By Camie Jobe | Photographer
When the weather begins to be less desirable, my mind wanders back to the wintery weather of my childhood: peeking out of the warm bed to tiptoe over to the windowsill and peer out, praying for a coating of white to cover the lawn. I vividly remember the handful of snow days I had as a child — days filled with snowmen, hot cocoa and frozen cheeks.
However, in the wake of COVID-19, the future of snow days looms dangerously in the balance. As new technology dominates the educational landscape, many teachers insist there should still be learning on bad weather days. Many schools and districts are moving toward the goal of one-on-one devices for K-12 students, which, in their minds, creates a level playing field for all students.
In reality, this is leading to unnecessary screen time and allowing school to exist beyond the regular school day. Also, the distribution of one-on-one devices creates the assumption that every student has access to and the ability to care for a device. However, not every student has fully charged devices before the school day or Wi-Fi to complete online homework after. Some students do not have these resources under the best of circumstances, and during inclement weather, they are unable to seek access to these resources elsewhere.
Even if we lived in a perfect world where all students had the capability to continue schoolwork at home, students and teachers also need a break. We are humans who often become overrun by schoolwork, social expectations and extracurriculars. When Mother Nature decides to bless us with the gift of a day off, we should take the opportunity by the reigns.
That project you have been wishing you had the time to complete? You now have a whole afternoon! That book that has been giving you the evil eye from your nightstand? Read it! Our society has become so entangled in hustle culture that the idea of doing something for personal enjoyment is in the rearview mirror.
Despite the abundance of technology, such as Zoom, that enables virtual classes when bad weather begins to brew, professors should embrace bad weather days and allow students to enjoy time in the snow. Sledding around the icy Waco streets with friends or curling up to watch a movie you have been dying to see is exactly what snow days should be for. Taking a break for a bit of rest and relaxation is not a crime, and snow days aren’t either.
