Snow days are often seen as a magical gift that pauses time briefly. When snow is forecasted everyone starts flipping their pajamas inside out and putting spoons on the window sills and flushing ice cubes down the toilet. There’s all kinds of superstitious myths on how to incite mother nature to gift students and teachers an anticipated snow day.
This week with brutally cold temperatures and a solid layer of ice that followed this past weekend’s snow, Baltimore, along with much of Maryland, was buried under a winter wonderland tundra. Which gifted students and teachers not just one snow day but all three at once! Those three days were then followed by two virtual school days still in the comfort of warm pajama pants. Some students and teachers loved all the extra time away from the school building; others felt it was may be a bit too long and not necessary.
“I helped unbury 19 cars and though my body is ridiculously sore from shoveling so much ice, I made some really good money this past week,” shared one much wealthier than he was KHS junior. Some used the extra time to make some extra cash with shoveling and moving snow around or picking up extra shifts at their jobs.
Others, including some teachers, enjoyed the extra time to get some much needed extra sleep. “Though I get bored quickly and was ready to return to the building about Wednesday, I do enjoy not making my long commute and just the slower, less hectic pace to life for a bit,” shared a KHS ELA teacher.
Some students used it to indulge in hobbies they sometimes feel they don’t have time for. “I got to do a lot of painting,” shared Diana. Whereas another, Vanessa, enjoyed some much needed quality time with her mom. “My mom and I hung out a lot and watched some movies and it was just really some quiet, cozy days.”
Some do find that they get bored quickly and too much time trapped at home, reminds them a bit of their time during the pandemic. Some welcomed the switch to virtual instruction for the end of the week because it gave them something to do. “Virtual days are an okay substitute. I’d rather do them than make up the days in late June,” shared Ny’Aira.
One teacher felt she sees more students attending when it’s virtual than a regular delay “because I think they don’t have to get out in the cold and nasty weather and they’re stuck at home without much to do anyway I’m always surprised by how many attend as my attendance in all three classes was close to 90% on Thursday which is pretty good!” she shared.
Whether snow days are something you excitedly look forward to or you’re counting the days until Spring, the Groundhog makes his appearance next week to give us his prediction on how much winter we have left but based on the snow we’ve already seen for January 2026, there’s still lots of winter left for more. But hopefully we’ll see you back in the building next week!
