Lost: Snow Day

If found, return to Saskatchewan. No, seriously...this is ridiculous. I know what you're thinking...,"Suck it up, buttercup!"

Umm, no thanks, I would like to hit you with some knowledge instead.

I'm 25 years old. In my 25 years of existence, I have been involved in schools (as either a student or teacher) for 20 of those years. In those 20 years, I have never heard of a day off for schools, caused by snowfall or cold.

For those unfamiliar with Saskatchewan, the only way to describe it is...plywood. Its shape, its flatness, its appeal...its...hardness? Wood you believe that last one was a joke? Anyway, with being so flat in the middle of the prairies, we get some pretty extreme weather...especially during winter.

It's normal for us to have temperatures below 40 degrees Celsius for sustained periods of time (2 weeks at a time, 3-4 times a year). It's also normal for us to receive large amounts of snowfall in a small amount of time. Example being March 5, 2018... Yesterday. It was a record day as far as snowfall for that day. Officially, we received 20 cm (about 8 inches. Realistically, it was more around 30 cm (12 inches).

I'm not sure if you've ever tried to drive (or survive) in conditions like these, but I'll tell you for free, it's not pleasant. It's rather awful, actually. So much so, I would rather not be paid for a day of work just so I could stay at home and not subject myself (or my family) to the dangers the outside holds.

I only wish School Divisions would see things this way as well.

I was called to sub for the morning of March 5th. On my hour long journey to work (normally 12 minutes), I witnessed 3 accidents, 15 stuck vehicles, and got stuck 4 times, myself. All school busses were, thankfully, cancelled.

Student attendance was right around 40% and staff attendance was around 70%. These are not productive numbers. As much as people would like to believe meaning education takes place every day in schools, that is unfortunately, untrue.

On a day where any given class is missing anywhere from 30-70% of its population, it is pointless for teachers to carry on with regular instruction. Sure, they could teach to the 6 kids they have, but they will just have to repeat what they taught, the very next day...to a larger audience. See. Pointless.

So what really happens on one of these days? Well, it’s the largest variety of movies you could ever imagine. Movie day. Everywhere. It’s a giant day-care/theatre.

This doesn't just happen at one school, it happens city wide.

That means each school is filling their teaching roster with substitute teachers. A minimum of 30% of their staff for the day is substitutes. Say the average staff is 40 teachers, and the city you live in has 50 schools, that means the school division has an additional cost to cover the wages of 600 substitute teachers (obviously the very top end of what could be). At, say, 250 dollars a day per sub, that's a lot of money...for people that are essentially babysitters.

Are we going for a world record of most consecutive full school days? C'mon, man! Let's keep thousands of people's lives out of danger, and cancel school for a day.

I know there are likely a lot of repercussions that would happen because of a closure, but looking big picture, is it really worth risking the lives of your Staff and Students just because it's a bit of an inconvenience for a few people?

I say, no. The staffs say, no. The students say, no.

England over here having several snow days because they get a few inches.

Atlanta over here declaring a state of emergency and a week off because of a couple CENTIMETRES.

Saskatchewan over here in an Ice Age, carrying on as if it's a balmy summer day.

I know we're tough, and I know we're used to it.... but I don't think we should NEED to be either of those.

You got dis. I believe in you. You're all Rock-stars and Legends and I love you.​