When the Corona Virus swept the world, school was different, but not canceled. This was all because of modern technology. Our Chromebooks allowed us to do school work remotely. This remote learning has come into play beyond the pandemic and been used in place of snow days. 

Just as it is with anything, there are positives and negatives to the situation.

One positive is safety. Bad weather, a crowded parking lot, and teenage drivers in a rush are seldom a good equation. Declaring an E-learning day can eliminate the risk of vehicle wrecks. There are already wrecks in and around the school parking lot all of the time, so being better safe than sorry is a definite benefit. Utilizing online school also comes in handy come May. Since we do not have to make them up at the end of the year, they have proven very useful.

Unfortunately, every system has its flaws, one of which being internet access. Not all students have internet at home, and if the roads are bad, it is not likely that they will be able to get somewhere that does. This can cause students to fall behind in class upon return. Another drawback is that students sometimes deserve a break. Many students such as myself do not get much of a break on the weekends due to work, athletics, and other obligations. For this, snow days used to serve as a pleasant surprise as well as an opportunity to catch up in school without worrying about even more piling on. 

I remember being a younger child and loving snow days. I didn’t have to worry about clocking into classes. Before remote learning all there was to focus on was relaxing and playing outside. It is sad to think that the future youth won’t be able to experience that same joy. 

Personally, I do not hate E-Learning. I enjoy the idea of sleeping in, making myself breakfast, and not having to make up the extra day in May. However, it is all circumstantial. On days where there is a ton of snow just asking for me to sled in it, it is hard to do school work. I think maintaining a healthy balance of E-Learning days and snow days coexisting will be best for both the safety, and mental health of students.