Why canceling school for Columbus Day is a terrible idea ift.tt/119Dbif Columbus Day is the most useless holiday on the federal calendar — and its time to stop using it as an excuse for a day off of school. Set aside, for a moment, the controversy over whether Christopher Columbus journey to the Americas should be celebrated at all. The holiday is, as it stands, a logistical headache. Fewer than half of states celebrate it, and almost no other offices do. Just 15 percent of private business close, the smallest proportion for any federal holiday. So if youre a parent in a Columbus Day-celebrating state — the ones in blue below — youre probably scrambling to find something for kids to do on Monday. This isnt unique to Columbus Day — Veterans Day, Martin Luther King, Jr., Day, and Washingtons Birthday present similar issues for working parents, although its slightly more likely for work to be canceled on the other holidays. And Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, at least, is also celebrated as a national day of community service, a way to honor Kings legacy thats also a good reason to cancel school. Columbus Day has no such redeeming factor. Some states and school districts have managed the Columbus Day controversy by declaring a simultaneous Native American Day (as is the case in South Dakota) or Indigenous Peoples Day (which started in Berkeley, California, and has spread to Seattle and Minneapolis). Heres a better way to use Columbus Day: Make kids go to school that day, as they already do in 27 states. Celebrate Columbus Day by encouraging teachers to talk about the complicated legacy of Columbus in American history (including the days significance for Italian-Americans, who still faced discrimination themselves when it was established in 1937). Going to class on Columbus Day and talking about history makes the day a reason to explore Americas past, not just an excuse for mattress sales. As it is now, its not just a logistical headache for parents — its a missed opportunity for real learning. While were at it, lets rethink Veterans Day, which also poses problems for thousands of parents a month later. Like Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Veterans Day could become an opportunity for community service, directed by either schools (if kids are in class) or community groups (if theyre not). Up to 200,000 American veterans are homeless, and 1 in 4 veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan say they struggle to afford food. We could make Columbus Day actually about history, and Veterans Day actually about service. In the meantime, if we really want to give everybody a day off in October or November, what about creating a holiday for Election Day?
Posted on: Sun, 12 Oct 2014 12:40:11 +0000
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