HAMILTON, Mich.– It was the third snow day in a row this week for a number of kids across West Michigan, and several schools have already exceeded their allotted number of days off for the year.
Hamilton Community Schools Superintendent Dave Tebo though, found a creative way to get kids learning at home with his ‘Snow Day Challenge.” Tebo says it started as a simple thing and he has been blown away by the response and the thoughtfulness the students have put into it.
He got the idea from the motivational ‘Kid President’ YouTube videos. He reached out teachers, put it on the school website and connected with kids through Twitter to spread the word.
He gave the kids three prompts and has been shocked by the response. One of the most touching things he’s read, are students bringing up Mr. Hoppe, a teacher that was killed in a car accident late last year.
“We knew the legacy he left and these kids are really leaning on that and each other,” he said. Tebo says he has received dozens of responses from students at every grade level. He says he never imagined it would get this big, with even other teachers and districts across the state picking up on it as well.
He has given the kids until Friday to submit the ‘challenge’ . He says he will eventually go through them all and put something together for the students that went above and beyond.
“There’s no right or wrong answer, so there’s no fear for them. They can just reflect and open up and I hope it leads to some really big things,” he said.
