Question Of The Week: Halloween Love It Or Hate It?

Some of you love Halloween for all its creativity and tradition, while others of you loath it for the disruptions and interruptions it brings to classrooms and learning. (My favorite part of it is that it comes at just the same time as the state test scores are officially released -- talk about "trick or treat.")  Which side are you on, and why?  Tell us what happens at your school, or home, or block -- currently or in the past -- and what's happening this year. Costumes?  Candy?  Parades?   

Comments

[Wendy]

Well after being called a party pooper and worse on the Costumes or Candy thread I will dare write my opinions here.

I am not against Halloween. I happen to like it a lot. I am not even necessarily against celebrating it at school. At my daughter's school there will be a parade and an assembly for the K-3 students. And candy too, should parents bring it (as I'm sure they will).

If only candy were only at Halloween, though. It isn't. It's at every kid's classroom birthday and almost every other random place a person goes at school and at stores, banks, etc.

And yes it'd be great if people made their Halloween costumes, they sure would be more original than the latest princess or fairy costume from Target. (and now I'm sure I'll get responses saying I'm anti-princess... would anyone like to look at our princess costume collection?) I wish I were better at sewing or a more creative seamstress myself.

Give it a rest!
It will all be over tommorrow

Let's talk about the real issues around Halloween, like egg-throwing that escalates into fights and even gunfire. In my first year of teaching I had to face a remedial reading class the morning after Halloween in which three guys were friends of someone who was in the hospital with a gunshot wound. A fourth student was friends with the shooter.

i love to see the new teachers still fresh to the system show up in their cute costumes while the rest of the staff shows up in their regular outfits looking at them like they're nuts.

[yellowdart]

I like Halloween. It's fun to see all the people at central office who brave the laughter and dress up. Today I've seen Peter Pan, Dorothy, a lion, a vampire, an evil fairy, and a rabbit in a hat! It's good for a laugh.