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The Science Behind Snow Days - ST Week 6.3

It’s funny how complex math calculations, myths and legends, and even the natural sciences come easier to kids when figuring out the odds of school canceling for a snow day are involved. Granted, I still find myself checking Snow Day Calculator or fighting the temptation to sleep with a spoon under my pillow every now and then, especially since I know a wintry mix may mean slick roads and colder-than-average treks across campus. So as I circled Team Nova’s humanities classroom to help with scale ratio calculations for our model wagon project this week, I was not surprised to see that some students were on Snow Day Calculator or researching popular legends rumored to improve the chances of Zeus’s weather interventions. Considering the weather forecast that predicts Thursday morning through Friday night will hammer Northern Vermont with 8-10 inches of snow, I’d say there is a good chance that EMS will close on Friday for safety reasons. However, that might just be the hopeful eighth grader and Jack Frost lover in me.


Source: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivM7c5fHM-7dKHGOTzlGYwG7rx6P_GKeMuXH2DEuO_Wgtn0Usx3NJE9W-l3NZTFPZz-CZPZ8XvDtzQMlg9AkvYcNggAZRTlOmoWg37cnkkrcZiv3rEi7fvAPPvVSdC1mHLyFQ1kE4d9OI/s1600/tumblr_static_snowflake_1.gif


A few questions come to mind when I reflect on the excitement surrounding snow days for both students and school staff, and I do believe there is a larger focus here that is worth thinking about as a future educator: How could calculating the odds of a snow day still appeal to my students when they are in the middle of an engaging project? Why are staff members excited for the unpredictable days missed throughout the year? What does this excitement (on both ends) say about the current state of our education system?

While I did redirect students to their blueprints and scale ratio problems during our wagon workshops— especially on Wednesday— I couldn’t help but scan their screens for the likely percentage of cancellation before any snow day related tabs were closed. Trust me, every member of our humanities classes is fully participating in the wagon building project, and almost all students seem to be enjoying it. Any scale ratio problems are familiar to students from earlier math studies, and almost every group was able to calculate their wagon dimensions with minimal assistance. Even if math were an obstacle to student engagement, the scale ratios are only a small part of a very hands-on group project. Students could pick their Oregon Trail groups, suggesting social anxiety is a small (but still significant) factor in student disengagement. So what is the rush for a snow day? If the weather is as bad as predicted, getting to a mountain or other location for winter sports may be difficult, as would getting to a friend’s house beyond one’s own neighborhood. Do students and staff just want the day off to relax at home, or at least, away from school? That was usually the case with me, and I am sure many EMS community members have similar motivations to myself: warm blankets, late mornings, a good book, and maybe a movie or two. From this line of thinking then emerges another question: if we all feel the need for a self-care day, why do we need a snow day to justify staying home?

I understand that there are various circumstances that might prevent someone from taking a casual day for themselves here and there, from financial motivation to push through another day at the office to trouble arranging the supervision of a child if parents/guardians are at work. Add on the importance of completing class/homework from an absence in order to stay on track with one’s peers or colleagues, and the pressure to go to school despite personal needs becomes almost unbearable… maybe even guilt-ridden. While I may not be able to relieve all of the pressure our current education systems put on students and staff for perfect attendance, I can work with my future students to reduce the stress of missing a day of class here and there. Support in completing make-up work, extensions of due dates, and other accommodations will be made as deemed necessary by a student’s circumstances, and I believe this willingness to work with students when attendance occasionally overwhelms us is essential to improving the overall energy and engagement levels in the classroom.

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