It’s that time of year again. Roadside stands boast hundreds of pumpkins, candy bags beckon from supermarket shelves, and ghostly masks and costumes greet you at every store. Halloween is right around the corner.
As a Mom, I love celebrating Halloween with my family. Making chocolate spiders out of marshmallows, planning group outfits for the four of us to go trick-or-treating (this year it’s a “Back to the Future” theme), and – of course – carving pumpkins rank high on our holiday “to do” list.
But as a teacher, my thoughts on the scariest night of the year are completely different. In my opinion, the costume parties and ghoulish festivities should remain at home. Here are five reasons Halloween should not be celebrated in school:
1. Takes away valuable instruction time
Ask any teacher. There is not enough time in the school day to get anything done. In fact, I’ve never met a teacher that ever finished an entire textbook in one school year. Between school assemblies, standardized tests, emergency drills, announcements and class interruptions, valuable instruction time is constantly compromised. Halloween parties should not take place during school hours because there is too much else to get done.
2. It’s controversial
Whether you personally agree or not, Halloween is a controversial holiday. “But it’s harmless to carve a pumpkin,” or “You crazy religious nuts want to ruin everyone’s fun.” No matter what your opinion is, Halloween is not celebrated by every family in America, due to many personal reasons. Thus, learn from political correctness and realize that celebrating Halloween in school is not appropriate.
3. Promotes unhealthy habits
Let’s face it. Besides the costumes, Halloween is all about one thing: candy. And lots of it. Many states and hundreds of districts have already adopted policies eliminating sugary snacks in the classroom to help fight the war on child obesity. As a result, Halloween should not be celebrated in school because it conflicts with healthy eating habits.
4. No bearing on education
If Halloween were listed in each state’s educational standards, or played some important role in helping students learn more about the world, then it might be appropriate. However, the holiday is simply a seasonal celebration with fun traditions (much like Valentine’s Day), and is simply something that does not need to be covered in school. When the kids get off the bus, feel free to have your own party, though.
5. Inappropriate costumes
Next Halloween, make sure you go trick-or-treating with your kids, and pay attention to the costumes you pass. Guaranteed, many teen boys will dress in something violent or gruesome. Likewise, many teen girls will dress in provocative costumes too mature for their age.
Because of school dress codes, many of the costumes kids of this age group choose to wear are not appropriate for school. For this reason alone, schools should not conduct Halloween costume parties during school hours.
This being said, I don’t feel Halloween has to be completely neglected in the classroom. If a teacher can work a Halloween theme into a journaling essay, or word problems in elementary math class include mention of the holiday, so be it. If a school hosts an after-hours event, more power to them.
However, for these five reasons, Halloween should not be celebrated during school hours in place of educational subjects, or through elaborate holiday parties which students are required to attend. Let school be school.
Source: Susan Flynn, Ban on Birthday Sweets at School, Boston Parents Paper