Well, the time is now upon us for ice and snow and inevitably school delays. I find myself to be well informed about the weather and pay close attention to impending storms. Therefore I am pretty sure I know when to turn on the radio, the television, or the computer to determine whether or not our school is delayed or closed. For reasons unknown to me, you, our school officials, feel that the parents in our school district are no longer capable of handling such a miniscule task. This morning my telephone rang at 5:10 a.m. Naturally, as anyone who is still in bed at this time can imagine, it was a bit startling. My thoughts immediately went to my husband who works third shift. I feared that he may have been in an accident or something equally scary. Panicking, I ran to the phone, only to hear nothing on the other end. Because I don't have caller ID, I immediately dial *69 to determine who was calling. I recognized the number right away as the number to the school. "Why would anyone be calling from the school at 5:10.", I asked myself. My heart rate finally beginning to slow down, the phone rings again. This time when I answered it, it was a prerecorded message from YOU, letting helpless, little, old me know that our school is on a two hour delay. Whew! Thank God you called. I have no idea how I could have possibly found out that little bit of information myself. At 6:15, when I normally wake up. No seriously, it is inappropriate to call anyone at this time of day unless it is an emergency. So, in the future, please put a little bit more faith in the parents of the children in your district. We are at least capable of knowing when to send our children to school.
Thank you,
a very tired Mom
Looks like your feet hit the floor around the same time mine did! Sorry for that inconvenience! I completely agree with you...certainly, parents are smart enough to figure out school delays/cancellations on their own. To be awakened at that early morning hour is senseless. If the phone rings when I'm in a dead slumber, I immediately think the worst and it takes me forever for my heart rate to slow down enough for me to fall back asleep...if I'm lucky!
ReplyDeletewow...we do the call thing too. but 6:15am? wow!
ReplyDeleteI love this post. As someone who has lived in California her entire life, I have often dreamed of the beauty of being able to enjoy a "snow day" with my kids. However, after reading this, I am not so sure. 5:10 am? Oh my! I get annoyed when people call my house after 8:30 at night. Your early wake-up call takes things to an entirely new level.
ReplyDelete-Francesca
I'm new here! What a great blog you have :)
ReplyDeleteWe don't get phone calls in our school district. Though I was hoping for a snow day, but no such luck.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I saw that you were first at SITS, our time that is about 3 in the morning. Girl, do you ever sleep?
Holy Cow!! That's not very nice..5:10 am, thats just rude..lol.! Hope you have a better rest of the day! Eat some cookies, get a sugar rush :)
ReplyDeleteMesa
Oh my word! I would have died!!! What a rude awakening - literally!
ReplyDelete5:00 o clock. RUDE.
ReplyDeleteI really hate when the phone rings like that at an odd hour and the first thing that comes to mind is that someone you love is hurt. That feeling takes a long while to shake--I imagine you weren't able to fall back to sleep after that!
ReplyDeleteOh no! That would have scared me too. My heart was beating a little faster & harder while reading! I hate early morning/late night phone calls.
ReplyDeletehelllo from Sits! I am sorry about the early call! I wait until 9ish to call the parents from my work to tell them that we are cancelled...which we were today...NH is fun! lol
ReplyDeleteReally?!? The school sends a call out to everyone? That's so weird! And you didn't sign up to be on a call list or anything? Random!
ReplyDeleteWe always got a call from the school growing up but that's bc my dad was a teacher.
The beauty of SC is that if they hear a rumor they may be getting snow, they close a day in advance. It's hilarious (until summer when the kids have to make it up, they don't allow for snow days in the schedule)
ReplyDeleteVisiting via SITS...
ReplyDeleteThat's just ridiculous. "They" call for that, but won't call to tell you someone was stabbed in the school or "they're" locked down due to a gun...
Okay, that is ridiculous! A call would be okay, but not at that hour!
ReplyDeleteHoly Moly!! That is early, and that would tick me off too. I guess their worried parents will just leave their kids at the school after realizing it's closed too late! haha, who knows!
ReplyDeleteAmen! Yet another reason I'm thankful to be living in California, where no one's 2 hours late for anything!
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS Day!
Um I would be such a cranky person who would end up calling the school about this. Boo to crazy early wake up calls!
ReplyDeleteGood grief!
ReplyDeleteVery well said!
