We have now come to a point in our country where young children are deprived of celebrating holidays in elementary schools. Kids across the US are sitting in schools on days such as Halloween and Valentine's Day, which thier teachers not doing anything related to the date and holiday at hand.
I am trying to change things. Today I have sent a letter to the superintendent of the CCSU, and maybe more importantly, I've started this petition. You have a chance to have a voice in an issue that is about representing our own culture.
I realize many of you do not reside in Vermont, and do not go to this school district. That is perfectly fine. We're starting here, in my homeland. Once we get things changed here, we'll change them everywhere.
We cannot sit back, and watch tomorrow children go through school deprived of something we remember vividly. I ask you just for one minute, to think back to a Valentine's Day party from elementary school. Odds are, you can remember atleast one. These kids aren't having that experience, and it's wrong.
Please, I ask you, to sign the the petition. It is on this night, Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2006 we get the chance to fight for kids who are too young to have their voice heard.
If you believe in this cause, please, sign the petition, and repost this bulletin. Email this to your friends and family. We can't win this fight alone, we need the help of everyone.
We have now come to a point in our country where young children are deprived of celebrating holidays in elementary schools. Kids across the US are sitting in schools on days such as Halloween and Valentine's Day.
I am trying to change things. Today I have sent a letter to the superintendent of the CCSU, and maybe more importantly, I've started this petition. You have a chance to have a voice in an issue that is about representing our own culture.
I realize many of you do not reside in Vermont, and do not go to this school district. That is perfectly fine. We're starting here, in my homeland. Once we get things changed here, we'll change them everywhere.
We cannot sit back, and watch tomorrow children go through school deprived of something we remember vividly. I ask you just for one minute, to think back to a Valentine's Day party from elementary school. Odds are, you can remember atleast one. These kids aren't having that experience, and it's wrong.
Please, I ask you, to sign the the petition. It is on this night, Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2006 we get the chance to fight for kids who are too young to have their voice heard.
If you believe in this cause, please, sign the petition, and repost this bulletin. Email this to your friends and family. We can't win this fight alone, we need the help of everyone.
Thank you,
Matthew Breuer (KeeperEUSC)
i'll sign the petition, but i really don't see a problem with sitting through the minor holidays, such as all hallow's eve and st. valentine's day. i completely agree with you, however, on all religious holidays, such as christmas, but not kwanza and hannuka, or easter, but not passover or any of those holidays (sorry, i'm not too familiar with religion ^_^;)
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I really like the petition
You basis on it at least. (mainly cause i want to skip school)
What are the chances that this could be applied for high school?
if u take this up to the school board be ready to fight this question
"is it really important to increase the year by todays to celebrate minor holidays."
Sure valey day and hally ween are fun days but everything happens at night.
+ young kids get littel valent tine card things that look like a rectangle
If you deprive them of that how will they get THEIR valentine?
I support this Keeper. I remember in my younger years having parties and going roller skating for holidays such as today.
Anymore, students get nothing special on this day and it is treated just like any other, which, doesn't help to teach kids that holidays are something to be happy about and look forward to.
I mean, is it rediculous for older kids to do stuff? Of course it is.
But the fact that teachers are being explicitly told not to acknowledge Valentine's Day in K-3 absolutely disgusts me. Hell, I still remember back to some of those parties. Probably the only part of elementary school I remember.
School is for learning, not handing out useless half-assed valentines and dressing up in dorky little power ranger costumes. I don't care if the kids want to have fun, they can do that on their own time.
students get nothing special on this day and it is treated just like any other, which, doesn't help to teach kids that holidays are something to be happy about and look forward to.
i personally think that advertising by various industries who profit off the relevant holidays does quite enough to get people happy about the minor holidays that we need no other encouragement at this time.
on topic, i will not sign the petition. schools get holidays off based on both the demographics of the community and the flexibility of the school schedule in light of relevant regulations on schedules. in NYC, for example, public schools get days off for some jewish holidays - rosh hashanah, yom kippur, and passover. i am quite sure that a few muslim holidays will dot the school calendar soon - we already get alternate-side parking suspensions on certain muslim holidays, for example. when i went to college in new jersey, i was surprised that not only did my school not get any jewish holidays off (though prof's were understanding of absences, apparently), few of my jersey-raised classmates had them off throughout their educational career.
