Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Veterans Day Holiday for the record
Board members and the Superintendent got a number of emails and phone calls regarding LCPS and Veterans Day, and because I'm sure it will come up again each year I thought I'd get this out there for the record. According to Dr. Hatrick, who in addition to being the Superintendent doubles as resident historian, spoke at last night's meeting about the reason LCPS holds classes on Veterans Day. According to his remarks, during the 70s Veterans groups came to LCPS and asked that LCPS not take the day off but instead hold programs for the students about the meaning and importance of the men and women who have served in America's armed forces. They calculated that this was the best way to truly involve the most children, and in exchange they promised to provide speakers and presenters for the schools. Sanders Corner Elementary provided an example of such a program this week. I think the lesson is that we don't have to take a vacation day to honor something special.
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Could not agree more. Too many teachable moments are turned in to shopping sales events with the day off.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with going to school on Veteran's Day is that students are forced to honor the day the way the government tells them to -- school curriculum is compulsory after all.
ReplyDeleteIf students had a holiday the parents can decide how they want to observe the day (or not) and thus pass on their culture to their children instead of the majority's viewpoint imposed via the public schools.
Imagine if we applied the previous poster's logic to Christmas and held school open on Dec 25 so that schools could have pagents.
Veterans Day is to civil religion what Christmas is to Christianity. Parents should be free to celebrate these religious holidays with their children as they see fit.
Mr. Myers,
ReplyDeleteYour post is pointless. Since these are government schools, everything done in school is through the force of government. If you don't like that, then change the overall system.
I suspect your strange assertion that Veteran's Day is somehow part of some "civil religion" is a better reflection of your distorted view.