I have come to realize that traditional snow days may be of the past. With the COVID-19 pandemic altering the in-person education system, students and staff are now familiar with remote learning. When I was in third grade, I remember fearing rumors of eventually having school at home and never being able to escape. Now that schools have the ability to learn remotely, real snow days are coming to an end. What once was a childhood fear has become more of a present-day nightmare. 

A much-needed break 

Some would argue that real snow days should be eliminated to avoid shortening summer break, but having breaks throughout a stressful school year is far more beneficial than a few extra days at the end of the year. 

“I think one day is not going to hurt [my daughter], and usually snow days are only just one day,” Jessica Huerta, mother of third grade Boulder Hill student Annalise Washington, says. “What’s the difference between that and a half a day or a holiday?…I think it’s better to have the snow days so she does get the break because even with the virtual learning it’s stressful. It’s stressful for her, it’s stressful for me.”

Real snow days give students the opportunity to take a break if needed. With remote learning, students must try to keep on-task at home with little to no supervision. Watching younger siblings or taking care of responsibilities around the house are also obstacles.

“People need a break off of school, and I kinda miss the old snow days,” junior Mia Drake says. “I feel like a lot of teachers had those snow days [growing up] but I don’t know why [the disrict’s] not letting us have those snow days when [its teacher’s] would usually look forward to them in their childhood.”

Students take the majority of their day working at school. In order to excel, students often indulge in extracurriculars and sports that also take up a huge chunk of their time. Students need the option to take a break from these responsibilities so they can start off fresh the next day. 

Sleep 

No matter what students spend their time doing, it seems extremely common for them to go to bed late. Traditional snow days would help students sleep in more than an extra hour or so.

“I’d be able to sleep in and have more energy,” Drake says.

Waking up around 6:00 a.m. or earlier can be exhausting five days a week. Real snow days allow you to sleep at whatever point in the day you need. Sometimes, you just need a nap to be productive or reset your sleep schedule. 

Focusing 

Students overall may have a harder time focusing during remote learning than within the classroom. 

“If she’s not doing the video class I have to monitor her and make sure she is actually doing her…online learning apps,” Huerta says.

Because there is no in-person teaching, students may struggle to not only focus, but understand the lesson at hand.  

“It’s been difficult, especially since she’s smaller and you need to sit there and teach them the work, and that’s hard because sometimes I’m not doing it the way the teacher’s doing it,” Huerta says. 

Older students are left alone to attempt to focus without supervision. 

“I feel like sometimes I’m focused, but other times, I’m more distracted because I’m able to play games on my phone and they won’t see it,” Drake says. “You have to wake up early and still use your brain at school and have a brain mindset.” This kind of mindset is incredibly hard to keep when you’re in the comfort of your own bed. 

Responsibility

Some students struggle to work remotely or at home in general.

“Usually I don’t really like doing homework at home cause I can’t really focus, so I mostly get a lot done at school,” Drake says.

I personally struggle to work during remote learning because I find it hard to listen to my teachers throughout the day in an environment I’m used to having control over. I find I am most productive when I know what assignments I need to complete and I get to organize by myself what time to do them. Everyone isn’t the same, which is why students should keep in mind that it is their future being impacted. 

Either way, it should be a student’s responsibility to catch up on their work at what time works for them. 

Snow days come with numerous benefits that remote days simply don’t. Let’s be honest: no one wants to teach or learn from a computer while trapped in their snow-covered home. We all deserve real snow days.