Halloween needs an extra day

I have noticed that some school districts declare the day after the Super Bowl as either a staff work day or just a day off. They did this based on the evidence over many years.

Anecdotal evidence indicates that the Monday after the Super Bowl is one of the days when large numbers of teachers and other school staff call in sick. For other organizations, some people request the day off ahead of time.

The reason is simple. Many people host watch parties and bar-b-ques that go late into the night. Most of these people drag throughout the next day. If they’re teachers, I suspect they assign busy work and take a long nap. It’s a lost teaching day.

Now, let’s talk about Halloween. If it falls on Sunday through Thursday, I think schools should be closed the following day. For children, Halloween is the equivalent of the Super Bowl for adults. For weeks, children have built up expectations for that very special day. Even the schools promote it with costume contests. When the night finally comes, children walk long distances, even several miles, in pursuit of candy. They stay up late eating vast amounts of candy. They’re in no condition to go to school the next day. It’s a lost teaching day.

Let’s give our children a break. Let them enjoy the day and the sugar high that comes with it.