- As a mother of two young children, I really wish schools would hold snow days.
- I have so many wonderful memories of those unexpectedly magical days growing up.
- I feel like my kids spend too much screen time for school already; let them have fun.
As the temperatures dropI hope school administrators call for at least one “old fashioned” snow day this season. I think it’s important that kids around the country — including my two teenagers — experience the style of snow days I did growing up, and not because I have to stay indoors relaxing. In fact, I learned surprising lessons in those days about history, science and art.
Lawmakers in states including Iowa, New Jersey and Virginia have introduced bills to make it easier for districts to replace traditional days off with distance classes. I hope this does not become a preference. Children will miss out if they are robbed of unexpected time to be curious.
I have fond memories of my snow days
When I think back to the snow days I enjoyed growing up in the 1980s—in the farm-filled New Jersey town of Freehold—I picture long rows of bright red lights.
My father would take my brother and me to Monmouth Battlefield State Park, where illuminated exhibits in the visitor center depicted the routes Washington’s army and British soldiers took to get to the bloody battle in which about 400 died. himself. We were actually there because the hilltop park has become one popular sledding destinationbut after careening off into the forest in our creaking Flexible, we would go inside to melt and study the displays.
I remember learning about the long battle that took place on a hot day, thinking about what it was like for the soldiers to battle the elements through the seasons as they fought each other. Reading history in a textbook was one thing; watching a performance or demonstration was more influential.
I learned a lot when I was outside the classroom
When winter came, I wrote the predictions on a wall calendar next to my bed. Tracking temperature trendsprobabilities and records is a wonderful introduction to the principles of empirical evidence.
One of my best lessons from a snow day was about small joys and art. I was 9 years old, looking out my kitchen window as I drank soup, and spied—in a snow-covered pine tree—a cardinal sitting, surveying the grounds. The contrast of red and white was so beautiful that I longed for a camera, but my father never let me use our cheap Kodak 110. I promised that I take my own camera one day, and a few years later, I bought a 35mm with childcare funds. To this day I take photos for my work. I love to frame and capture a scene to share the beauty with others.
Nature’s handiwork can be surprising, powerful and treacherous. I want my children to appreciate them all. It’s hard to watch snow fall, build with it, and play in it when you’re tethered to a Chromebook all day.
It can be difficult as a working parent
As a working motherI understand the nervousness of looking at the forecast and wondering about childcare if schools close. Of course, bad weather days should be used sparingly. But when safety precautions force a shutdown anyway, distance learning shouldn’t always be the default. Those days can be just as challenging for a caregiver.
Some traditions never come back. I remember the wonder and joy of watching the street lights when a storm was forecast, hoping to catch the first flakes flying when it was too dark to see the road. My classmates and I would huddle in our beds the next morning, listening to our clock radios to see if our district would be on the list of closures read by the announcer. Parents also had unreliable phone trees to spread the word decades before robocalls. But even when communication becomes less personal, I have observed the magical reactions of children who realize they are having a snow day; I actually heard the cheers outside my window last February when our district made the email announcement ahead of a storm the next day.
I think schools are relying too much on technology in general. I was disappointed last summer when one of my kids was expected to do all of their summer homework on a Chromebook, including current reading. I placed an order for the physical book anyway. Children spend a lot of time glued to their screens. If there comes a day this winter when it’s not safe to go outside, let them have their magical time to explore and dream – at least once.
