E-Learning: Olivia

E-learning does not ruin snow days. For starters, if we don’t do any form of school at all, whether it be asynchronous or synchronous, then we’d have to make up that school day at the end of the year. By that point, it will be nearing summer, and everyone, students and teachers alike, will be anxious to get out of school.

Even for someone like me who enjoys going to school, the end of the school year has me looking forward to summer break. Having to make up a school day at the end of the year is very frustrating and students might begin to slack off and not pay attention in class because they just want the school year to be over. This can create problems for teachers when they attempt to engage their students and keep them on track.

Additionally, E-learning days allow teachers to teach at a more consistent pace. Since most snow days tend to happen in January and February, the first months of the second semester, students and teachers will be getting back in the swing of the school year and beginning new units. Having a day without any learning at all could disrupt this flow and cause learning at the end of the year to be rushed, especially for AP students, who have to learn all of their class’ material by May.

Now, some people may argue that they don’t want an E-learning day because they think they won’t have any free time to enjoy the snow and relax. However, this is actually not the case for the majority of students. Most teachers post assignments that do not even take up the 55 minutes of usual class time. This means that most students will still have the entire afternoon to relax and play in the snow. Their afternoons won’t be filled with homework, as long as they complete schoolwork during the normal school day hours.

E-learning days provide the best of both worlds: students can stay on track with their learning and have extra free time without making up a school day at the end of the year.

Snow Day: Nya

I was six years old when I had my first snow day, but can remember it like it was yesterday.

While I was sleeping, my mom walked into my room and turned off my Hello Kitty alarm clock which was set for 6 in the morning. I woke up three hours later flustered, scurrying around my room trying to get ready as fast as possible until I realized the school day was canceled. Relief passed over me, allowing me to enjoy the fresh snow outside and make memories with my family. 

With E-learning now taking place on days schools would normally cancel, that relief is no more. On asynchronous E-learning days, many students wake up with piles of schoolwork in order to not get behind. The assignments can be difficult to learn and their teachers are unavailable to help them, making the day much worse. The days without structure will be treated like a traditional snow day by students with no work being done, and upset teachers the next day. 

Synchronous E-learning days ruin the magic of snow days even more. Alarms still go off and students absentmindedly get on Zoom while playing video games and not learning the necessary information. On a day when students should get to relax and be comfortable in their bed, teachers enforce rules to foster a classroom environment when it is anything but. 

Having the day off from assignments in totality is more beneficial for students, as the break allows for the mind of both students and teachers to be rejuvenated and creates a separation from the redundancy of the normal school week. The free time also gives students the ability to catch up on rest they do not get during the week and the chance to make memories with their family. 

Snow days must be kept alive, even if it comes to the cost of adding an extra day to the end of the school year. The additional day will either take place after finals, when content will be much less, or will push back finals, giving us more time to study.