Because we have had an outrageous number of snow days and countless snow storms this winter, I thought this article would be a perfect way to end the winter season. Psychology Today published the article, “Psychology of a Snow Storm,” which talks about the amount of snow the Midwest received. I still think it could relate to the mind sets of us, in the north east because of the winter we had as well. This article addresses how any time there is a snow storm there seems to be more people getting excited over it than fearing it. Do you think there is a difference between how adults view snow storms than how children view them? Have you ever noticed the “few problems” that come with snow storms? Do you like snow days just because you get off from school or are you one of those people who hates them because you seem to have to do more work than any other regular “school day”? Lastly, the big question is why do people get excited by snowstorms when a relatively problem free snowstorm leads to more stress and less happiness?
Link: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/goal-posts/201102/psychology-snowstorm
Firstly, I hope I don't have to see snow again for a very long time. I definitely think there is a great difference between how adults view snow storms and how children view them. While children view snow as a potential way to miss a day of school and sit home watching movies, many parents cannot get a "snow day" from work. In addition, parents (along with older teens and adults) are the ones who mainly have to worry about shoveling, cleaning off their vehicle, and driving safely. This winter is the first in which I've had my license, and I can honestly say that I would be perfectly fine with never seeing snow again. Cleaning off my car, freezing my butt off, and not having a place to park on my street are far worse than simply attending school for a few hours. As a driver, I feel that the pros of a snow day do not outweigh the cons. However, had this question been asked of me a year ago, I would say that I'd love to have a snow storm every day. Snow days are only fun if you don't have to deal with the aftermath of the storm.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I have not had any of the "few problems" mentioned in the article, the numbers given were truly shocking. We like to think that a snow day is a day to sit home in pajamas; however, we fail to consider those who cannot relax, such as doctors, cops, firemen, etc. For people in professions such as these, snow is always a danger. The article states that approximately 33% of ER visits were storm related. We may say that this number could be lowered if people stayed off the road, but for some, staying off the road is simply not an option.
I completely agree that many people enjoy snowstorms for the sole fact that it is a break from our routine. Yes, we would all like a day or two off to relax; however, after so many days I think it can get to a point where snow is just a frustration. As they say -- too much of anything is never a good thing.
This article was really interesting and timely due to all the snow that we have had this year. Although we (kids/students)get excited over snow days, I think that we rarely think about the impact it has on other people—adults and our parents. We view the snowstorms as a day off from school where we can drink hot chocolate and hang out with our siblings and friends, but our parents worry about how they will arrive at work safely and on time. Our wish is that the roads become too snowy/icy to drive on, whereas our parents hope that the salt and plow trucks come as soon as possible and clear everything up so they can get on the roads. The problems that come with snowstorms such as car damages and hospital visits, are not worth having a day off for. As kids we do not usually see past the fact that we are getting a day off, and I think that it is something we should be more conscious of(although that is extremely hard). I do not want any snow for the rest of the year solely because I am over winter and I am very ready for spring. The fact that I want spring to come is pushed by the fact that I am tired of the snow, but this article also made me not want any more snow days. I never think about the people who dread snow days because they have to worry about safely arriving at a place where they must be(such as work).
ReplyDeleteThis article is so relatable for us since we had so many snow days this year! I, personally, am one of those people who enjoy snow days. Having so many snow days broke up the monotonous week in which we, as IHA students, took tests after tests and completed assignment after assignment. Snow days are what got me through the end of the second quarter.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think that there is a difference between the way adults view snow days and the way kids view them. It is not until this year that I realized what it a snow day was like from an adult's perspective. For the first time ever I had to take about seven inches of snow off my car. It was the biggest pain ever! I was freezing, it was snowing still, it took me forever, and there was pretty much not one good thing about it. But while I was doing it I was thinking to myself, "wow, my parents do this to all three cars every snowstorm. I don't think I could ever do that!" When I was a kid, my siblings and I would love snow days because we could make snowmen and go sleigh riding. But I never thought what those days were like for my mom- she would have to get all our snow gear out of the closet, stand with us at the hill and watch us sleigh ride in the freezing cold, deal with our complaining about the cold, and then put all our clothes away once we were finished playing in the snow. How annoying!
I agree with the article, people get excited by snowstorms because they break up the routine of our life. Even though a relatively problem free snowstorm leads to more stress and less happiness, people like them because it is a change from their everyday life. Life does get boring when you are doing the same thing everyday!
