SNOW DAY!

It has been too long since I wrote for this Blog. This pandemic caused a shift in priorities. I am also the Executive Director of a non-profit preschool, and when we closed on March 13th, I believed it would be for three weeks. We didn’t reopen until September. Figuring out how to do that safely was my priority.

 

When the forecast for a major snowstorm hitting the Northeast was predicted for this week; I knew I would have to make a decision I had not faced before as the Executive Director.  If we had to close due to snow accumulations and unsafe road conditions, would we have a remote learning day? My answer was a clear and resounding NO!

 

In my mind, snow days are treasured gifts here in the Northeast. When I was a child, we had rituals if we knew a snow day was possible to try to ensure we would have the day off.  Wearing your pajamas inside and backward was the ritual I grew up with. During my teaching career, I learned of others, such as placing a spoon under your pillow or an ice cube in the toilet!

 

For the children in my school now, ages 2 1/2 to 6, for many of them, this is the first major snow accumulation they will have seen. I remember the look of wonder on my young children’s faces the first time they saw snow past their knees. I was not letting the pandemic take another thing from these children. What discoveries and the memories they will make building a snowman, chasing their dogs, or creating a snow angel are so much more valuable than any zoom lesson today.

 

Parents, if you live in an area that received snow, take your children out to play in this winter wonderland today!