Dear Boone County District Administrators,

My name is Peyton Janowiecki and I am a Fourth Grader at North Pointe Elementary School.  I am writing this letter to request the return of snow days for all kids and teachers everywhere.  It might have felt like an easy decision to eliminate snow days when so many other things have already been taken away from us this year, but this decision hasn’t gone unnoticed and will be felt for generations to come.

When you decided to  take away snow days, you actually took away so much more. You took away a day to get away from our devices, a day to get outside and breathe in the fresh, crisp air, a day full of possibilities, creativity and imagination, a day of playing with our friends safely from a distance, a day of making memories we’ll remember for the rest of our lives. You took away happiness, family time, memories, traditions, and warming our cold hands with hot chocolate by the fire. And just like that, the magic of being a kid is gone. And praying for a day when everything is cancelled except...being a kid, has melted away just like the snow that we never even got to play in.

And not only did you take away a day that was a day that kids love and wished would happen,  you replaced that day with more screen time, busy work and deadlines. By the time my school work is complete, the snow has started to melt and it’s almost dark. All my friends have different amounts of school work and have to do it at different times and that means a lot less kids come outside to play at the same time. I know as a grown up, this might not seem like a big deal to you but have you thought about when you were a kid? Think of all the memories you have of snow days. Do you remember what it’s like to build a snowman? To sled down a big hill? To have an epic snowball fight with your friends? Or that magical time you spent outside playing with your parents and then you got to have hot cocoa and cookies sitting by the fire?  Now imagine that it was all taken away from you. Forever. That a new example has been set. That there is no room for family time, for play, or for joy in this world anymore.  Imagine your kids or grandkids looking at you and asking what a snow day is. Imagine the generations of kids that will never know that magical gift of a snow day, a generation of kids that will think working is more important than anything or anyone else.

And I have a little brother, a childhood cancer survivor, that I love so much and because snow days are now gone, I don't get to spend as much time with him in the snow as I used to.  And I just remember finding out that it was a snow day seeing him with a huge smile on his face knowing that I would go outside in the snow with him but now, I have to finish by school work first and then it’s his nap time, or dinner time and then it’s dark and the day has passed. 

I love my school and I’m thankful for my teachers and everything they do. But this year I have spent everyday staring at a screen learning. Everyday without recess with my friends, without P.E. class, without sports after school. I think it is good for kids and their mental health to know that it’s okay to take a break from work every once in a while, that it’s okay to have joy and fun sometimes. Our school leaders need to let us know that it is okay to take a break and that play and physical activity are both important to our health by allowing us to have snow days the way I remember them, and the way you remember them.  “We need moments where we can let go and allow something larger than ourselves to give us a break. As a population, we don’t do this enough. We work longer and longer hours, we multitask ourselves into the ground, we do chores on our days off, we engage in endless errands to help make our lives run more smoothly, and we make appointment after appointment after appointment.” (Langston, 2016)

A world without snow days is also hurting kids' mental health.  “The mental health benefits kids can get from taking a break, to going outside to build a snowman and coming back inside to drink hot cocoa, to feeling an ounce of normalcy in the joy of a day off from this pandemic is something our kids could probably really use right now.” (Walbert, 2020) Keeping the innocent hope of having a day where all that matters is playing outside, disconnecting from screens and connecting to family and friends is very important right now with all that has happened in the last year. 

I know some of you might think that staying inside to learn on a snow day might help kids catch up on their work but is it really worth the joy being taken away?  “More importantly, parents and educators are already worried about the long term effects of an academic “COVID slide” for many students. Surely the last thing they need is less instructional time. Maybe not, but it’s one day. One day out of nine months of upheaval. Requiring kids to log on to Zoom and practice their math facts today is not going to undo the challenges COVID has presented them with. The achievement gap is incredibly problematic—and it will probably widen even further thanks to this pandemic—but one (snow) day isn’t going to close it”.  (Walbert, 2020)

In conclusion, the world needs snow days. Kids need snow days. Teachers need snow days. And parents need them too. “Days like that help us remain grounded, healthy, and sharp. We need days where we can relax, even if we’re forced, and allow the world to run without us. We need moments that allow us to reconnect with the feeling of quiet contentment and recognize that what we have around us in this moment is enough for this moment.” (Langston, 2016).  It seems like so many grown ups have spent the last year disagreeing with each other about everything but I think this is one subject that we can all agree on. Let’s listen to Mother Nature when she gives us ALL permission to STOP. Stop doing so much and stop going all the time. Let’s rest and play and laugh and create and let go of all the stress. Let’s bring back the magic of snow days, not only for me but for all kids everywhere. 

Sincerely,

Peyton T. Janowiecki
Mr.Berry’s class
North Pointe Elementary School

SOURCES

Walbert, M (2020, December, 17). Kids Deserve Snow Days, Even in a Pandemic. https://offspring.lifehacker.com/kids-deserve-snow-days-even-in-a-pandemic-1845902354

Langson, M., LPC (2016, January 27) The Psychology of a Snow Day. https://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/psychology-behind-a-snow-day-0127165