5 years for it to happen, but happen it did, I had become a super hero! So, you might be curious, how did I spend the day? I set up shop in the main gym and volunteered to supervise the few students who braved the snow (or their parents forced them out the door?) enjoy a little exercise, while freeing up time for my colleagues to tackle their stack. It was a win-win for everyone and I felt like a lottery winner because of it! It blessed me with some time to write this post. It blessed me with time to have an un-rushed, heart to heart with the few students who did show up. It blessed me with time to follow up on some prep work for my exams.

Being a realist, I understand that living in a snow-belt town like Barrie means that the likelihood of another snow day occurring before I retire has a stronger chance to happen than not to happen. If it does, I'll dig out the cape, the gloves, the mask and the proud stance of success again. Don't let anyone tell you any different ... Life is GOOD!