What If Snow Were Dinosaurs? Why schools are dumb for ending snow days and 3 Reasons Why!

February 3, 2021 12:48AM, Wednesday 872 words

John D. Lin

What If Snow Were Dinosaurs? 

Why schools are dumb for ending snow days and 3 Reasons Why!

“DINOSAUR! ”Ask an adult what’s the first word that comes to them and they shout, ”large, scary, herbivore, omnivore, Jurassic Park, T-Rex” - so proudly as if they won Jeopardy.

But ask a child the same question, and they despairingly whisper

one word,

“extinct”.

Life cycle: When a flower shall die, another shall birth.

Remember when “video killed the radio star”?

The birth of post-pandemic virtual learning is the death of our childhood snow days, “as we knew”. 

Your child will forever have a twilight zone snow day recollection from you - them sitting alone in front of a dull screen instead of mincing snowballs for a playground fight and collaborating with neighborhood buddies building fluffy, disproportionate, yet utterly adorable snow people.

Snow days are now dinosaurs ….. extinct. For many growing up this seemed unfathomable. But it’s true. 

And 

Sadly, surely, and soon, even SNOW will be extinct too. I've seen with my very own two little eyes. Arctic and Antarctic glaciers are gliding toward a melting sun. Icelandic ski lodges are closing after 8 family run generations. But you don't have to travel so far to know it yourself. Doesn't your 2015 old shovel still look new! 

Without further ado, here are the top 3 of an infinite plethora of reasons why Snow Days should still be “Snow Days”

3. Pragmatics! - There is only so much damn daylight during a winter day. For many adults, when a child is in virtual school, they're in virtual school too. If parents need to watch their kids, well they can’t shovel can they? The kid needs help with the browser, the internet, the etc. from 8am to 3pm. You just lost your prime hours to shovel soft snow under a sweet sweltering sun. The longer you wait the harder the snow. Now what may have been an hour long job has turned into a two hour job. 3pm turns to 4pm.

Thanks buddy! But guess what? You want your kid to actually experience snow! So you can’t shovel yet because you want to build an igloo and make snow angels with them. Let’s face it buddy, you’re not going to be done shoveling until dinner time. And you know what, you’re out of groceries because you had no time to go buy them today! And tomorrow is groundhog’s day because it’s another “snow day”. How awful. As a kid you loved snow days because you got to play. As an adult you loved snow days too because you got to teach your kid how to play. But now your kid will hate snow days as a kid and as an adult too. 

2. Go Outside And Play! - We tell our kids to get off their screens and go out and play. How hypocritical that on a snow day now you’re telling them to stay on their screens and repress their desire to play. Growing up I loved playing tag, fearlessly and recklessly running hoping to avoid the heavy smack on my back that makes me, "it!" Now kids play tag with literal ten foot poles to stay 6 feet away +4 more feet for "momentum prevention crashing into each other speed". Your “it” if your pole hits someone else's poll, wow how fun...

Snow days finally offer FUN activities where kids can actually socialize. Snowball fights, but rule! No hitting someone unless their AT LEAST 6 feet away. Make snow angels, but rule! Spread out so you can see each angel. Be six feet away. Go sledding, stay at least 6 feet away! The 6 feet rules actually help rather than hinder the games here! Well, so much for kids to actually know what FUN was. 

1. How are we defining LEARNING now, damn it! - For real, if we saw a dinosaur today physically blocking our school, would we say go home and we’ll learn online?

No way!!! Why learn about dinosaurs in the abstract when you can learn first hand, up close, personal, and share this collective experience with others. Remember, dinosaurs are extinct, so we would be thrilled to see one! We as a society have taken the sight and existence of snow for granted. We know snow and thus snow days are rarer and rarer now.

Before one day kids can ONLY learn about snow through textbooks, let them experience it for themselves and not from a screen. During my bus trip with 50 hipsters to Scandinavia, I saw snow out my window when we reached Norway. I gazed at the snow a few winks, smirked, and simply said, "Cool". I tried to go back to sleep. IMPOSSIBLE! IMPOSSIBLE! 26 fully grown young adult Australians demanded that we stop the bus. They ran amok right into the snow - hoisting, snorkeling, reveling in snow! It was the first time in their 25 year old lives that they ever SAW and FELT SNOW! Someday will the kids in the Antarctic, Icelandic, and Scandinavia feel the same way to? What about in your neighborhood?

I know we can’t unring a bell. I know we can’t undo snowdays.

I know you can appreciate snow, childhood, and human interaction more. 

About the Author: John D. Lin is a 7 Continent 100+ Country Traveler and National Award Winning Public Speaking Professor. Virtual learning has paused his passion for travel, but reignited his drive for teaching public speaking.

(For more information featuring my personal experiences exploring the Antarctic Icelandic & Scandinavia, IG follow @johndlinspeaks)