When I was little and snow was in the forecast, I’d immediately hope school was canceled. Not so I could have an extra day to study for my chemistry test, but to get out into the snow and play with my friends. But in high school, most snow days are spent sitting for hours on my computer doing work like peer reviews for my English research paper or finishing a textbook chapter for history instead of spending time outside. I even received emails reminding me that project deadlines would remain the same. So, I spent most of my day refreshing my inbox and finishing work for due dates that hadn’t been changed.
On the day back, multiple teachers asked for a show of hands of who went into the snow and went sledding. Unsurprisingly, only a few hands went up. Ironically, many of the same teachers who encouraged us to enjoy the snow had also assigned work that made it difficult to actually do so. The workload wasn’t necessarily more than I would get on any other school day, but assigning it on a day that is meant to be school free defeats the purpose of a snow day.
Snow days are supposed to be unexpected breaks. They exist because conditions are unsafe or hazardous, but they also provide another purpose by allowing students time to rest. Snow days shouldn’t become work days just because technology allows assignments to be posted from anywhere.
Students already spend so much time balancing school, homework and sports, and a real snow day gives us a chance to slow down. Snow days were fun when we were kids because they were days off, and I think it’s time we let them be that for high schoolers again.