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I am not asking for holiday's off here. I'm asking that schools recognize the holiday's at hand. In this school district, teachers are being told they could lose their job if they have a small classroom party in their kindergarden, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms. The fact that these small celebrations, which I believe I create many childhood memories for younger children, are being taken away is what is causing this petition to start. Are we in such a world today that six and seven-year-olds cannot exchange valentines in school? Seeing as our state regularly scores extremely well on standardized testing, and these teachers fully plan on having parties, what possible justification is there to taking them away from the kids.
I am not asking for holiday's off here. I'm asking that schools recognize the holiday's at hand. In this school district, teachers are being told they could lose their job if they have a small classroom party in their kindergarden, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade classrooms. The fact that these small celebrations, which I believe I create many childhood memories for younger children, are being taken away is what is causing this petition to start. Are we in such a world today that six and seven-year-olds cannot exchange valentines in school? Seeing as our state regularly scores extremely well on standardized testing, and these teachers fully plan on having parties, what possible justification is there to taking them away from the kids.
still, these are policies dictated by school/local/state standards. they have a right to request that teachers not specially acknowledge specific holidays with in-class celebrations. the school is not required to even acknowledge your petition, especially when they find out that some of the signers (e.g., most MTGSers) aren't even local...
schools are not in the business of creating any childhood memories around holidays. if they choose to, great. if they choose not to, great. you don't have to like it, but they are not required to change their policy on this.
personally, i don't see the big deal about celebrating the holidays in class one way or the other. i understand the arguments on both sides, and they have equal philosophical merit to me. there are even compromises - perhaps allowing individual teachers/classes to hold a party after the school day is done, again, if they so choose.
to truly effect change here, your best bets are: 1) getting active in your school's PTA, 2) getting active in your local school board, or 3) convincing the PTA/school board to try to have the policy changed. even doing one of these three would not guarantee anything, but at least your voice will be listened to, and not just heard.
edit: regarding your first sentence i quoted above: if you re-read your original post, your first two sentences there say two different things. the first, "We have now come to a point in our country where young children are deprived of celebrating holidays in elementary schools." says what you apparently intended. however, " Kids across the US are sitting in schools on days such as Halloween and Valentine's Day." sounds like you think they should not be "sitting in school," which implies not actually being in school. parties do not require everyone to not be seated, after all...
I just can't see how someone can justify celebrating such lame holidays like Valentine's Day or Halloween in school. First of all, they're pretty much just made up to sell candy and cards, it isn't like there's any tradition behind these. And second of all, what happens next? Do we start putting Christmas trees in classrooms or hunting for Easter eggs? I know they're little kids, but they can have plenty of fun on their own time with their parents or friends. School is for learning, not for celebrating stupid holidays.
I really don't see a need for the recognition of Valentine's Day in school.
My chidhood memories of it are that I had to go out and buy a box of valentines and make sure that I gave one to everybody in my class - whether I wanted to or not.
What exactly is it about Valentine's Day celebrates that is so important that it needs to be part of a child's school day?
i vehemently hated valentine's day in school. i'm glad it's not celebrated anymore. it acknowledges the subconscious popularity contests, alienates the socially awkward (and further erodes the self-esteem of those already alienated), and reinforces the superficial falacy of the tranfer of material goods as love.
as for other holidays, it's difficult in a public school system to celebrate any holiday in a way that doesn't leave others feeling excluded or doesn't reinforce beliefs in impressionalb eminds. if children wish to do things acknowledging the holidays of their worldview or belief system that is fine and good but i don't feel any of that should be forced upon them.
I personally don't think Valintines day is a very good holiday (In the way that it is celebrated in Elementary schools). But it should still be left up to the discrecion(sp?) of the teacher and students.
Personally, I agree with CynicalSquirrel. People should be more concerned with improving the quality of education children are receiving these days, not the fact they aren't celebrating pointless holidays. I think teachers should be able to do holiday-themed things if they so choose, I'm not going to fight for that 'right'. In the end, it's simply not important.