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ReplyDeleteSnow days are the best thing to happen to students of any age, whether it be elementary, high school, or even college. No one is ever too old for a snow day. Ever since I can remember winters in elementary school were spent anxiously awaiting snow days and dancing in joy when they were received. I remember being in 2nd and 3rd grade, watching the snow come day, and sitting by the phone. When it was ‘the call’, you knew. Somehow, you just knew that it was ‘the call’. This is a mindset that I still hold, even as a senior in high school. I still get this excited every time we have a snow day, and snow days for me will never lose their value. When I think of snow days, I immediately think of the movie “Snow Day,” which was my favorite movie when I was younger. Snow days are associated with such fond memories of childhood that I will always feel the same way about them. However being in high school and having so many days off, some teachers decided to post homework assignments for the snow days. I think this is just cruel and taking away our days of relaxation.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that people of different ages view snowstorms in different lights. For example, I know that my grandma who lives alone dreads the storms, knowing they will disrupt her daily schedule. When it comes to my grandma, this article hit the nail on the head by providing all of the damaging facts about snowstorms. She would be a big supporter of it and believe that snowstorms are more trouble than they are worth. Unlike myself, she is aware of the many problems that snowstorms cause and would probably be able to talk about all the facts that were discussed in the article. On the other hand I have not once stopped to think about the damage that snowstorms cause but rather approach each snow day with that same sense of excitement that first came about in elementary school. I think people of all ages get excited by snowstorms because it changes things up, and adds an element of excitement that is not present in daily life. It disrupts daily life and for those routine people, this is a huge problem. However for some people snowstorms are exciting because they offer something unusual.
This article was so relatable to us, after the multiple snow days we had this year. I really like snow days because I do not have to go to school for a day and I get to hang out with my siblings, however; I never really thought about all the problems that snow days cause other people. When we get a snow day I am never really stressed. It is a nice break in my routine. But, for people who have jobs it can be a pain in the neck. Having to trek through the awful weather to get to work can cause adults to not enjoy snow days as much as kids do.
ReplyDeleteAfter a while I experienced how snow days could be somewhat of a pain. I did not enjoy waking up every morning and having to clean off my car, and help shovel the driveway. I told my mom how annoying it was for having to keep cleaning off my car because of all the snow. She then told me about how many years she had to do it because my siblings and I were not old enough to help.
Snow days can be annoying! But as I said before they are a nice break in the routine of things!
This article is obviously so relevant and it makes some really good points. Kids dream of snow days. I was totally always one of those kids. Snow days meant hot chocolate and snowforts and snowball fights and snow angels. However, for a while I stopped being one of those kids this year, when I realized a few things: 1) that I shouldn't let my parents shovel with me anymore because they could totally throw their backs out lifting the ridiculously heavy snow, 2) that having a long driveway is horrible fate when there's snow in the forecast, and 3) that I have to get up at 7am even though we don't have school if I want to avoid letting the feet of snow waiting for me on my driveway to turn to ice before I can get rid of it. Not to mention the dangers on the road and snow-blower accidents and the leaks in roofs and so on. The first snow of the season is wonderful...who cares if you have to shovel it?! You get to play in it! And the world seems to stop. But when Snow Day #7 or #8 rolls around, the world doesn't seem to stop anymore- in fact, it begins to feel like you're losing time instead of gaining it. What is a nice and beautiful break when it happens sparingly almost becomes an annoyance when it happens so regularly.
ReplyDeleteSnowdays and snowstorms are generally loved because, as other people have said, they remind us of our childhood. Only extremely pessimistic people can look back on their lives and say "Remember that snow storm that was horrible because I had to shovel my way out of the house for 2 hours before I could get to my car?" instead of "Remember that snow storm when we got out of school for 2 days and we had the most epic snowball fight?!" The key to the best season of snow, though, is the randomness and rarity of those special, isolated days when you can just be a kid and feel like the world around you has actually stopped.
I feel like majority of the children will appreciate snow storms more than adults will. Because they don't have to go to school, sit in a desk, and be talked at for the day. There are some adults who will also appreciate a day off work every now and then. But, stay at home moms and/or dads might not like that every week their child/children are home with them. I know that my mom likes to have time to herself since my siblings can be a lot of work. So, it depends on who the person whether they would like a snow storm or not. As it says in the article, we like to have days off from work or school, time to catch up on work, relax, or play games. But some people don't like to think they will be "stuck inside" their house, or the fact that they will have to shovel.
ReplyDeleteWell, there are some problems when snow storms happen. Most of the problems are car accidents. As it says in the article, there are many car problems… And I have to admit that these problems are bad… They are serious problems that people don't tend to think about when there is a possibility of a snow storm.
I have to be honest that I like snow days because I get to sleep in and I don't have to sit in a desk for 6 hours. I do have to do some extra work, but I have more time to do it. I like only a few snow days, not as many as we had, that was just too many. I like the little "breaks" we get… It helps bring down my stress level a tiny bit.
