Snow already again yet.

Snowflakes drifted out of an unwashed grey sky and began to suffocate the familiar shapes and colours of the school playground…etc. etc.

It is time to talk about snow again the weather has hinted rather unsubtly, whilst we were still in October and on summer tyres. Snow always raises controversy the moment a child gathers some and begins to shape a sphere. At this point a polemic develops amongst the adult sections of our community as to whether snowballing is a good thing or a bad thing. There’s no room for grey between this black and this white. The kids need no such debate, of course; most head straight to the white stuff or away from it, minds already made up.

The question is whether snow is dangerous. In the past few years folks from North America have tended to answer ‘yes’ and Europeans to answer ‘no’. In Europe humankind has more or less domesticated snow and with its unique talent turned it into a money-spinner and an expensive one at that. Snow is a source of fun over here. We can turn it into heaps of sport and recreation forms. We tend not to get combination of the quantities and the vast terrain mix that produce danger. Unless we are pretty stupid or vastly unlucky getting lost in a white wilderness with consequent treacherous disorientation and hypothermia is an experience we can avoid. Off piste skiing when avalanche risk notices have been posted is the main and rather too frequent example of the stupid.

On the campus of ICS the real risk is of a snowball in the face which can be very nasty. So what do we do about this? We have a policy at present that allows children to throw snowballs once they enter the secondary school. But we stipulate and monitor closely certain conditions. The Field is the only permitted snowball area, so that a child who does not want a close encounter of a cold kind can roam the rest of the campus in peace (and warmth). Those who go on the Field know that there will be snowballing. Members of staff are at the edge of the Field during breaks and are ready to intervene or even close the Field if the play gets too rough. As soon as the temperature rises and the snow gets soft we lock the field and snowballing becomes but a dim memory, for this is when snow becomes icy and the resulting snowballs are too hard for friendly play. Further, ganging up on children or snow fights involving much younger kids against much older and stronger are not allowed. Nor is face washing, nor is the deliberate making of icy snowballs. If Jemima were to break one of these rules she would be sent inside for the remainder of the break with a stern warning. So you can see the teachers are busy and mostly unappreciated out there getting cold whilst protecting safety.

But wouldn’t it be easier just to ban snowballing? Yes, it would; and all body contact sports and roller blades and climbing frames and kickboards and skateboards… you see where this is leading: the elimination of outdoor education’s relevance to the IB learner profile. The ICS does not have a prohibitive philosophy or mission statement; rather it is an enabling one. So children need to have the time and space and permission and supervision to learn about fair play and safety and consideration whilst at the same time working off all that surplus energy. They need a break from lessons and classes and walls and instructions in the middle of the day. They need and deserve fun.

But this is so unfair on the girls, someone irately commented last year. Well, no, not really. Lots of girls are out there on the Field joining in. They also gather are on the perimeter egging their favoured boy to deeds of greater gallantry. Remember, too, that everywhere else is snowball free. Remember that the days of safe snowballing could recently be counted on the fingers of two hands. Finally, remember this policy is not set in concrete. The situation is discussed each year and change therefore is always possible.