I suppose one could argue that celebrating these holidays (and I think that term is used loosely here) is a vital part in a kid getting to have fun and be a kid in school, but I don't buy it. A school is for learning. A kid can be a kid on their own time. Not that school shouldn't be made as fun as possible (I think enjoyment in school helps children learn better), but fun shouldn't take time away from actual learning.
Make Valentines as an art project or something I can see, but I think devoting schooltime to throwing a party is going too far.
OMG poor us, we should get all of freaking black history month off.
Honestly guys, Halloween, and Valentines day are not that big of a day, especially not Valentines. Maybe we should focus on getting thes ridiculous holidays out and maybe work on The starving kids in Africa.
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OMG poor us, we should get all of freaking black history month off.
Honestly guys, Halloween, and Valentines day are not that big of a day, especially not Valentines. Maybe we should focus on getting thes ridiculous holidays out and maybe work on The starving kids in Africa.
Why are you talking about African kids when there are kids starving in the U.S. Probably some in your own little city.
I wont sign the petition, but I do know where you are coming from. In elementary school, We would do the art projects, and do some kind of poems, and sing valentines songs in "music" class. Then, at the end of the day, we would have like 30 minutes to exchange cards/eat candy/drinks, etc.
I dont think it should be celebrated like a "real" holiday, but it could be a little more laid back and have some r&r&r&r at the end of the day.
i vehemently hated valentine's day in school. i'm glad it's not celebrated anymore. it acknowledges the subconscious popularity contests, alienates the socially awkward (and further erodes the self-esteem of those already alienated), and reinforces the superficial falacy of the tranfer of material goods as love.
Funny that...
The night before Valentines Day my mom and sister and I would sit down at the table and make out valentines for EVERYONE in both our classrooms. EVERYONE. No exceptions, not even people who were beating us up and making fun of us and the odd kid who had a funk about him. Nobody got left out.
FYI, I was one of the poor kids with a funk about them (3+ pack per day smoker in the home means 'you stink') who got the fewest valentines. Some kids' parents obviously didn't teach them manners. But in our house, Mom saw to it that it was either all, or nothing. And there were years where we didn't have enough money to buy little paper valentines for everyone, or candy, so we gave (and accepted) nothing.
As for holidays in general, I think they do have a place in school. One, they give kids a much-needed day or so off. Teachers also appreaciate getting a day off from time to time, as they are frequently also parents and husbands or wives, and need time with their familes.
Two, they teach kids social skills and respect for other peoples cultures. Or at least they could, if taught right. Sometimes all that's needed is a little moderation.
Three, they give kids something to look forward to at school. If they only ever went to class to learn the same boring humdrum crud everyday, they wouldn't go. Making lessons varied and exciting and fun is a lot easier if you have something to center the fun around, like cutting out little paper flowers and hats for Easter and bringing in spangles and things to glue onto little red envelopes full of dissolvable rice candy for Chinese New Years.
I don't think every single civic holday should be a day off though. I think federal holidays for long-dead leaders should be school days but with a fun or interesting activity planned around them. Something designed to teach a lesson central to that observance. I know it would be difficult to find a way to teach about Passover or Memorial Day without pissing people off, but it's not impossible. And it has to be done early enough so that kids haven't had time to absorb a lot of the popular stereotypes and prejudices from their parents, the TV, their friends, etc.
I just can't see how someone can justify celebrating such lame holidays like Valentine's Day or Halloween in school. First of all, they're pretty much just made up to sell candy and cards, it isn't like there's any tradition behind these. And second of all, what happens next? Do we start putting Christmas trees in classrooms or hunting for Easter eggs? I know they're little kids, but they can have plenty of fun on their own time with their parents or friends. School is for learning, not for celebrating stupid holidays.
Yes, school is for learning, but that automatically means that the kids can't have some harmless fun in celebrating valentine's day??? Let's just skip right over it, give out some tough work, and make the kids learn. Hell, let's give them extra homework so they don't have time to even think about valentines day.
It is just one day. The kids can have some candy, pass out valentines, and just enjoy the day. When I was in elementary school, if the kids were going to hand out valentines, they had to hand them out to everyone, and almost everyone followed through with it. Even if you didn't like the holiday, you still got candy. I guess I just don't see what is wrong with taking one or two days to throw a little party, have some candy, and *gasp* be kids.
