SNOW DAY

"A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder."    ~Susan Orlean

The other day a friend emailed asking if I took January off from my blog. I hadn't intentionally planned that, but clearly, it happened. After my vague excuse, he jokingly retorted with words like PJs, Lazy Boy, and back to reality. I laughed! Let me add, he was my Principal for the first half of my teaching career. Now we're both retired educators. In retirement, he pursued photography and shares many beautiful nature shots. He's got a good eye for impressive pictures.

As I pondered our email conversation and blog topic options, chatter of snowstorms heading our way caught my attention. Sunday evening television stations started scrolling schools closed Monday due to weather. Truthfully, I still get excited for teachers and students when schools get snow days.

Fast forward to 2020 and beyond. Much of education happens remotely. We've heard debates and stances for no need for snow days since students and teachers can just go into remote mode if getting to school was not safe due to weather. Some administrators announced they were not going to get rid of snow days; others planned to banish snow days as unnecessary in this new modern era. Have these administrators and powers that be forgotten the excitement of those unexpected days off school, either as a student or as teachers in a classroom? Really, who hasn't relished a snow day, or even done a snow dance?

Many have considered snow days as mental health days. A report from WRAL-Durham shared that Millie Rosen, a teacher at Durham School of the Arts in North Carolina, called snow days "magical days" for both students and teachers. Well said! Snow days remain in my mind as one of those unexpected blessings and wonders that "literally and figuratively falls from the sky!"