Monday, January 28, 2008

Dumb Portland Schools

I've lived in Portland now for 10 years. Longer than I 've ever lived anywhere in my life. But Portland 'snow days' still just kill me. Today - all the schools were delayed by 2 hours and a bunch were closed. Most of the city had no snow whatsoever, some places has a light dusting - and up in the west hills they got an inch or so.

When I first moved here I would have made fun of them doing any of that. And to a large degree I still do. But now I understand how woefully unprepared anyone who lives in Portland is for any sort of winter weather - and can accept the people in the higher elevation areas being concerned about their inch of snow....so those couple of schools in that neighborhood can close...or maybe the few parents whose house sits at that top of that big hill...don't come in until later. But seriously - there are thousands of kids home from school today without even a meager dusting of snow on their front lawns. Thousands more who were delayed for two hours causing their parents to have to go into work late or figure alternate arrangements. It's just plain dumb.

People complain about the quality of education here, they blame class sizes, and not having resources and all that crap...but with the exception of modern technological changes, thing now look pretty much the same as they did when I was in school...so who knows, maybe this is an indicator of how little those in charge really care. If they're willing to give the kids a day like today off...maybe education just isn't a high priority for our educators.

2 comments:

divebarwife said...

Look - now we know who the main idiot is...

http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2008/01/the_man_behind_the_scenes_on_w.html

Anonymous said...

Today in Des Moines, during a lull in what's going to be an eight-inch snow storm, I found myself agitated behind a driver doing 25 in a 35. So I passed him. On the right. This, dear readers, is someone who 15 years ago bribed Weezy with beer to come downtown and pick me up after work with a mere dusting of snow on the ground.

Oh, and the Drake basketball team is 21-1. They didn't win 20 games combined the four years we were there I bet. Go Dogs ... Sporting News says they "give hope to bottom feeders everywhere" - not sure how to take that, but I am telling anyone who will listen/read.