Snow in Dallas

March 4

Up and down our block you could see people out taking pictures of the snow. I was right there with them. We received a modest 2 or 3 inches here, which is 2 or 3 more than I had seen since coming to Dallas 3 years ago. You would have thought it was a foot.

My 6^th graders begged to go outside to play in it. Poor little deprived Texans. Who knows, I thought, when they will see snow again. So out we went for 10 minutes at the end of class. We all ran around and threw snowballs like a bunch of kids who had never seen snow before. Some of them were. Kids. Who had never seen snow. Ten minutes was long enough to get good and cold and wet.

I wonder when I’ll stop feeling like a kid when it snows. Maybe it was me who really wanted to go outside….

Feb 20

Post t-shirt incident, I have committed further clothing faux pas this week. I am told by my loving wife, that my favorite pants are made of, “Summer weight” material. Who knew? Last I heard, it was only the females whose wardrobe was dictated to by fashion designers. You know, no white shoes before Easter and all that. Apparently wearing the said pants out of season is actually rather offensive - to the female sub-set. This becomes problematic when your workplace is all women.

Now I have a moral dilemma. Before, while I was ignorant, I could wear my cozy linen pants whenever I wanted to, completely oblivious to my fashion sin. Now I am conscious of the “law” and, therefore, knowingly fashion-offensive to some clothing-rule-sensitive people.

It sucks being a person who cares what people think.

In the end, the pants win – at least in Dallas. After all, we don’t really have winter here, just varying shades of summer. They remain in the rotation all year-‘round summer.

Feb 11

I made another T-shirt faux pas. Rats. Life at an elementary school is complicated. There are so many shirts to keep track of. Wednesday is the black one, Monday is the “Team” shirt, and Friday is Spirit Wear. I leave them all at school, so I don’t have to remember before I leave the house. Crickey! I can’t even remember what month it is, let alone which Shirt-day.

Then there are the special weeks, like homecoming and drug week (or is that don’t do drugs week?) and holidays. Elementary teachers have a jillion excuses to put on jeans and a t-shirt. Or slippers, sweats, or pajamas.

Well, I missed an entire t-shirt event this week. Somehow didn’t get in on ordering the shirt, planning to wear it, and wearing it.

There’s no place to hide when you miss a t-shirt day. There I am, slacks and blue dress shirt in the midst of a see of brown crew-necks. Of course, elementary students and teachers have no problem pointing this out: “Where’s your _______ t-shirt Mr. Fuchtman?”

However, the truly dreaded clothing event at an elementary school is dress up day. I have faced mountains, rivers, and oceans with less trepidation than seeing a kindergarten class traipsing my way in cowboy hats, boots, and bandanas. You have no idea what a 5 year old can do to a lesson plan with his bare hands and a cute little cowboy hat.

Just you wait, St. Patrick’s Day is coming up. I’ll be ready.

Feb 4

I travel east in the morning to school. When I ride or bike I see the sunrise developing but I never see the sun. In mid-winter I left my house in the dark, and, if running, arrived just as the sky was waking up. Lately it is brighter.

I am often reminded of CS Lewis who once wrote that faith in God is like pre-dawn. We know there is a sun, not because we see it, but because we see the world around us more clearly.