People get excited for those snow storms because it's just another day off that you can spend "relaxing" or doing whatever else you would like to do. There are those people who will look at the negatives of the idea of a snow storm and a snow day. But that doesn't have to be everyone. Most people I think look forward to a big snow storm to give a day off of work or school.
This article is completely relevant to the students of IHA because of all the snow days we've had! Many people have different reactions to snow days for many reasons. I definitely think that adults and children view snow days differently. Children get excited for having the day off from school and not having to worry about homework. Children are most of the time oblivious to the dangers of snow storms because they usually spend the day relaxing inside. With the children home, the adults do not get a day off. Even though they may be off from work, they have to spend the day taking care of the children. Whether that means making them meals or doing laundry or cleaning the house, they do not get the day off. I have a younger brother so my mom loves when everyone is at school so she can get out of the house and run some errands and get whatever she needs to get done. When everyone is home, she is unable to do this.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, adults are more aware of the outside world than kids are. They tend to watch the news more and are more aware of how dangerous snow storms could be. Also, if anything is needed for the kids at home, the adults are the ones that need to drive to get it. So, they usually experience firsthand how dangerous the roads are. For all of these reasons, adults tend to look at snow days as a negative where children tend to look at them as a positive.
Personally, I like snow days because I would do anything not to have to sit at our desks all day long. I get to sleep in and relax and the best part is, I don't have to worry about homework for a while.
I really cannot stand the thought of another snow day at IHA. While I enjoy the fact that I get to sleep late but other than that, I'm really not a fan of snow days. I think that there is definitely a difference between how adults view snow storms than how children view them. Adults are more prone to try and brave the storm in order to get to work and therefore are at higher risk for accidents. Also, older adults have reason to fear "snow days" because, like the article mentioned, emergency vehicles are deterred by the snow putting people with injuries and those seeking medical attention at a high risk for fatality. I'm not a fan of snow days mainly because there aren't enough positives to weigh out the negatives. I'm an only child, so I'm trapped at home by myself or with a parent most of the time which inevitably gets boring. I don't have any siblings to play with/torture so I feel like a prisoner. Also, my birthday is in February and having a snow day birthday when you're supposed to take your driver's test is highly unpleasant. In the case of a pile up of snow days much like the one we've had at IHA, work tends to increase daily with a higher number of snow days. The occasional sprinkling of snow days is a nice, welcomed surprise but too many is problematic.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was little I always got really excited for snow days and I was shocked when my grandparents grumbled about having to shovel or my parents still went to work. I always wondered why my parents would choose to go to work if they had a perfect excuse in a snow day. This year was the first time that I actually wished we could have gone to school instead of having another snow day because a snow day meant having the math and history midterms on the same day. I realized that my parents sometimes decided to go to work late, after the roads were clear, so that they wouldn't have a pile of work waiting for them the next day. It's interesting to see how people's perspectives change as they get older, especially about something like snow days. I think every child likes snow days, even if they really don't like the cold. It's a day off a school that you can go sledding or build a snowman or even just watch a movie and drink hot chocolate. When we become teenagers, we still like snow days, but I think we start to become more aware of the responsibilities that come with a snow day, like shoveling the driveway and sidewalk. We also see snow days as a much needed break from our homework and a chance to catch up on sleep. When we start driving, we experience more inconvenience due to snow. We have to clean off our car before we go anyway and we have to drive extra carefully to avoid an accident. Adults have even more responsibility, especially if they are parents. Snow days increase their workload, instead of giving them a break. This can lead them to getting sick of snow days more quickly, but I think the first few are a welcome escape from the routine for everyone.
ReplyDeleteThis article definitely applies to what we've been through this winter in the Northeast. I have to say, the many snow days we had this year at IHA started out as fun, but by the time the seventh one rolled around, I was getting a little sick of it all. I think this happened for a few reasons: first, students often look at snow days as a welcome break in routine and a great time to relax because it's often impossible to leave their houses. But as more and more snow days occur, they stop being time for relaxation because we start to worry about being behind on work at school and what we will have to do in order to catch up. Personally, I was annoyed by the last few snow days for this reason -- I feel like we're still making up for the loss of time, and I wonder if I wouldn't have as many tests/quizzes/projects at once right now if we hadn't missed some of those days. Further, I'm not much of a winter person to begin with. The only reason I really like snow at all is because it can sometimes allow for a snow day -- thus, when I stopped liking snow days, I stopped liking snow altogether. Now I just can't wait for it to be spring. I think I'll start to feel this way more and more as I get older, because as a lot of you guys have already said, adults often bear the brunt of the consequences of snow.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a huge difference between how adults and children view snow storms. Adults know the realities of how inconvenient snow can be -- between shoveling the driveway, your car and making sure your stairs aren't icy. When they see snow fall, they know the work that it entails. However, children really see snow as a day off from school when you can build snow men and just relax with some warm cookies. They don't have to shovel anything or put salt down. They don't have to drive anywhere or worry about anything, that responsibility falls on the adults. So I think that explains why they view it so differently.
