Hauppauge High School does not use enough snow days. Snow days can be beneficial overall. If the school uses all their snow days, it gives students time to relax and work on their mental health. The school also still has time to fill their entire curriculum. Snow days do not shorten a lesson in a subject. Snow days are not taking time away from education. If anything snow days would improve students’ attentiveness for staying awake and learning. Students have a never-ending schedule with school, then sports, then jobs, then whatever else students have to do at home. These long days get repeated over and over again and can become depressing. Depression is a huge reason for high school dropouts. The days at school are endless and you just watch the clock all day. Learning takes place all the time, both in and out of the classroom. Snow days provide you with the opportunity to explore and test yourself. Children require time to explore without being bound by a strict and never-ending daily schedule. 

Many of us work long hours without taking the necessary physical and mental breaks. Sometimes we have to take a break because of the snow. On-site and virtual learners alike can have fun playing in the snow, baking cookies, reading books, and watching a nice movie on snow days. These are periods for making memories, and we feel that these possibilities should be preserved.

Snow days give us all a much-needed mental health respite from our routines, allowing us to rest and do whatever we want with our leisure. Snow days also give parents, who may be at home from work, the perfect opportunity to spend time with their children without the pressure of having to be someplace at a certain hour. Snow days will give students time to feel like there is no list of things to do; that they can just worry about the moment and not a million other things. Snow days can also give time to the students that have to pick up extra hours at work and help support their families. Some students want to spend their extra time making money for themselves, which gives kids the opportunity to learn the value of money. Being given money and earning money are two very different things.

No one can make snow. If there are still “snow days” left at the end of the year, they should be made “mental health days” and allow children time off. People need to relax and watch the snow and not thing of the list of things in their head. Teens and staff can reset their nervous systems by taking a mental health day from school. It’s a welcome escape from the daily stress of tests, deadlines, and social obligations, as well as the pandemic’s anxieties. However, missing school can exacerbate the situation by increasing stress levels. Consider all of the tests and lessons you’ve missed and are falling behind on. This discourages children from taking the necessary mental health days. If the school ensures that mental health days are available, teachers will be given time off as well, ensuring that no one falls behind.