The geranium on the windowsill just died...

This is one of my favorite poems by Albert Cullum.  I think sadly it sums up a lot of classrooms, including preschools and day cares.

If you live in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area  you are probably tired of the snow, ice, dreary, cold weather. I hate to complain too much when I see what Boston keeps getting.  We had two snow days last week.  Then Friday, it snowed while everyone was at school, preschool and work.  As I watched all the schools and day cares post they were in session, I hoped that the teachers and care providers would throw schedules to the wind and let the children go out and experience the snow.

Now before my teacher friends remind me that there is a high stakes test lurking around the corner and everyone has standards and common core and blah, blah, blah, I have been on enough campuses and have been in education long enough to know that there are days when time is wasted...for whatever reason or no good reason.

There are great teachable moments that happen and as teachers and care providers we need to be aware of them, be alert to them and respond to them.  A few minutes to go out and touch the snow is not going to harm any child educationally.  It may do a lot of good, it may allow for some great oral language, it might even build a positive memory.  If 5-10 minutes of going outside to experience snow destroys a program then the program has other problems.

Parents, check out your child's daycare and school  How do they respond to those spontaneous things that happen?  When it snows where are they? Inside or outside?

As a parent did you take your kids out on the stay home days to play and experience the snow?

Obviously school and work are very important and I do not subscribe to people 'skipping' out  just because.  But life is short and there are times to build memories.  In 1999, the Texas Rangers were playing Seattle during the day.  My son was in 6th grade at the  time.   Ken Griffey Jr. was his favorite player and played for Seattle.  What could be better than his favorite team playing his favorite individual player.  It was the last game of the season, it was the last game of the millennium  it was just too important a game to miss, at least to a 6th grader.  We struggled with what to do.  My husband was in favor and I was not.  I was a teacher, how could I condone missing school for a game?  My husband won and came up with a 'dentists' excuse.  So now, not only was he missing school we were lying about it!  Half way through the day I felt so guilty that I called the school and confessed where they really were.  After some fun, at my expense, the principal told me she was glad we had done that.  Blake would remember that far longer than anything taught that day.  She also said that if missing one day was going to set him behind we had bigger issues.   Her comments have stayed with me!  Guess what, he still talks about the day he missed school to go see the Texas Rangers play Ken Griffey Jr.  I don't recall him talking about a regular day at school the same way.

I know attendance is very important.  Kids needs to be in school, kids need to be in preschool or Mother's Day Out or where ever you have your children.  But there are things that happen in life that we need to seize and enjoy.  Perfect attendance doesn't really build memories.

So when the geranium dies, please don't just go on.