I guess I just don't see what is wrong with taking one or two days to throw a little party, have some candy, and *gasp* be kids.
Now why would you ever want our precious children to act like anything besides robots with absolutely no hint of emotion in their learning environments!
God forbid there ever be a day where a child is allowed to be... a child.
All joking aside, really, I couldn't agree more Petear.
I know they're kids, but it's still stupid. You're not teaching them anything about America's culture for Valentine's Day, you're teaching them how to exclude classmates and be consumer whores.
Kids can act like kids any time they want to. Even at school you can learn something without it just being a regular old day. But intentionally cutting time for learning for a pointless holiday created by companies to make more money off of candy and cards is absolutely ridiculous. I could understand if the holiday had some history behind it, but it doesn't. It's just a waste of everyone's time. Parents don't send their kids to school so they can hand out Valentines and do nothing, they send them there to learn.
We have now come to a point in our country where young children are deprived of celebrating holidays in elementary schools. Kids across the US are sitting in schools on days such as Halloween and Valentine's Day, which thier teachers not doing anything related to the date and holiday at hand.
I am trying to change things. Today I have sent a letter to the superintendent of the CCSU, and maybe more importantly, I've started this petition. You have a chance to have a voice in an issue that is about representing our own culture.
I realize many of you do not reside in Vermont, and do not go to this school district. That is perfectly fine. We're starting here, in my homeland. Once we get things changed here, we'll change them everywhere.
We cannot sit back, and watch tomorrow children go through school deprived of something we remember vividly. I ask you just for one minute, to think back to a Valentine's Day party from elementary school. Odds are, you can remember atleast one. These kids aren't having that experience, and it's wrong.
Please, I ask you, to sign the the petition. It is on this night, Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2006 we get the chance to fight for kids who are too young to have their voice heard.
If you believe in this cause, please, sign the petition, and repost this bulletin. Email this to your friends and family. We can't win this fight alone, we need the help of everyone.
Thank you,
Matthew Breuer (KeeperEUSC)
How can you expect anyone to take you seriously when you post in pink
Honestly though, I agree with CynicalSquirrel. The US education system is bull****, and a big part of that is A)that kids really only go to school for like 7 months out of the year and B)they waste days of school having holidays. This is combined with the fact that schools practically create reasons to give kids days off of school.
I know they're kids, but it's still stupid. You're not teaching them anything about America's culture for Valentine's Day, you're teaching them how to exclude classmates and be consumer whores.
Kids can act like kids any time they want to. Even at school you can learn something without it just being a regular old day. But intentionally cutting time for learning for a pointless holiday created by companies to make more money off of candy and cards is absolutely ridiculous. I could understand if the holiday had some history behind it, but it doesn't. It's just a waste of everyone's time. Parents don't send their kids to school so they can hand out Valentines and do nothing, they send them there to learn.
It doesnt have to be a consumerfest. I dunno, maybe in my day teachers had more latitude to guide the content and quality of lessons and intramural celebrations than they do now.
I enjoyed making construction-paper St. Lucia crowns, putting crepe paper flames on paper menorah candles, and eating krumkaka and seeing the African Drum Corps. It was before the days when kids in third and fourth grade were already carrying around GameBoys and iPods and tuning out in general. Our school district was poor, we were mostly poor but we still had fun on and around the holidays.
We watched Roots, had exchange students from Uzbekistan and Brazil and Thailand, got to strum replicas of medieval Italian guitars and brass-stringed Senegalese lap harps, press shamrock leaves and make gingerbread houses and fake Ojibwe maple candy with syrup and sugar and shortening, use brushes and sumi ink to make Chinese New Years cards and packages, made tie-dye easter eggs from empty shells the teacher brought in, cut and paste together construction-paper garland chains for the Christmas tree, and make origami cranes for Children's Hospital.
I got two weeks off for winter holidays. I got a week off for Easter. I got Veterans and Memorial days off. I grew up stunted, clearly as a result of taking so much time off.