I hear ya, and the rule in this house and while growing up as a child is that no one...NO ONE calls before 9am or after 8pm.
ReplyDeleteBUT, let me play devils advocate for uno momento por favor...the sad thing is, the reason they do that, is probably because they are some parents who cannot in fact find that information out themselves.
The idiots are ruining it for the rest of us.
Visiting from SITS...Have a fun day!!!!
LOL! I hate those calls!
ReplyDeleteGotta love that!
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS day!
Oh man they do that here and WAKE UP OUR KIDS!!!
ReplyDeleteThat would not make me very happy. At all. But, on the other hand, there are probably parents out there not as diligent as they should be who need the reminder. But nobody needs it at 5:00 am.
ReplyDeleteI love how it's deemed necessary to spoon-feed everyone certain things. What are we all becoming?! Helpless?! Maybe we WILL be if that keeps up...reminds me of WALL*E...cute, cute movie. Watch it with the kids! =]
ReplyDeleteI would not be happy about that!!! Calls during the night are so scary, did you call the school and complain?
ReplyDeleteMy boss apparantly signed up to get this kind of call. I bet you can take your name off the call list.
ReplyDeleteHow crazy is that! No snow delays here in South Africa!
ReplyDeleteI'm with Yaya. I'm sure you can have your name removed from the list. And I would have been very upset myself. (Happy SITS day)
ReplyDeletethese calls should be for inefficient parents only ;-)
ReplyDeleteThat is brutal. Good intentions gone ary
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of such a thing....and who the heck is up that early anyway?....
ReplyDeleteARGGH! One of the beautiful things about a snow day is being able to stay in bed. Being jarred about a 5:10 am kind of makes it hard to go back to sleep. I would be mad, too.
ReplyDeleteAnd what's more, it wakes up the kids! So, the sleeping in on a snow day is shot. Oh, I'm with ya sister.
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS!
My son's school started doing this as well this year. My hubby almost jumped a foot (the phone is on his side - smart me!) when it rang at 5:30 am.
ReplyDeleteHave a great SITS day!
ReplyDeleteGlad we don't have to worry about that here in sunny Florida - happy SITS day!
ReplyDeleteWe have that new computerized calling here. One morning this year it malfunctioned and just kept calling me. After the third call, I had to leave the phone off the hook.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe they call you at that hour! Can you believe we let these people educate our children?!
ReplyDeleteI hate when the phone rings at such an unexpected hour. It always scares me, too. Saying hello from SITS!
ReplyDeleteJerks.
ReplyDeleteSimple but true.
Oh great. You can never fall back asleep after something like that either
ReplyDeletePoor thing! Is there a way to 'unsubscribe' to the call list?
ReplyDeleteGood grief! Idiots!
ReplyDeleteOur school system does this too but they wait until after 6:00 am. But still... If I know its a snow day, I'm sleeping in!
ReplyDeleteMy husband is a school counselor, so we get those calls, too. It's brutal. Your district might be different, but you would be shocked at the number of parents who don't know that they can check many methods to see if school is closed. Kids still show up on time. It's crazy. I don't know if some parents who work might need that extra time to arrange for their kids to be taken care of, but I do know that it's sad for anyone to be awakened by a shrill bell when the sun is still nice and sleepy. That's why I'm glad the sun is out around here... those calls are finally OVER!! :) I hope you enjoy your SITS day!
ReplyDeletethat sucks!!
ReplyDeleteCalling that early is inhumane. Crazy and inhumane.
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS day! Your "letter" could have been from me. Those early morning calls are awful for the heart! And they not only call our house phone but our cell phones as well. One time I got a call while I was visiting my sister across the country!
ReplyDeletewww.southernrose.wordpress.com
People need to be accountable for somethings...and finding out about school opening times should be one of them. Seriously...a call at 5 am....NOT cool!!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in school, you stared at the news feed on the bottom of the screen, hoping for a day off. When it rolled by, it was like winning the Lottery. Of course, my mother was probably in the corner banging her head against the wall.
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm in the minority but it would be nice if our school called us with school closures and delays. (and I'm up around 5am). I had one very frustrating day this past winter where I checked every station I knew about and no closures were listed. I managed to crawl in the snow (okay...it wasn't that bad) to the school to find it locked and no cars in front. Boy...I was HOPPING MAD!
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS day!
