The Death of the Snow Day
Well, I suppose I should have seen it coming years ago. When someone told me, “all the textbooks are going to go online soon and then we won’t need to do adoptions any longer,” I should have started thinking. When going 1-1 with devices, I should have been more aware. But I didn’t want to believe it. I love books. I do not love technology. I use it because I must, but I don’t love it.
Then it all happened. While we do still have textbooks and do adopt new ones, we are rapidly moving away from that. Updates can be made in an instant, which could be a good thing for sure. We did get to 1-to-1 with devices, and now all our students have an iPad which they have taken home during this distance learning world.
But did I suspect that the change would affect snow days? Did I extrapolate out the logical consequences of every student and teacher being able to do schoolwork and make lesson plans from a device in the comfort of their own home?
I did not.
Yet here it is, the first week that Putnam City tried to go back to a partial in-person schedule, and a massive ice storm hits. Many of our schools are without power, and the fallen branches make it hazardous on the roads. But did we call a snow day? No no! We now have a distance learning day. Work should still be happening my friends! You have been doing distance learning since August, so this should be no different.
Except with all the power outages, it may very well be different.
Is the snow day really dead? Will there never be a day when it is not feasible to expect students and teachers to actually learn and teach? As I’ve written before, the joys of waiting for the phrase “Putnam City Schools—Canceled” to crawl across the screen brightened many an early morning as a child. Do our students no longer get that pleasure? (I am aware people don’t exclusively watch the tv for this info, but just go with it here).
I know, I know. If we can keep kids learning, then why wouldn’t we? I agree, of course. But I do have the nostalgia of it all. It was a great childhood memory.
So, say “so long” to the snow day friends. This Brave New World has no place for them.
by Jennifer Seal
October 29, 2020