It's that time of year.

Between the itch to get outside as days get longer, and eventually warmer, and counting the days until school lets out for summer, keeping students' attention is already an arduous task for teachers.Throw in a blizzard and chaos can take over.As AccuWeather meteorologists were calling for well over a foot of snow and the likelihood for school being in session the next several days was low, local teachers were doing their best to combat "snow mode" in the classroom."To keep kids focused, I don't ignore the fact that they are excited about the impending snow, but instead share in their excitement and give them an opportunity to express it," Katy Decker, a second-grade teacher at Shull-David Elementary School, said Monday. "This morning they wrote about their favorite snow day activities and what they hope to do if they are off for a few days."After a period of temperatures that rose into the 60s, snow has again claimed several school days in the area.Many students were off Friday, which would leave Monday as the lone day in the classroom in almost a week.The discussion turned to snow at Lehighton Middle School as well."This morning, I spoke with my class about the upcoming storm, and the likely possibility that we will be off for several days," said Kim Lusch, fifth-grade English language arts and social studies teacher. "We outlined what we want to accomplish this week, made a plan, and focused on getting as much done in school today as we could. The remaining work will be completed by my students, at home."For Shull-David kindergarten teacher Michele Kirsch, the goal was to keep things business as usual."We try to keep the kids focused by sticking to the routine that we have been following for the school year," Kirsch said. "Of course, the kids are talking about all the snow and the fact that we may have off the next day (or two), but we try to maintain focus by maintaining our daily structure as best we can. We try to use the discussion of the storm as a teachable moment and work it into whatever lesson we are working on."