Snow Days should remain a thing in B.C.
The snow day off school and work can offer a much needed break to students of all ages
Snow days are good for people of all ages to get a mental break. (File photo)
When I think back to some of my favourite childhood memories, I remember the fun snow days during elementary school. It’s rare that Vancouver gets a huge amount of snow, but in 2008, we were hit with a large blizzard.
I remember it vividly because it was the first winter I had my dog, and I spent hours throwing snowballs for her. The blizzard lasted a few days, causing power outages, road closures, and school closures of all levels — and my eight-year-old self had never been happier.
Now, almost 15 years later, there is a debate growing around whether snow days should still exist since remote-learning is an option. A public school in New York City is removing snow days because educational officials believe they are unnecessary due to the implementation of remote-learning during pandemic lockdowns.
I think this is a huge mistake because snow days can be beneficial for people of all ages. Not only do they bring back a rush of nostalgia, but there are mental and physical benefits to taking a day off from your busy routine. It’s also unrealistic to expect teachers and professors to have an entire online lesson plan ready to go, when they were set to teach in-person.
More importantly, if the pandemic revealed anything, there are disparities of financial gaps regarding technology. Many families and university students do not have access to updated technology or applications like Zoom, and instead rely on in-person learning.
For younger children, online learning can be tedious and they can get distracted easily. Now, think about how absentminded they’ll be when snowflakes come into the equivalent? Additionally, if snow causes a power outage, students wouldn’t be able to access their online class anyway.
The pandemic has also highlighted the stress online learning can have on children and young adults, especially during a time when the world feels chaotic.
On the rare occasions that we get a huge amount of snow in Vancouver, it can give people a chance to spend time outdoors and have fun and be kids again. No one wants to sit by a computer on a snowy day. They want to play with their friends outside and build a snowman.
This is why schools in British Columbia, including post-secondary institutions, should keep snow day closures because they offer many positive outcomes.
Instead I hope to see improvement in announcing class cancellations so that students don’t come out to campus only to find that it is closed and struggle to get back home. Weather announcements of heavy snowfall are usually given at least a day or two before they occur, which gives plenty of time to make arrangements around school closures.
Everything also seems more silent on a snow day. It feels like the city is forced to take a much-needed pause, and less people are out on the road having to be somewhere. At any age, it’s important for people to take a break, and if a snowstorm is the only way that can happen, I am all for it.
