High Wind=Power Outage (#SOL2018 day 5)

The wind is howling today. Gusts well over 40mph and sustained winds over 25. We have no windows in our classroom but we can hear the creaking of the skylight when we return from lunch. We work on vocabulary and then read to ourselves. Lights flicker. A couple kids whimper but it’s no big deal. Then, the lights go out. As in total darkness.  Our emergency light comes on and I search for a flashlight. The first one, of course, is dead. I grab another one and instead of students typing their SOL, I grab The Perfect Score and we have extra read aloud time. Reading by flashlight is not easy! Thirty minutes later and still no power. It’s also getting a little chilly. Our STEM lab has windows nearby so we head there, taking our writing with us. SOL posts will have to wait. Students found spots where they can write. I monitor and help as needed.  We are off task but when several classrooms are lining the hallways, what else can be expected? Over 30 more minutes and still no lights. Back to the classroom where we work by the light of iPads. Our emergency light has gone out now too. All after school events are cancelled and teachers are told we can leave when our students are gone. Yippee! Then, 5 minutes before the end of day bell, the lights come on and the heat kicks in. Guess who didn’t get to leave with her kids?