Winter can be like a two faced kid. Loved by the students and despised by parents, snow is enjoyable for fun but is it convenient for transportation? Let’s look at some opinions from our students!
“I enjoy winter because it snows in winter and if there’s snow on the ground we can do things like skiing or sledding. “
“My parents make me shovel our driveway when it snows, so I don’t like snow when it blocks up the roads and makes transportation inconvenient.” -An anonymous student
“My parents and I shovel snow on our driveway, but sometimes we have snowball fights. When we go back inside the house afterwards, I enjoy a nice, hot chocolate.”
“Snow is fun”
“I like winter cause my favorite idol’s name is Winter!”
As you can see, different people have different opinions about winter fun!
On Friday, January 7th, it snowed almost 3 feet. The students of Marie Curie reacted to the snow day in different ways. Some used the snow as an excuse to stay home and miss school. After all, they could just say that they were absent due to the snow. Others pushed through the challenge and arrived at school, even though it was snowing. However, since so many students were missing from class, nothing new was taught. The question remains: Should students be required to come to school even on a snow day?
Let’s look at the pros and cons of coming to school on a snow day!
Pros: After a year of remote learning, some students don’t want to miss even a day of school, because they feel like they have fallen behind the level they should be at now. In addition, sometimes during the winter, the heat in students’ houses might malfunction, and school would provide a warm place for them to be during the day.
Cons: Most of the students and teachers won’t feel like learning or teaching during a snow day, when they could be outside enjoying the snow. For some of the students who are driven to school, their cars have to be dug out of the snow before they are able to ride to school. Even after the cars are dug out, the roads might be covered in snow, making driving difficult and dangerous. Why should students be worried about their own safety when they are coming to school?
A possible solution to this problem would be if sanitation workers were more persistent in the work they do, clearing out school pathways or main streets earlier, it would have been easier for parents and kids to get to school. The mayor always holds a briefing when large snow is predicted, claiming that the roads will be salted, but there is never actually salt on the roads where they are needed. If the mayor was more concerned, it would be easier for kids to go to school on time and safely. Instead of simply telling our city about the ways they uphold public safety, if they took action towards their words, our community would be much safer for everyone.
After seeing all the pros and cons of coming to school on a snow day, what do you think the protocol should be for a snow day?