Although the introduction of technology such as Zoom and other things has helped us to become much more flexible during such a tough time, it has also brought up some questions now that students are back to learning in person for the most part. Are sick days acceptable anymore? Will there be any more snow days? What if students need a mental health day?
In the past it was easy to take a day off when needed, for health reasons or othe
r ones. Simply not going to school was acceptable for students who needed a day off or were too sick to come in. Now with Zoom options almost everywhere, many professors and teachers expect students to be present for lessons in one way or another. Although this can be a helpful tool for some who are too sick to be in school in person but well enough to work from home, it creates an expectation that even while sick students need to be productive and learning. The same issue is present with students who sometimes need to take a day off for mental health reasons. Much of the time, it would not be a true break since they could be expected to join Zoom meetings while at home instead of attending in person.
The biggest change I have seen myself with the introduction of Zoom is the existence of snow days. While in high school, there was no
better feeling than waking up in the morning, finding out school was canceled for the day due to too much snow on the roads, and going back to sleep for a little while. Now, my younger brother has told me that this year when there was too much snow to go to school, classes were still required to be attended, just online instead. It might seem trivial and stupid, but something as small as snow days is a huge part of the school year that many kids enjoy and look forward to.
Overall, although COVID has presented us with many alternative learning and teaching styles, it has also adjusted our expectations for students and teachers alike. The need for a break sometimes or a sick day here or there will always be present, and the new technological advancements we have made only ask for more time to be dedicated to school in some ways. Allowing students to have these random snow days and necessary sick days where work is not expected of them is a huge part of school, especially for younger children. With the new society we live in, will these past experiences with days off cease to exist?
Great post! I agree with you that it can be very taxing on students to no longer feel like they have the option to take a day off if they need it. Even if schools present the option for Zoom and say that it isn’t mandatory if you are sick, I feel like I would still be stressed out knowing that the option to go is there and I am actively skipping class. Particularly for younger students, I don’t think it is fair to expect them to push through any struggles that they are having just to not miss a day in school. The idea of not having snow days anymore is also very sad to me. They really were one of the greatest things to wake up to, and I can’t imagine not having them anymore. Even having them now in college as we have, I have greatly enjoyed them. However, I could see it making the teacher’s job easier as they no longer have to completely adjust their plans for the rest of the week, or possibly it could make their job harder as they now have to adjust to a virtual lesson for the day.
Hi Bridget,
First of all, I really like the title of this post, I think it’s super cute. Snow days are definitely an innocent aspect of school that was lost to the pandemic. They are such a fun, joyful part of wintertime, especially as an elementary schooler, and it’s sad to think this may not be a surprise current students get to experience. I also like that you brought up mental health days, because those especially become important in higher grades. And I totally agree that the ability to do school virtually is asking stressed-out students to commit too much of their life, time, and energy to classes.