Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Should Schools Stay Open?
It's inauguration day, but it's also the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. Here's my post on the topic from last year.
Today is a federal holiday, which means schools -- and pretty much every office -- is closed here in D.C. However some districts nationwide opt not suspend classes for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Many schools use the day as an opportunity for special assemblies and workshops, while others simply continue with their regular schedules. Last year, two counties in northern Georgia were soundly criticized by civil rights groups when they scheduled classes to make up for "snow days."
There are many sides to this argument, and it's easy to see why some educators are conflicted about the decision to either hold classes or observe the holiday. The truth is that most people associate today (along with Columbus Day, Veterans Day and a host of other federal holidays) as a free pass from work or a day to score big on shopping bargains. The time isn't often used for reflection and appreciation.
Given that reality, might it be better if students didn't miss a day of instruction? Would you support having classes today if the lessons included specific exercises related to social justice, civil rights and King's legacy? Would you still support a school day if it was just "business as usual," with no extra effort to relate the day's lessons to civil rights?
One of the more interesting interviews I've heard recently on King's legacy was an episode of "Fresh Air With Terry Gross" that aired last year. Guest host Dave Davies interviewed Clarence Jones, who helped draft the historic "I Have a Dream" speech. (Click here for the link.) I was fascinated to learn how King and his organizers leveraged the media, particularly the television news cameras, and why it turned out to be critically important that the speech was copyrighted.
Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. Follow her on Twitter: @EWAEmily.
Today is a federal holiday, which means schools -- and pretty much every office -- is closed here in D.C. However some districts nationwide opt not suspend classes for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Many schools use the day as an opportunity for special assemblies and workshops, while others simply continue with their regular schedules. Last year, two counties in northern Georgia were soundly criticized by civil rights groups when they scheduled classes to make up for "snow days."
There are many sides to this argument, and it's easy to see why some educators are conflicted about the decision to either hold classes or observe the holiday. The truth is that most people associate today (along with Columbus Day, Veterans Day and a host of other federal holidays) as a free pass from work or a day to score big on shopping bargains. The time isn't often used for reflection and appreciation.
Given that reality, might it be better if students didn't miss a day of instruction? Would you support having classes today if the lessons included specific exercises related to social justice, civil rights and King's legacy? Would you still support a school day if it was just "business as usual," with no extra effort to relate the day's lessons to civil rights?
One of the more interesting interviews I've heard recently on King's legacy was an episode of "Fresh Air With Terry Gross" that aired last year. Guest host Dave Davies interviewed Clarence Jones, who helped draft the historic "I Have a Dream" speech. (Click here for the link.) I was fascinated to learn how King and his organizers leveraged the media, particularly the television news cameras, and why it turned out to be critically important that the speech was copyrighted.
Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. Follow her on Twitter: @EWAEmily.
Labels: demographics, holiday, inauguration, martin_luther_king_jr, Obama
posted by Emily Richmond at
12:00 AM
1 Comments:
i am from monmouth county nj and both my children's schools have used this federal holiday to "make up" for time lost to the storms this past fall. when my kids told me this i was shocked, i didn't belive it. how can a school district overrule a federal holiday because of schedual problems. i spoke to my children about this and they told me that because we have so few black people in farmingdale that we really do not need this day any way. is this really how people feel about this day in suburban nj. i can't belive no one cares about this. how can this be allowed to stand in a public school. this great man looses his day due to bad weather. some body explaine this to me. c peters farmingdale nj
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