There’s a lot to be said for an
unexpected day away from the hectic routine of the classroom. I’ve been able to get creative with lesson
planning, turn ideas that I don’t usually have time for into some sort of reality,
catch up with marking and indulge in some trashy daytime television. Above all though, there’s been time and space
to think about things, and I got to thinking about the Snow Day itself.
I don’t have much time for those
who roll their eyes and moan about school closures in bad weather. I could rehearse all the arguments about the
safety of children and school staff and the awfulness and mayhem of closing a
school partway through a day, to say nothing of the stress caused to children
and families of doing so, but I think there’s also another well-being case to
be made.
There was a feature on the radio
yesterday about Headteachers banning children from playing snowballs or even
touching the snow. Apparently, it’s far
too dangerous, yet we routinely put several hundred children on a playground
together with minimum supervision and throw a few footballs, beanbags and
skipping ropes into the mix for good measure!
I’m sure I’m not alone though in thinking this is also really sad.
As I ventured out into the snow
this afternoon, I couldn’t help smiling broadly and feeling simply joyous. I loved the feeling of the freshly fallen
snow under my feet and that scrunching sound that you only get with snow
underfoot. I was utterly transfixed by
the lightness of the swirling snowflakes.
I played with the mystery of where the path ended and the grass verge
began. I tried to make sense of that strange
quiet and calm that only snow brings. I
was on my own but I was aching to play snowballs and build a snowman!
It occurred to me that there is something
simply natural and instinctive about wanting to play in the snow – even for some
of us grown-ups. Yes, this has a lot to
do with the vagaries of British weather – we don’t often see snow like today’s –
but for me, they’re not something to complain about but to celebrate, and all
the more reason to make the most of the occasional Snow Day. Snow isn’t for everyone and there will be
children who would rather stay indoors, but I think it’s plain mean to ban
everyone from a snowball fight, let alone even touching the snow. In fact, based on my own experience today and
watching children playing snowballs and sledging, I think it could be argued
that – so long as we wrap up warm – snow can be good for our emotional
well-being, whereas banning games in the snow, when it’s all children want, probably
makes them pretty miserable, running counter to their emotional well-being.
I’d go even further. I shocked a colleague once when I sympathised
with parents who kept their children away from school to play in the snow; I
would do the same, I told her. Too many
families are torn apart either permanently or by their manic schedules and the
pressures of mum and dad’s work, so I think it’s wonderful that snow can bring
families together and give them a reason to just play and be silly. I’m certain the brief escape from whatever
pressures and anxieties children experience either at home or at school can
only be good for them.
This doesn’t mean that Snow Days
make snowflakes of children. It just
means that we should allow children to be children – to play and have fun and
be silly. And all the better if they do
that with their brothers and sisters and their mums and dads. I don’t believe that a day or two away from
school is the end of the world or that it will have dire consequences for
children’s futures and the future of the country. If we think a Snow Day or two is going to
have a terrible impact on SATs results or children’s outcomes or the reputation
of our schools, we’ve got something dreadfully wrong with the bigger picture. I’m no economist (only an E at A’ level) but
I find it hard to believe that business isn’t resilient enough to cope with parents
needing a day off to care for their children or that the economy won’t recover. And it’s pretty sad if the inconvenience
for parents of taking a day off work to spend with their children is such an
awful proposition.
I think a Snow Day might just help
to put our crazy world into some perspective.
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