Could it be? Could schools get through a winter without losing valuable class time to snow days?

We hope so. Knock on wood.

It seems unusual to us when adults cheer over school being canceled. Sure, we understand when kids do it, but grown-ups know that a canceled day of school means one less day of education. Districts in Minnesota generally make up days if there were many snow days. Usually, a snow day is a lost day. For some adults, a snow day means they have to find a sitter or bring their kids to work — or figure out which parent has to take a day off.

And even when having a day off may seem convenient, it makes sense to reflect on all the effort that goes into educating children:

• Paying, collecting and distributing property taxes to fund a school district in the first place.

• Applying for and receiving federal assistance and grants to supplement education.

• Paying and collecting the various fees charged to families with children in schools.

• Election of school board members to ensure tax-paying voters have representatives in school matters.

• Hiring a superintendent to supervise all aspect of the district.

• Hiring teachers, support staff and administrators.

• Negotiating labor contracts.

• Building schools and purchasing equipment needed for classrooms, sports, offices and maintenance.

• Purchasing of school supplies by parents.

• Hiring a bus company following the negotiation of a busing contract.

• Dealing with and execution of so many other needs not listed here, ranging from breakfast and lunch programs to curriculum quality to grounds-keeping to technology upgrades, you name it.

To just have all that work and preparation set aside for a day because of inclement weather for safety’s sake is understandable, but it’s not something to be too thrilled over. School is where we want our children.