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| Source: Pixabay CC0 Public Domain |
Does anyone find it odd that here in these United States we
celebrate Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day in nearly the exact
same fashion?
Memorial Day is celebrated with cook-outs, camping trips, and
visits to the beach. Independence Day is celebrated with cook-outs, camping
trips, and visits the beach with the added spectacular of fireworks. Labor Day
is celebrated with cook-outs, camping trips, and visits to the beach.
Memorial Day is considered the “unofficial” start of Summer
though it precedes the summer solstice by 3 weeks or so. Labor Day is
considered the “unofficial” end of Summer though it precedes the autumnal
equinox by nearly 3 weeks.
Labor Day and Memorial Day also coincide, roughly, with the
beginning and ending of the new school year. In our district, Memorial Day
comes about 2 weeks before the students get out of school and Labor Day comes
the first Monday after they start back to school.
When I was almost a teenager, I remember asking my mother why we
had a Labor Day holiday. I wasn’t familiar at the time with labor unions and
all they’d done to improve the lives of workers in this country in the early
part of the 20th Century. My mother, with her unusual sense of
humor, told me that on Labor Day we celebrated all the hours of labor that
mothers went through in giving birth to their children. If my father hadn’t
overheard and started laughing, laughter that earned him a harsh glare from my
mother, I might have believed her for more than a moment.
My father, never a fan of unions himself, explained to me the
theory behind Labor Day, but never mentioned unions. He simply explained that
on Labor Day the working men and women of America get a day off in honor of the
hard work they do all year.
Celebrating Labor Day by taking a break from our labors does
seem a fitting way to spend the weekend. Here in our district, Labor Day
Weekend is the last 3-day weekend we’ll have until Veterans’ Day this year. We
do not recognize Columbus Day as a holiday here in our school district.
Soon, this holiday weekend will be over and it will be back to
school for me and my students. There’s math to be learned, activities to be
enjoyed, and exercises to be completed and graded. This shortened week promises
to be an interesting one.
As always, I remain,
The Exhausted Educator
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