We have so little snow here in Mississippi that when it does snow everything shuts down, but I know to listen to the news who always announces school closings.
ReplyDeleteAh the old catch-22. To call. Not to call. And a perfect example of the dumbing down of our society. You'd think parents would be 'smart' enough to figure this out, but I would imagine that if they didn't call, or they didn't call early enough, surely there would be other parents cursing them out for NOT calling. Guess the schools have to go with the lesser of the two and assume that everybody is "dumb." I guess they do the best they can, but you're right. That's mighty early in the morning!!
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS Day!
Mary
SANDY!! Happy SITS day!!
ReplyDelete5:00 am ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I would have chewed a hole right through the telephone if someone called me at that ungodly hour!
BlogBaby
What happened the "good ole days" when we listened to the radio or watched the news for cancellations? I would not be pleased with a wake up call that early!
ReplyDeleteI do not look forward to those days. luckily I have 5 more years before i have to worry about it.
ReplyDeleteI am printing this out--because truer words have never been spoken. And because our board of education needs to read it. True story.
ReplyDeleteUgh...how annoying. Did you make a "real" complaint too??
ReplyDeleteOooo, that would make me so mad! Sleep is sacred to me!
ReplyDeleteYikes!! My daughter is a 6th grader at a middle school & I continually get calls for "8th grade parents". You can't tell me that their phone system can't be programed to call only the 8th grade parents!!!
ReplyDeleteI agree totally! We are treated, for the most part, like we don't have an once of intelligence.
ReplyDeleteThat would totally unnerve me too!
ReplyDeleteOooh, I don't like early morning phone calls. That would really bug me to get a phone call at 5am letting me know that I could sleep in a little longer!
ReplyDeleteI *hate* those pre-recorded calls from the school. Even more, I *hate* the ones for a totally different school, in another school district that keeps calling and I cannot get them to take my number off the calling list.
ReplyDeleteThankfully, they have never woke me up. Beware the day they do.
YOWSER!!! I might would have had to injure someone. Seriously!! Do NOT wake up a sleeping Momma!!
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS day!
Definitely way too early to be calling!
ReplyDeleteI personally like the calls but it is easy for me to go back to sleep in the mornings. But, I do think everyone should have the option to be on the call list for snow days or not. Maybe the school systems should rethink this through a little bit.
ReplyDeleteOur schools never do that..they trust us parents to check out the news..lol
ReplyDeleteWhat an awful way to ruin a perfectly good snow day!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad I am not to this point yet!
ReplyDeleteI have read this post before, but selfish, in a hurry me didnt even leave a comment. Sorry...leaving one now.
ReplyDeleteWe get the same types of calls when there is a missing child in the neighborhood. I think it's a great idea, but not in the middle of the night.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea how I would have reacted if that had happened to me. I have no kids, but I would certainly think that something has happened to someone I love.
ReplyDeleteIt's wrong of schools to do that!
It was snowing pretty hard here one day last month. I was watching the weather on the news, checked the school's website, nothing about a closure.
ReplyDeleteMy hubby took our daughter to school and when he got back, said there were NO teacher cars in their parking spots. Kids were being dropped off though.
We looked at the news again and looked at the clock, it was AFTER their starting time, and then they sent word the school was closing.
You know what the school did? Put a NOTE up on the front doors for the kids already there that school was going to be closed.
I was livid. Thankfully, we live a couple minutes away but for those parents who have a real commute...
I school district call if school is cancelled and I kind of like it, but they don't call that early. I agree that hour should be reserved for emergencies only.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe they did that! I'd be pretty ticked off myself. It hasn't happened again has it?
ReplyDelete5:00 AM? Oh, my. That reminds me of my old days working as a substitute teacher.
ReplyDeleteOh my. I live in a non weather zone. They actually call every parent? REally? I thought that was only on TV!!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe they should have a recording or internet thing...
My kid school have internet grade,info and correspondence with all school officials every day.
5 a.m. yikes...
Our last school district did the same thing! Ugh. Now I get text messages. Still startling, but at least the phone is close by and I can get to it quicker.
ReplyDeleteWell being from sunny AZ I cannot relate one bit to these calls. They dont call for being too dang hot outside, too bad too!
ReplyDeleteWe rarely have delay days or weather days here in Texas, but it's very nerve-racking when we do! No kids here, but the roads are quite evident - I don't think many Texans know how to react to these occurances...