I know a lot of this is lost by disuse and apathy, and what's left is driven by an increasingly politicized and polarized minority of families vs. the beleaguered public school officials. It's not fun anymore. It's 'inappropriate' now. Celebrating minorities events is 'contrived, patronizing, forced, and stupid'. Displaying traditional Christian icons is 'bigoted' and 'proselytizing'. I guess the only thing left is to ban everything and call it good. If that's the case, we all lose
a) our days off in a culture of results and achievement
b) our cultural pride in a milieu of appeasement and lack of character
c) our social common ground as we try to teach our young people how to manage to have respect for others' cultures and what's important to them
d) a chance to see that underneath the window dressing, most cultures are alike in having a special day to celebrate just being alive for another year and having each other.
This can't end well, folks. Just go ahead and laugh at the Sabbath, the need for a respite and to celebrate and count our blessings. Almost any holiday, religious or otherwise, can be translated into the fundamental human need to give thanks. Take that away from the children, and they will grow up with the values they were given in school: Thankless Work, peer pressure, and individualism.
I ask you now, is that necessarily healthy in the long run? Has it helped our waistlines, our bottom line, or our breadlines? Yes, clearly, holiday vacances at public school are the major cause of America's lagging math and science scores. Clearly.
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We have now come to a point in our country where young children are deprived of celebrating holidays in elementary schools. Kids across the US are sitting in schools on days such as Halloween and Valentine's Day, which thier teachers not doing anything related to the date and holiday at hand.
I am trying to change things. Today I have sent a letter to the superintendent of the CCSU, and maybe more importantly, I've started this petition. You have a chance to have a voice in an issue that is about representing our own culture.
I realize many of you do not reside in Vermont, and do not go to this school district. That is perfectly fine. We're starting here, in my homeland. Once we get things changed here, we'll change them everywhere.
We cannot sit back, and watch tomorrow children go through school deprived of something we remember vividly. I ask you just for one minute, to think back to a Valentine's Day party from elementary school. Odds are, you can remember atleast one. These kids aren't having that experience, and it's wrong.
Please, I ask you, to sign the the petition. It is on this night, Valentine's Day, February 14th, 2006 we get the chance to fight for kids who are too young to have their voice heard.
If you believe in this cause, please, sign the petition, and repost this bulletin. Email this to your friends and family. We can't win this fight alone, we need the help of everyone.
Thank you,
Matthew Breuer (KeeperEUSC)
i'll sign the petition, but i really don't see a problem with sitting through the minor holidays, such as all hallow's eve and st. valentine's day. i completely agree with you, however, on all religious holidays, such as christmas, but not kwanza and hannuka, or easter, but not passover or any of those holidays (sorry, i'm not too familiar with religion ^_^;)
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I really like the petition
You basis on it at least. (mainly cause i want to skip school)
What are the chances that this could be applied for high school?
if u take this up to the school board be ready to fight this question
"is it really important to increase the year by todays to celebrate minor holidays."
Sure valey day and hally ween are fun days but everything happens at night.
+ young kids get littel valent tine card things that look like a rectangle
If you deprive them of that how will they get THEIR valentine?
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Anymore, students get nothing special on this day and it is treated just like any other, which, doesn't help to teach kids that holidays are something to be happy about and look forward to.
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But the fact that teachers are being explicitly told not to acknowledge Valentine's Day in K-3 absolutely disgusts me. Hell, I still remember back to some of those parties. Probably the only part of elementary school I remember.
School is for learning, not handing out useless half-assed valentines and dressing up in dorky little power ranger costumes. I don't care if the kids want to have fun, they can do that on their own time.
Sincerely,
- CynicalSquirrel
i personally think that advertising by various industries who profit off the relevant holidays does quite enough to get people happy about the minor holidays that we need no other encouragement at this time.
on topic, i will not sign the petition. schools get holidays off based on both the demographics of the community and the flexibility of the school schedule in light of relevant regulations on schedules. in NYC, for example, public schools get days off for some jewish holidays - rosh hashanah, yom kippur, and passover. i am quite sure that a few muslim holidays will dot the school calendar soon - we already get alternate-side parking suspensions on certain muslim holidays, for example. when i went to college in new jersey, i was surprised that not only did my school not get any jewish holidays off (though prof's were understanding of absences, apparently), few of my jersey-raised classmates had them off throughout their educational career.
