With winter comes students’ favorite phenomenon: snow days. For students, snow days mean sleeping in, sledding, and relaxing while watching the snowfall. However, that- unfortunately- isn’t what snow days are for everyone.

For those who have to make the tough decision of whether or not we have a snow day, it’s a lose-lose situation. If they call a snow day they will inevitably have calls from parents complaining that they should have had school. That the roads aren’t that bad. That students are losing days in school for no reason. Yet, if they don’t call a snow day, then the calls about how unsafe the roads are will undoubtedly pour in.

And while everyone has a right to their opinion, your first reaction shouldn’t be to angrily call the administration to give them “a piece of your mind.” If you don’t agree with the school’s choice to have class, you can always decide to keep your child home from school. And if they decide to close school, before you call in angrily, take a moment to think about how the district is made up of more than just your driveway, your street, your small corner of the world. The administration has to think about the highways, the main streets, the back ways, the dirt roads, and every single student in their district.

As the daughter of a superintendent, I have had first-hand experience of what it’s like to make these choices. And the consequences of either choice my father makes ends with parents raging at him or leaving messages telling him what they think about his choice. He wakes up early to call his co-workers to ask their opinion; he asks his director of transportation to see if the busses will be safe for students to ride. Every angle and possible problem is thought about before the decision is made.

So the next time we have a snow day you don’t agree with, take a deep breath before you get angry. Ask yourself if there’s a better way to express how you feel about the snow day. Remember that the district is a lot bigger than just your street. But most of all, just go enjoy your snow day.