ReplyDeleteSorry for the early start! :)
UGH! that is annoying!
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS day. Your blog is gorgeous! Very pretty and classy!
Visiting from SITS.
ReplyDeleteIt's a wonder parents manage to get their kids to school any day of the week without a 'reminder' call. Maybe they should start calling to remind you to pick them up too?
Oh goodness... NOT a fun way to learn you can relax and have a slow morning. Ugh.
ReplyDelete:)
~Tabitha~
freshmommyblog.com
You gotta love that!
ReplyDeletehaha. this is just another example of the lack in intelligence amoung school administrators. impressive, really.
ReplyDeleteOh, no kidding! It's an unwritten rule not to mess with a mother's precious sleep!
ReplyDeleteYou should check to see if you can opt out of the call. Our school started the automated phone calls last year (recorded by the principal or super) and we had to fill out paperwork with the numbers we wanted the calls to go to, cell phones, etc. They use it if your child is absent, if there is an emergency at the school, early dismissal, etc. I don't like the early calls but I love the system for the other stuff. (Ours has to be early though-we have a regional system and our high school bus goes by at 6:20) It's a quick way to let everyone know if something has happened at school.
ReplyDeleteSeriously 5:10? What are they thinking? How frustrating.
ReplyDelete5:10 ... as in morning? before the sun wakes up 5:10? Ummmmm, hello. Thanks, but no thanks school administration! Sheesh@!
ReplyDeleteWow, I would have freaked a little too. 5am is a little extreme to get a call. We don't do that here with the calls, I used to wish they did but now I am glad we don't. LOL . .
ReplyDeleteI would have been so mad! I wonder how many calls they got complaining!
ReplyDeleteIn a way, that is a good idea, just not at 5am!!
ReplyDeleteI am thankful I don't have to worry about snow days anymore, since my 5 kids are all adults now. (at least physically adults...)
ReplyDeleteBut I do remember the frustrating snow days dilemmas...do I or don't I trust their judgement, when it is snowing and blowing out there...dare I trust the school officials that tell me that it is safe for my children to ride on a huge bus, with no seat belts, when the roads are snow packed, and have glare ice underneath? But I would have had to strangle said officials, if they had called me at 5 am. Our district was on the other end of the spectrum...not announcing school closures until 7:30 or later...so I would have to get up and get them dressed, only to find out school was cancelled.
Happy SITS day!!!!!!
Good thing about living where we do - they call the night before! The decision has to be mad et he night before because of the private bus service or something - so no 5:15 am calls for us. I would be so confused to get a call at 5:15 am!! So aorry for you!
ReplyDeleteStopping over from SITS! Happy day!
ReplyDeleteYeah, that would make me mad too! I guess they don't teach manners either... or they would know that wasn't appropriate!
ReplyDeleteCongrat's on your SITS day. That's crazy that they would call you so stinkin' early. I'd be truly bugged too. We've yet to only have 1 snow day since having kids in school & it was on the news I never got a call thank goodness -- at least not that early.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure they do it to ensure that that one family who never pays attention gets the message so they don't get stuck babysitting the kid(s) for 2 hours before school starts!
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS day. :)
ReplyDeleteAs a former teacher, it always irked me that the school administrators would wait until 5am to call, when they knew DARN WELL the night before that they would be calling! Harumph!
ReplyDeleteI can't stand when my phone rings early or late! Grrrrrr!!!!
ReplyDeleteOMG, I would have killed everyone at the school for making me panic that early in the morning, because EVERYONE knows that no good come from late night or early morning phones calls. Grrrr!
ReplyDeleteBut I'm glad it was something horrible nonetheless!
Anything prior to 8am better be an emergency. Blood included!
ReplyDeleteThat was a FABULOUS letter ...
ReplyDeleteOh my- seriously?! That's crazy they'd call you that early! I'm so not a morning person, I would be sooo mad!
ReplyDeleteNo one should call at 5:15 unless they are bleeding out their ears!
ReplyDeleteI agree you know what is best for your children.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to this. My husband used to work graveyard shift so when the school called at oh-dark-thirty to let me know the buses weren't running that day, I immediately freaked out. Then I got irked. (Now we're homeschooling so if I find I'm still on the phone tree, I will simply laugh. We still get PTA emails no matter WHAT I do...)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, happy day to you.
