The Spire

Ciara Long ’29

Staff Writer

When I look back to elementary school, some of my favorite memories are of the days when it snowed so much that school was canceled. Snow days were magical, filled with sledding and hot cocoa and playing in the snow with the neighborhood kids. The unexpected holiday felt like a long-awaited reward for enduring the cold New England weather and being forced to stay inside for recess. Instead of sitting at a desk watching the snow fall outside, a day of unstructured play and fun replaced a day in the classroom. But, as our society grows more and more reliant on technology, the newest generation of kids fails to experience the wonders of enjoying the small, meaningful moments that make up childhood.

Today, for many kids, snow days mean logging into a Zoom class as they fidget in their seats and try their best to learn from home. At first, when the coronavirus struck and it seemed as though kids would be without access to education indefinitely, schools adapted to use Zoom calls so students could learn remotely. While this prevented months of education from disappearing, it is utilized now so that not a day is wasted. What once was a temporary solution in an emergency situation is gradually becoming the norm. Replacing a traditional snow day with an online class is a tradeoff; childhood memories switched with efficiency and more screentime, a theme that is becoming all too common in today’s society. 

 The nostalgia of a snow day has been overtaken by modern technology, and traditional snow days may soon be a thing of the past. The disappearance of snow days at the hand of technological solutions is an example of how digital advancements are overtaking moments of nostalgia. I-pads and YouTube videos have begun to replace traditional means of learning for young children, screen time replaces playing outside, and the constant stimulation of screens overtakes small moments of boredom and imagination. 

Parents and teachers are quick to complain about young children being addicted to screens and not experiencing childhood like past generations have, but they also are the ones taking it away from them. School systems reframe snow days as wasted time that must be spent online for maximum efficiency. Parents are quick to use screens as babysitters or a bribe to keep their children well-behaved, and then are shocked when their kids act out without it. The advancement of technology has led to the erasure of both snow days and childhood as we remember it. Kids are not allowed to sit in boredom, or have a day to themselves, or make the memories that they can treasure when they grow up.  Instead, their nostalgia will be for screens, fleeting moments of dopamine from their iPads, and missed opportunities to create their own fun. 

Featured image courtesy of WFLA