Snow Days!

Today, I am sitting at home, enjoying some hot chocolate, and watching The Price is Right! It’s the same tradition that I have had as a child on a snow day! Today’s snow day was a bit different than ones I have had in the past. Today’s snow day was called yesterday when the impending Winter Storm Landon was about to arrive and drop anywhere between 10-15 inches of snow over the area. As I’m looking out the window, I can safely say that we are definitely on the way to hitting that mark!

While I knew yesterday evening that there was no school today, something about waking up in the morning and turning on the radio or television and just waiting to see or hear your school name was so exciting or upsetting…depending on the outcome! The anticipation of not knowing made it so much better when you would hear that school was closed! Today text messaging, robo calls, email, and social media take out a bit of the suspense, but the result is still the same…excitement!

Following the weather forecasts over the past couple of days led me to believe that today was going to be a snow day, but the students were still unsure, and I found that quite humorous. They said they would wear their pajamas backwards or inside out, throw ice cubes in the toilet, a spoon under their pillow, and a white crayon in the freezer just to make sure! A few of these I heard of, but the crayon and the spoon are ones that I never heard before. This is what makes snow days so wonderful…kids anticipate and are excited for them! Are they excited to not go to school? No. Are they excited that they can have a day to be a kid and maybe enjoy the snow? Absolutely!

With the advancements in technology, sometimes schools are going remote on days when weather is inclement and having classes online. While it is a great benefit, students are kids and need days like today to just be a kid. When I say students, I am not just limiting that phrase to elementary. High school students need these days as well. Yes, if there are numerous days of being off, then perhaps going remote or asynchronous could be helpful. For a one-time event, then snow day it is!

A snow day could be a day of self-discovery and learning. If the weather is cooperative enough, students can create snow forts, snowmen, snow angels, or anything else that their mind can come up with! That right there is learning! That right there is putting what they have learned into practice! These are the moments that make snow days so beneficial. Also, students need time to decompress…as do teachers!

Whenever there is a snow day, the safety of all is of most importance. We need to value our students, teachers, families, staff, and all of those that work within our community. We need each and every one that adds to our community to be safe.

Snow days are what students look forward to. Teachers enjoy them as well. Snow days are just a natural process within schools….in Northeast Ohio at least! While I do miss the anticipation of watching television and listening to the radio, receiving a text message saying there’s no school is still exciting…it makes me feel like a kid when I’m sipping my hot chocolate and watching The Price Is Right!