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And if I've offended you, I'm sorry, but maybe you need to be offended. But here's my apology and one more thing...
still, these are policies dictated by school/local/state standards. they have a right to request that teachers not specially acknowledge specific holidays with in-class celebrations. the school is not required to even acknowledge your petition, especially when they find out that some of the signers (e.g., most MTGSers) aren't even local...
schools are not in the business of creating any childhood memories around holidays. if they choose to, great. if they choose not to, great. you don't have to like it, but they are not required to change their policy on this.
personally, i don't see the big deal about celebrating the holidays in class one way or the other. i understand the arguments on both sides, and they have equal philosophical merit to me. there are even compromises - perhaps allowing individual teachers/classes to hold a party after the school day is done, again, if they so choose.
to truly effect change here, your best bets are: 1) getting active in your school's PTA, 2) getting active in your local school board, or 3) convincing the PTA/school board to try to have the policy changed. even doing one of these three would not guarantee anything, but at least your voice will be listened to, and not just heard.
edit: regarding your first sentence i quoted above: if you re-read your original post, your first two sentences there say two different things. the first, "We have now come to a point in our country where young children are deprived of celebrating holidays in elementary schools." says what you apparently intended. however, " Kids across the US are sitting in schools on days such as Halloween and Valentine's Day." sounds like you think they should not be "sitting in school," which implies not actually being in school. parties do not require everyone to not be seated, after all...
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And if I've offended you, I'm sorry, but maybe you need to be offended. But here's my apology and one more thing...
My chidhood memories of it are that I had to go out and buy a box of valentines and make sure that I gave one to everybody in my class - whether I wanted to or not.
What exactly is it about Valentine's Day celebrates that is so important that it needs to be part of a child's school day?
as for other holidays, it's difficult in a public school system to celebrate any holiday in a way that doesn't leave others feeling excluded or doesn't reinforce beliefs in impressionalb eminds. if children wish to do things acknowledging the holidays of their worldview or belief system that is fine and good but i don't feel any of that should be forced upon them.
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I suppose one could argue that celebrating these holidays (and I think that term is used loosely here) is a vital part in a kid getting to have fun and be a kid in school, but I don't buy it. A school is for learning. A kid can be a kid on their own time. Not that school shouldn't be made as fun as possible (I think enjoyment in school helps children learn better), but fun shouldn't take time away from actual learning.
Make Valentines as an art project or something I can see, but I think devoting schooltime to throwing a party is going too far.
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Honestly guys, Halloween, and Valentines day are not that big of a day, especially not Valentines. Maybe we should focus on getting thes ridiculous holidays out and maybe work on The starving kids in Africa.
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Why are you talking about African kids when there are kids starving in the U.S. Probably some in your own little city.
I wont sign the petition, but I do know where you are coming from. In elementary school, We would do the art projects, and do some kind of poems, and sing valentines songs in "music" class. Then, at the end of the day, we would have like 30 minutes to exchange cards/eat candy/drinks, etc.
I dont think it should be celebrated like a "real" holiday, but it could be a little more laid back and have some r&r&r&r at the end of the day.
I think the kids in third world countries have it off worse, we are all people I don't care what American pride has to say about it.
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The night before Valentines Day my mom and sister and I would sit down at the table and make out valentines for EVERYONE in both our classrooms. EVERYONE. No exceptions, not even people who were beating us up and making fun of us and the odd kid who had a funk about him. Nobody got left out.
FYI, I was one of the poor kids with a funk about them (3+ pack per day smoker in the home means 'you stink') who got the fewest valentines. Some kids' parents obviously didn't teach them manners. But in our house, Mom saw to it that it was either all, or nothing. And there were years where we didn't have enough money to buy little paper valentines for everyone, or candy, so we gave (and accepted) nothing.
As for holidays in general, I think they do have a place in school. One, they give kids a much-needed day or so off. Teachers also appreaciate getting a day off from time to time, as they are frequently also parents and husbands or wives, and need time with their familes.
Two, they teach kids social skills and respect for other peoples cultures. Or at least they could, if taught right. Sometimes all that's needed is a little moderation.
Three, they give kids something to look forward to at school. If they only ever went to class to learn the same boring humdrum crud everyday, they wouldn't go. Making lessons varied and exciting and fun is a lot easier if you have something to center the fun around, like cutting out little paper flowers and hats for Easter and bringing in spangles and things to glue onto little red envelopes full of dissolvable rice candy for Chinese New Years.
