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Snow Daze -- Writer's Poke #427





The snow comes down steadily, like the promise of freedom. By tomorrow, we are supposed to have up to 13 inches, but it doesn’t fall quickly enough for the hundreds of kids hoping and longingfor a snow day. Think of all of the children praying for a Snow Day – a day without classes. A day without school books and teachers’ nasty looks.

I’ve often heard college students complain that colleges never cancel classes. That’s not 100% true, but it is true that colleges don’t cancel classes as a rule; I suppose the main reason is that colleges don’t use school buses to transport students. But college students will often make the decision for themselves on whether or not the weather is a good enough excuse to skip.

Can you imagine anyone with P!nk tickets longing for a snow day cancellation? That’s inconceivable, right? Or, imagine if you had airplane tickets to Miami. You would be very upset if the snow delayed your trip. School, I guess, doesn’t rank up there with a P!nk concert or a trip to Miami, and that’s too bad, I think. What would it take to make students love to go to school, and to be actually crestfallen when classes are cancelled? 

I don’t have the answer to that. When I was a student, I liked going to class. When I was in college, I never skipped classes. I even went to all of my math classes. I liked going to school. And more than that, I realized that I was paying for the experience. Not only was I paying for it with money, but I was paying for it with time. To miss class was to miss an opportunity, and I wanted to take advantage of my education.

Everyone likes a snow day now and then, but it’s too bad that more students don’t value the days they have when classes are in session.

What do you like about a snow day? Is missing classes really better than having the opportunity to attend classes?

“Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood.” – Andy Goldsworthy

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