Many schools throughout the Treasure Valley have been closed since last week’s snow storm. For high school students, the extra days off after the holiday break have been both good and bad.
Boise High science teacher Alison Ward says in her 11 years at the school she’s never experienced so many snow days. She says she and her colleagues are doing what they can to adapt.
“I think most of us are handling it with a sense of humor," says Ward. "Definitely we appreciate that our district has everyone’s safety in mind.”
Ward says who she’s more concerned about are her students. She says although her high schoolers are getting extra time to study during the snow days, it’s pushing back important instructional time.
“And so the pressure at this time of the semester is always high. But to miss days at this time is causing a lot of confusion and concern amongst the students and the teachers as we try to adjust.”
Tuesday, the Boise District sent an email to teachers allowing them to opt out of giving semester finals because of the missed classroom days, and instead focus on instruction. Ward says she plans to spend time teaching a unit on weather and climate patterns – in the context of this winter’s record-breaking storms.
The Boise School District re-opened schools on Wednesday, while Caldwell and Nampa schools remain closed due to weather.
Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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