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Our nation celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday.  But did you know that public school students in North Carolina used to celebrate National Thrift Week during the third week in January?  And once upon a time, the fourth Friday in January was Temperance or Law and Order Day. 

Perhaps it is time for our public elementary schools to observe, annually, the diverse values and ideas, as well as the events and people, that helped to make the American citizenry what it is (or what we hope it to be).

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CommenTerry

In 1959, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (N.C. DPI) published a guide to observing "special days" in the state’s public schools.  Inspired by N.C. DPI’s "Observance of Special Days" guide, I think our public elementary schools should reexamine the idea of dedicating certain days and weeks to learning about concepts, skills, and ideas that we often take for granted.

Today’s cynical citizenry would likely snicker at the notion of North Carolina’s public schools celebrating "Fire Prevention Day" (October 9) or "Book Week" (third week in November).  For many, these are anachronistic or hokey.  I disagree.  Many of these observances are just as relevant today as they were in 1959.  According to the "Observance of Special Days" guide, for example,

Fire Prevention Day was established in North Carolina by the General Assembly of 1915. Municipalities are urged to observe the day with suitable programs. Fire prevention is an important factor in the conservation of the nation’s natural resources. Avoidance of fires and fire waste will help reduce human suffering and destruction of property. The teaching of fire safety in the public schools is a means of making the individual fire-safety conscious, so that he will know what to do if fire actually takes place.

Themes such as the conservation of the nation’s natural resources and reducing the destruction of property are worthwhile and can be easily integrated into the existing curriculum.  For example, social studies and English classes could read accounts of The Chicago Fire of 1871, which are available at no cost online, and critically examine the investigation into the cause of the fire and its effects on the city and nation.

Furthermore, Book Week has laudable goals.

The chief purposes of Book Week, from its beginning [in 1919], have been to stimulate the reading of books among young people, and to encourage book ownership and the building of home libraries.

There is a great deal of empirical evidence that children who read independently perform significantly better on tests of literacy and fluency.  A professor at the University of Nevada, Reno found that children who live in homes with as few as 20 books in a home library benefited academically.

Clearly, not all of the special days celebrated in the past are worth revisiting. I suspect that there would not be much of an appetite to revive Negro History Week (second week in February), given that schools now celebrate the achievements of African Americans for the entire month.  Schools would have to rename or redesign other days. Temperance or Law and Order Day, which honors the rule of law and citizenship, comes to mind.

It would take considerable discussion by a diverse group of stakeholders to determine the specific values and ideas our public schools should observe.  School boards, administrators, and teachers must be allowed to implement observances in ways that best meet the needs and resources of the local community.

Facts and Stats

N.C. Department of Public Instruction, "Observance of Special Days," 1959, p. 103-104

Special Days And Weeks For Possible Observance

Andrew Johnson Day: October 31
April Fool’s Day: April 1
Arbor Day: First Friday after March 15
Armistice Day: November 11
Army Day: April 6
National Aviation Day: August 19
Bill of Rights Day: December 15
Bird Day: First Friday after March 15
Children’s Book Week: Third Week in November
Boy Scout Week: February 6-12
Brotherhood Week: February 19-26
Christmas Day: December 25
Citizenship Day: September 17
Columbus Day: October 12
Confederate Memorial Day: May 10
Constitution Day: September 17-23
Decoration Day: May 10
Easter Sunday: First Sunday after first full moon on or after March 21
American Education Week: Second Week in November
General Election Day: Tuesday following first Monday in November
Father’s Day: Third Sunday in June
Fire Prevention Day: October 9
Flag Day: June 14
Benjamin Franklin’s Birthday: January 17
Girl Scout Week: March 11-17
Ground Hog Day: February 2
Halloween: October 31
Child Health Day: May 1
Human Rights Day: December 10
I Am An American Day: September 17
Independence Day: July 4
Indian Day: Governor designates
Jackson’s Birthday: January 21
Jefferson’s Birthday: April 13
Labor Day: First Monday in September
Robert E. Lee’s Birthday: January 19
Library Week: National Third Week in March
Lincoln’s Birthday: February 12
May Day: May 1
Memorial Day: May 10
Mother’s Day: Second Sunday in May
National Thrift Week: Third Week in January
Navy Day: October 27
Negro History Week: Second Week in February
New Year’s Day: January 1
North Carolina Day: October 12
Pan American Day: April 14
Scouting: February 6-12
St. Patrick’s Day: March 17
St. Valentine’s Day: February 14
Temperance or Law and Order Day: Fourth Friday in January
Thanksgiving Day: Last Thursday in November
National Thrift Week, National: Third Week in January
United Nations Day: October 24
Veterans’ Day: November 11
Washington’s Birthday: February 22

Acronym of the Week

MLK Day — Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service

Quote of the Week

"It is our hope that teachers, principals and supervisors will use this bulletin as a guide in conveying to our boys and girls the significance of days which we observe and that they will learn the values inherent in such observance."

– Superintendent of Public Instruction Charles Carroll in "Observance of Special Days," 1959.

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