Snow day = sad kids?

Towards the end of the day yesterday, I told my students to check the news before they went to bed. I explained to them that it was going to snow and school might be closed because of the snow. Most of them like the snow, so I assumed that they would be excited, but when I looked around I saw quite a few sad faces staring back at me. I asked them about their sad faces and the said " We like school. We WANT to come to SCHOOL." I was touched by their words and immediately felt bad for being somewhat ambivalent about whether or not I wanted a snow day myself.

I mean honestly, I could use a day off as much as the next person. I am tired, I have a list of chores to do, etc. But then again I like June, the warm sunny weather and the beach a lot more than I like random days off in the middle of January. After talking with the kids though, all bets were off. They wanted to be at school, they did not want it to snow. It is the first time I have heard kids, other than my self, express this idea. When I was in elementary school, I loved school. I loved learning and reading and could never get enough.

At the end of the school day, several parents asked me if I had heard anything yet. I explained that I hadn't, that we would all hear about the same time. I told them how to sign up for text message alerts through the local news stations. I also told them that the district will make an automated phone call to all students and staff after informing the news station. Many of the parents I spoke to yesterday seemed anxious about the possibility of a snow day, but still it wasn't the same sadness that their children exhibited.

So, the question that begs asking is: what is the reason behind these emotions? For my students who are saddened by the possibility of a snow day: DO they love school and or learning so much that the thought of having a disruption to that process is unbearable for them? Is their home life so stressful or unpleasant that school is just a good place to go to escape? Maybe they don't particularly like school, but it is just better than being at home? Maybe they really enjoy spending time with their friends or feel as though they are going to miss something if they are not at school.

And what about their parents? Why so many anxious adults at the end of the day yesterday? Does a snow day mean that they will miss a day of work and therefore a day of pay? I would assume that would create some anxiety if money is already tight. Do the parents simply dislike snow? Is it hard for them to be at home with their children?

The answers remain unknown. Given the intense emotions of my students and their parents, I am hoping that remainder of the winter will be relatively uneventful. I am also uplifted and inspired by my students' comments about wanting to stay in school. It makes me want to stay in school, to work hard to continue to inspire a love of learning inside each of them.