"I walked 3 miles in the snow to school each day"

I know little about life with snow. You'd think after five years here, I'd know something. OK, I do. I know that the snow turns black after a day, and that the crud you track into the car is unavoidable and nasty. Don't get light-colored car interiors here.

Yet, there's little else that I know. So I've watched with interest, learning all about how children deal with snow and school. For example, Brendan's backpack is filled with snowpants, not books. He wears snow boots to school most days. Yes, he walks to school even in the snow.

When you arrive in his classroom, you're greeted in the hallway by a line of snow boots. School rule: No boots allowed in the classroom. This is to prevent that crud and snow from getting all over the floors.

At recess, when conditions permit it, they play outside in the snow. School rule: No throwing snowballs at other people's faces. The main playground has a small hill that the kids use as a makeshift sledding hill. (They sled down on their bottoms!)

Brendan's teacher sends notes home to parents, not about practicing writing names or numbers, but asking us to please have the children practice dressing themselves in this winter gear. Can you imagine how much of a kindergarten teacher's day must be spent getting those kids in and out of their winter wears? It's not fun with three kids, so I can only imagine when you have 23!