I don't think every single civic holday should be a day off though. I think federal holidays for long-dead leaders should be school days but with a fun or interesting activity planned around them. Something designed to teach a lesson central to that observance. I know it would be difficult to find a way to teach about Passover or Memorial Day without pissing people off, but it's not impossible. And it has to be done early enough so that kids haven't had time to absorb a lot of the popular stereotypes and prejudices from their parents, the TV, their friends, etc.
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Yes, school is for learning, but that automatically means that the kids can't have some harmless fun in celebrating valentine's day??? Let's just skip right over it, give out some tough work, and make the kids learn. Hell, let's give them extra homework so they don't have time to even think about valentines day.
It is just one day. The kids can have some candy, pass out valentines, and just enjoy the day. When I was in elementary school, if the kids were going to hand out valentines, they had to hand them out to everyone, and almost everyone followed through with it. Even if you didn't like the holiday, you still got candy. I guess I just don't see what is wrong with taking one or two days to throw a little party, have some candy, and *gasp* be kids.
Now why would you ever want our precious children to act like anything besides robots with absolutely no hint of emotion in their learning environments!
God forbid there ever be a day where a child is allowed to be... a child.
All joking aside, really, I couldn't agree more Petear.
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Kids can act like kids any time they want to. Even at school you can learn something without it just being a regular old day. But intentionally cutting time for learning for a pointless holiday created by companies to make more money off of candy and cards is absolutely ridiculous. I could understand if the holiday had some history behind it, but it doesn't. It's just a waste of everyone's time. Parents don't send their kids to school so they can hand out Valentines and do nothing, they send them there to learn.
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Honestly though, I agree with CynicalSquirrel. The US education system is bull****, and a big part of that is A)that kids really only go to school for like 7 months out of the year and B)they waste days of school having holidays. This is combined with the fact that schools practically create reasons to give kids days off of school.
I enjoyed making construction-paper St. Lucia crowns, putting crepe paper flames on paper menorah candles, and eating krumkaka and seeing the African Drum Corps. It was before the days when kids in third and fourth grade were already carrying around GameBoys and iPods and tuning out in general. Our school district was poor, we were mostly poor but we still had fun on and around the holidays.
We watched Roots, had exchange students from Uzbekistan and Brazil and Thailand, got to strum replicas of medieval Italian guitars and brass-stringed Senegalese lap harps, press shamrock leaves and make gingerbread houses and fake Ojibwe maple candy with syrup and sugar and shortening, use brushes and sumi ink to make Chinese New Years cards and packages, made tie-dye easter eggs from empty shells the teacher brought in, cut and paste together construction-paper garland chains for the Christmas tree, and make origami cranes for Children's Hospital.
I got two weeks off for winter holidays. I got a week off for Easter. I got Veterans and Memorial days off. I grew up stunted, clearly as a result of taking so much time off.
I know a lot of this is lost by disuse and apathy, and what's left is driven by an increasingly politicized and polarized minority of families vs. the beleaguered public school officials. It's not fun anymore. It's 'inappropriate' now. Celebrating minorities events is 'contrived, patronizing, forced, and stupid'. Displaying traditional Christian icons is 'bigoted' and 'proselytizing'. I guess the only thing left is to ban everything and call it good. If that's the case, we all lose
a) our days off in a culture of results and achievement
b) our cultural pride in a milieu of appeasement and lack of character
c) our social common ground as we try to teach our young people how to manage to have respect for others' cultures and what's important to them
d) a chance to see that underneath the window dressing, most cultures are alike in having a special day to celebrate just being alive for another year and having each other.
This can't end well, folks. Just go ahead and laugh at the Sabbath, the need for a respite and to celebrate and count our blessings. Almost any holiday, religious or otherwise, can be translated into the fundamental human need to give thanks. Take that away from the children, and they will grow up with the values they were given in school: Thankless Work, peer pressure, and individualism.
I ask you now, is that necessarily healthy in the long run? Has it helped our waistlines, our bottom line, or our breadlines? Yes, clearly, holiday vacances at public school are the major cause of America's lagging math and science scores. Clearly.