ReplyDeleteI really do not like winter - I am much more of a summer person. I don't like going out in the snow, I'd much rather be at the beach. I think part of that outlook is because I've experienced the ugly side of a snowstorm. My mom was driving me to school one morning when we slipped on ice and went into someone's front lawn. It was a huge inconvenience and there was some damage to the car. It was just very frustrating for my mom and me! Maybe if I hadn't had that experience I'd view snow differently.
Relating to the work load, I like snow days during the day, when I can sleep late, relax and watch movies. However, when the night comes, I realize how much work I actually have to do (which is only emphasized by the teachers now giving homework on the snowdays!) For this reason, I've come to like snow days less and less, and hope we do not have any more this year!
I think that its all about the anticipation with snow days. "Will we get one tomorrow? Or the day after? Oh, the phone rang! maybe we don't have school!" I think people also feel as if they've cheated the system by getting an unsuspected day off. Maybe it even has a lot to do with our fast paced and sleep deprived society. No one thinks about the consequences of a snow day when they're thinking about how late they can sleep in. We're constantly moving, thinking, doing, working. A snow day gives us that excuse of a much needed break. Sure, the shoveling is annoying and when you have no food in the house snow may seem like a pain. But no one is thinking of that when they can turn off their alarm clock at night
ReplyDeleteThe two polar reactions to a snow day can be found in my house around 7 pm on a night when the moons align and the weather forecast is primed. My eleven-year-old sister still comes barreling down the stairs with her pajamas haphazardly inside-out and turned backwards, frantically searching for spoons and ice cubes. On the other end of the snow-day spectrum is me, and all I have to say to her...lax, bro. You see, I work at a ski mountain (Campgaw, anyone? Fond memories of tubing when you were younger, hot chocolate in the lodge? My nightmare.) and on snow days, everyone is called in to face the onslaught of customers who all miraculously think that the powdery fresh snow is reason enough to scream at customer service over a mis-reserved ski lesson. While my sister's carefree dreams are granted -- no class, no homework, and no bouncing meatballs in the cafeteria -- all of my responsibilities seem to compound. With driveway-shoveling and car-cleaning, the treacherous drive up to work and consequential hell-breaking-loose for a buck or two, and the always-welcomed updating of my teachers' web pages, snow days are the epitome of stress for me. It seems to be a completely different experience for kids and near-adults, especially noted in this article. The beauty of snow days is truly in the eye of the beholder.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting discussion that I have found has come up a lot in the past couple months in and out of school. Kids obviously get excited over snow days because they get a chance to miss school and sleep in. However if you asked my dad or Mr. Mathews the same question, they'd say that they dread snow days. We have an extremely long driveway that my dad plows himself because he doesn't want the trucks to do it. Mr. Mathews has to shovel his driveway and then go shovel his in-laws'. This year we got leaks in our basement from when the piles of snow began to melt and worked its way in the cracks of our bricks. Snow days are a completely different story from children to adults. The more tragic the storm is, the more likely school will be cancelled... and the more work to be done by parents during the clean up. This year's amount of snow was a disaster for house owners but a blessing for school children.
ReplyDeleteThis article was super relate-able because of all the snow we've gotten this year. Obviously we love the snow days, just a little break (or, here at IHA, more time to finish your homework). My brother loves when he gets the 5am call that he doesn't have to go in, and I did too. Of course, I still enjoy having off of school, but snow days have become more of an inconvenience as I've gotten older. Now that we all drive, the road conditions have become more of an issue. When I had to be driven everywhere, I never understood why my mom didn't want to drive me if there was a prediction for a bad storm. I'm in charge of getting myself from point A to point B and back, so I'm starting to understand. I don't want to drive in that weather, as much as she doesn't want to. It's just not safe. For our parents, who have work and other responsibilities that have to be met on a daily basis, our snow days seem to be more of a hindrance than anything. Not only do our parents have to worry about getting to work safely and on time, but they also have to worry about what they are going to do with us (when we were younger, anyway). When we're young, there are a lot of factors that play into a snow day, besides just sitting at home watching movies and eating popcorn; there's an entire schedule that we are completely unaware of. It really depends what role you are in the family; if you are a young child, the snow day is a blessing. In high school? The snow day becomes more time to do work, but potentially less time with friends because of the dangerous roads. And still, as a parent, the snow days become just something else that interferes with the scheduled day. It all depends where you fall.
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