The First Snow of the Year

So, today was most definitely the first snow of the year! Last night it snowed a little tiny bit. And then today, we woke up to a blizzard. This meant a forty minute drive to school when it's usually under 15. It also meant that I was having to zip up a whole lot of coats. I think we are definitely going to need to work on the coat zipping skills of my students. The more that can zip their own coats, the happier we will be!
Today was also Vianne's very first snow. I think they don't have much snow in Burundi, and I think it was awfully overwhelming. He went running outside to recess with all of the other kids, got out onto the playground where it was snowing like crazy, and then began to bawl. This child is silent most of the time, but when he cries, he howls. So, I helped zip up his coat, and cover his hands with his sleeves, and then had him stand next to me, and rubbed his back to help keep him warm, and he calmed down. I think he just didn't know what to think. And if you have never seen anything like this, and no one around you can explain it to you since you don't speak English, what are you supposed to think? He is one adorable little boy though. He has long black curly eyelashes, and all of the snowflakes get caught in them.

I also had children that did not know how to get dressed for the weather. As school ended, one little boy, Beau went running outside wearing nothing but his t-shirt. When I asked him where his sweater, coat, hat, and gloves were (his mother had been so kind to send him prepared for the weather), he told me that they were all inside his backpack! I told him to come back and inside to put them on, to which he replied, "But Miss Parrish, I'm cold!"
We're going to get this figured out. I'm sure of it.