Should distance learning put a stop to snow days? The short answer is no.

The COVID-19 pandemic has completely shifted the way we go about doing and experiencing things, including attending school. Online platforms such as Zoom, Google Classroom and Blackboard have proven, to an extent, that schools are capable of extending their reach outside of in-class teaching. 

Now, while I think it’s nice how there is the possibility nowadays to expand learning to an online domain, I don’t think this should be a reason to make snow days a thing of the past. As the saying goes, “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.”

Honestly, what’s the harm in having a few snow days suddenly appear in the school calendar throughout the year while we’re all waiting for everyday life to get back to normal?

Snow days might seem unnecessary to some, but I see them as being quite purposeful. As Kurt Vonnegut Jr. said, “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you`ll look back and realize they were the big things,” and snow days are the perfect excuse to indulge in all that.

It’s a time to escape the monotony of life and enjoy past-times or activities you would otherwise never get to.

Things like sleeping in for a few more hours, being lazy all day, reading a book that’s been collecting dust, binging shows on Netflix, playing in the snow, drinking hot cocoa, playing video games, calling a friend and so much more.

They’re all such simple things, and that’s the point. Snow days shouldn’t have an extra dose of stress.

If you can help it, the bulk of your day should be spent leisurely doing what you want.

We’ve been in quarantine for so long now that instead of simply working and going to school from home it’s almost as if we’re living at both. And if a day can be given to halt the mundaneness of everything leave snow days alone.

Getting that surprise phone call or email letting you know school will be canceled because of dangerous weather conditions can do wonders for somebody.