Anticipation!

Can you hear Carly Simon singing in the background?

. . . .

"Anticipation, anticipation -- Is makin' me late -- Is keepin' me waitin'"

. . . .

When one works for a school, the bonus, the wild card, the joy that almost makes up for the pay is a snow day. When that most welcome early morning phone call comes, announcing that school is closed. There's nothing quite like it. That feeling of palpable grace -- receiving something totally undeserved, unearned.

. . . .

The flip side of that, of course, is the dreaded "early dismissal." This happens when the snow starts to fall -- or intensifies -- during the school day. The kids become wild with anticipation, the hope that the school will close early, releasing them to go home and do whatever (Kathy B, please note that I said whatever, not Whatever). It's a day that faculty and administration and staff alike dread.

. . . .

The rumors start. A nervous teen-age driver will sneak off and phone home, asking mom to call in and have him let out early. To be safe. That's all it takes. Kids then go into the bathrooms where cell phone use is not permitted, phone home, and request the same action from their parents. The school phones start to ring.

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In Pennsylvania, any school district that provides busing for their students within the district is required to provide busing also for those boys and girls that attend parochial or private schools.

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My school is an independent (private) school. We have lots of nervous student drivers, and we have kids bused in from as many as twenty different districts. When the various districts decide to have an early dismissal, we get phone calls notifying us what time the bus will be here to pick up their kids. So there are all of those calls. Plus the parents calling to ask for their students to be dismissed so that they can drive home "before it gets bad." And the bazillion other parents who call to ask if we are having an early dismissal.

. . . .

Utter mayhem. But sort of exciting in a disaster-mentality kind of way. Radios are on, the lobby is abuzz; we have an inch or two at this point, but the first district has yet to call.

. . . .

Anticipation! Sing it, Carly!