You would think that parents would be able to figure it out. Being a teacher though, I know oh too well that there will always be "that" kid that has parents that don't. One year I ahd a little one (only 5 years old) walk home form school on the last day. School let out 12:00. Mom calls around 2 and ask what time the limo should be there to pick him up for the last day. This family was far from wealth and yet this mom was way more concerned with having a limo pick up her five year old becuse he was 'graduating' than kowing what he was doing at home ALONE.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, this happens more often than not.
Sorry that you got woken up early though. I would have been equally as upset. Being a mom... sleep is a novelty.
That is early! I just wish my son's school would put 'yes' or 'no' on their website if they're gonna have school that day (when there's bad weather, of course). Instead, I'm usually checking the local news every 5 minutes!
ReplyDeleteThey don't call - thank God - but send e-mail, after e-mail, after e-mail. Ugh.
ReplyDeleteWinks & Smiles,
Wifey
This automated phone system thing is nuts! My brother is still in high school, and my mom got an automated phone call from the school saying that he was absent one day. Well, she was pretty upset, but later that after noon, she received another call explaining that EVERY PARENT OF A STUDENT IN THE ENTIRE SCHOOL (around 2000 people) received that message by mistake. Haha... but I'm sure some kids probably got in deep trouble at home before the 2nd message went around!
ReplyDeleteAmen, sista!
ReplyDeleteI actually really love that the schools now call with the message, HOWEVER, our calls arrive at 7:15am - early enough to have not left for school yet, but late enough that if you have kids getting ready for school, you are definitely up and getting ready.
ReplyDeleteGeez - 5:10AM ? That's insane? I wouldn't even remember the message if I were to get it that early in the morning!
congrats on your SITS day! I live in FL, and we get more notice on Hurricane days..LOL. I'd be hating life at 5:10am...ugh.
ReplyDeleteat 5:10am!! I would've thought I dreamt the whole thing and still got up at 6
ReplyDeletehappy SITS day
Ick! Why on EARTH would they DO that??
ReplyDeleteSo sorry you had to be tired that day.
I guess that makes me glad to live in a very slow and country district that just updates their website and hopes for the best.
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS day!
delilah at www.unrulyhelpmeet.com
Yuk! 5:10am!!! It was a good thing it was recorded, if it was me, I might have said something that I would regret later.
ReplyDeleteCongrats again.
Living in Michigan, being a teacher, AND a parent...I can totally agree. Trust me. If there is a chance of snow or delay, parents are usually on top of it. And the internet is pretty common now and most parents know how to use it:)
ReplyDeleteSee ya SITSa!
Amen to that!!
ReplyDeletei can understand how awful it must be to receive an unexpected call at a time like that... but im sure its doubly awful for a mom with a husband (on a night shift) and kids.
ReplyDeleteIn the beginning of April, we had gotten hit with some snow and I was hoping for a phone call. It never came:(
ReplyDeleteAnd no calling during bed time routine either... I would like to get the kids in bed before you need my time as well....
ReplyDeleteI love your posts!!
{peeking in from SITS}
Oh gees, I'd be pissed too. That is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is so cute :) Happy SITS Day!
I had that same complaint with Princess Nagger's school - why do I need a phone call at 5:50 a.m. when she's in afternoon kindergarten? I'm sure I'd figure out there's a delay well before her normal 12:15 pm bus! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy SITS Day (a day late)! :)
Yeah... that is WAY too early. Can't they just make sure the local TV/Radio places know? It's easy enough to look up!
ReplyDeletethey call you early to let you know you can sleep in? sheesh!!
ReplyDeleteWhew...that IS early!
ReplyDeleteAgh that is annoying!
ReplyDeletei came here through SITS and love your blog! this was a great post... :)
ReplyDeleteI think I might have shot someone for calling me that early with NO emergency on the other end. Of course, my hubs is a cop, so unless he is on call, we turn the phone in our room off. I would have slept in.
ReplyDeleteYikes. We have the calling, too, but ours is voluntary. And to be honest, I actually sorta like knowing when I don't have to be in school and can sleep in more :)
ReplyDeleteThat is seriously nuts. My kids aren't old enough yet for to me find out if my school system does this, but I'm seriously hoping they don't. Talk about a pain in the arse! I'm visiting from SITS!
ReplyDelete