PRO: Yes. Keep the snow days, and add the extra days to the end
John Carroll has decided on how snow days will look for this year. Three inclement weather days can occur that will not be added on at the end of the year. Any additional days will then become virtual learning days. These virtual learning days, however, may sound pleasing but can affect the education of the students.
Students want to enjoy their days off by going to play in the snow or catching up on work they have fallen behind on. When students have the day off because of the weather, many students take this chance to do the work they did not have time to do because they got home too late or because they had sports after school. Giving the full day off for students also allows them to study for any upcoming tests they may have.
Additionally, virtual learning could be bad for many students because of conflict with their education and way of learning. Many students prefer to learn in-person rather than online because it is much harder to focus when at home. They can be tempted to go right back to sleep and skip school, or some may even have their phones right by their side.
These virtual learning days not only cause students to get a shorter period of learning, but it also opens the door for students to be confused. This can be bad for students because they may be tempted to just turn off their cameras and walk away from the class, go back to sleep, or even go on their phones throughout the class.
Many students need in-person learning to fully understand the lesson. This lack of face-to-face learning can cause not only confusion but also a high possibility for students to fail tests and quizzes. This can also affect the track of lessons for teachers, whether they are right in the beginning, middle, or end of a lesson or unit.
Virtual learning days can pose many issues with AP classes and the final that they have at the end of the year. These days may help AP students stay on track with their learning, but they may struggle to get the full idea of the lesson being learned. Students can have a hard time retaining the information given by their teachers, and this can negatively affect them once it comes to that time of year for AP testing.
Schools had a major taste of virtual days during COVID. Some students had a decrease in interest in subjects they to the disconnect and distractions caused by being at home.
Virtual learning days can sound like a better choice than adding them onto the end of the school year, but in the long run, it is all about what helps the students in the best way.
The education students get is better retained when in person and having a hands-on experience rather than sitting in a bed all day online. John Carroll should look at the disadvantages that virtual days provide to the students rather than the benefits of getting out of school on-time at the end of the year and the hopes of staying on track with lessons. – Juli Aragon
CON: No. Virtual learning is the best route to go on snow closure days
With technology today, there is no reason to have any snow days without virtual learning. Technological advances allow people to stay connected, and this includes students staying connected to their school on any given day.
COVID times actually taught us a lot and brought a lot of change within John Carroll — one of which was the ability to do school at home through online learning. As a school, John Carroll gives students and staff three inclement weather days. This includes closures for ice, snow, heavy rain, or any other weather conditions that make it hard to travel to school each day.
After using those three days, JC decided that any other inclement weather days would become virtual learning days. That means no extra days would be added onto the end of the year and cut into the summer. The last thing a high schooler wants is more school in the summer.
In reviewing JC’s current plan for snow days, there already is a two-hour delay scheduled into days when Harford County Public Schools close for the day. This gives students two extra hours to sleep in before getting ready for 35-minute classes. Within the 35-minute classes, students will see their teachers and stay on schedule for work and deadlines.
Students are not being asked to be on the computer every minute from 8:00 a.m. through 2:45 p.m., so students will be able to enjoy some more “home relaxation time” while still getting credit for a full day of school.
In today’s world, more students are gaining experience with life online, including online school. Online learning affects people differently, but most would find it easier because they don’t have to get up super-early like the students who live far away. They would save their normal commuting time to school and could get some additional sleep. It would make coming to school and learning so much easier.
If school days were added to the end of the year, they could impact students’ work or sports schedules and family vacations, in addition to cutting into their time to take a break from school.
Many students enjoyed online learning at home during COVID and liked working independently. Working from home can be a big help for some students who may have a hard time focusing on their work in the school building.
Working in the comfort of your own home can make working on classwork easier. If focusing on work is easier, then students may be able to get higher grades on their assignments, tests, and quizzes.
Working from home can also help prepare students for college where many classes are now online. These classes often require more independence to be able to log into class on time. If we have virtual snow days at JC, that can help us prepare for college’s online classes.
Another important factor to consider is how inclement weather days affect students taking AP classes.
In these classes, a strict schedule must be followed in order to learn all of the content before the AP exam.
With virtual learning, these classes would not be impacted by any missed days, which would allow them to be more prepared for the exam and possibly get more college credits. – Kallissa Coats