Shelby County school district in Indiana has decided to
experiment with their educational approach and simply just rid themselves of
snow days. The ancient practice of getting days off of school and playing in
the snow are almost a relic of the past. Snow days are now virtual commuting
days for lesson plans, education, and homework assignments.
Children are issued a device that has all of the assignments
loaded on them if it looks like they are going to have a snow day. Most students
simply work online and can chat with their teachers and complete their work.
When they don’t have Internet access they still have the assignments on the
device to complete and can upload them when they return to school the next day.
Snow days become great days to focus on those skills that
they did not do so well in the previous year but will be tested on this year as
well. It is hoped that the devices ensure that students cut down on the amount
of snow days as well as raise their overall test scores for the district.
Education must continue to adapt and develop based upon the
changing of the times. When schools first started they worked around the
farming and harvest times. As the decades passed the automobile brought with it
bussing and larger school districts. Eventually, we made it into the present
time when online education and year-round learning are possible.
There will be many school districts looking at Shelby County
Schools to see if there is something beneficial in the model.
