It is obvious that you took a swing at public schools despite your ignorance of school cancellation procedures. I am totally confident in my superintendent’s ability to make such a call, and as a public school teacher, I do not appreciate your comments. I hope no one follows your lead on this one!

I appreciate the message you delivered today. On the surface you have touched on an obviously sensitive issue that calls into judgment the people who predict the weather and those that have to make the decisions to change the course of the day based on those predictions. But your message to me is not about criticizing these people.

Your message speaks to me that we need to evaluate and think for ourselves in our every day lives, not to be tempted by following blindly. It makes me think about how I should stop to consider my options before I act. It has nothing to do with the snow.

Unfortunately I think the propensity to follow without independent thought is burned into our psyche, if you will, since childhood. I am thinking “always do what the adults tell you” is the cause. Of course, the effect is generally positive because we are presumably doing the right thing by doing what we are told. It is just hard to break out of that mold later as we face situations in our lives where it is sometimes easier to do exactly that.

Learning to lead with my best self,

John Arenz

In my many years of having to be in a position to make a recommendation relative to a snow day I have been questioned, ridiculed, chastised, 2nd guessed and in many cases; severely, verbally abused. Some of the “jibes” are good-natured and meant in fun, while at times it has gotten quite personal; to the point that my wife (an employee) and children get harassed. I guess what puzzles me is that many school employees feel it is their God-given right to have a day off when a few snow flakes fly.

The measure that we having to make this recommendation use, has lessened over the years. Think about your childhood and how often you went to school in conditions that were many times worse than Friday. You see, I truly feel that the best place for children to be on a scheduled school day is in the classroom. Now, I realize I am speaking as a “lay person” when I say that it seems to me that Friday offered an opportunity to the professional staff to be creative and do some instruction that they otherwise may not have time. I am sure there were students in classrooms on Friday that need additional instruction that conditions would have made possible.

In other words, although challenging; I am certain that Friday could have been a productive day, not wasted on those who did come to class. Everyone who came to work on Friday was paid for doing what they choose to do for a living; so they were where they were supposed to be!

Sometimes, we all need to take a deep breath, look at the real situation and not just react to the “sky is falling” news reports. Be an independent thinker!

P.S. Grosse Pointe Schools were open Friday and on the 2nd of January. Hats off to Superintendant Suzanne Klein and Board Chair Brendan Walsh.

As Robert Redford says to Merill Streep in the movie “Out of Africa,” “I don’t want to find myself some day at the end of someone else’s life.”

Your reminder to us leaders, followers and even to those of us who are not regularly “tracking” whether we’re leading or following, is appropo on this eve of Super Tuesday, as many voters across the country will either “react” in the voting booth or rely on their own good sense as to who best they believe will impact them and challenge them to think for themselves.

As a final plug, the school where my son attends, St. Clare Montefalco Catholic School in Grosse Pointe Park, did not close…which made my wife and I quite pleased!