There are some holidays that I deem worth celebrating and then there are those that I am pretty sure were established by the card companies, politicians, or tired and burned out teachers.

Let me give you an example.

  • Valentines Day
  • Groundhogs Day
  • Presidents Day
  • Labor Day
  • Halloween
  • St. Patricks Day

Just to name a few.

Now before you get mad at me, let me explain.

I went to public school, and I remember these holidays vividly.  But here is what I remember.

  • The decorations
  • The coloring sheets
  • The fancy snacks brought in by moms
  • The crossword puzzles
  • The crafts
  • The music and fanfare

And not ONE thing about why we were basically taking a whole day off of academics to celebrate that particular holiday.  Not one thing.

I am willing to bet that many of you could admit the same thing.

In some ways I am ok with that.  Sometimes we all need a break and to have some fun.  Sometimes kids have worked hard in a particular area of study and you may feel that they need to be rewarded.

Awesome!  Party on!

But, I will have to say that I get a bit miffed when people act like I am a bad teacher when I tell them we do not take those particular days off from school or treat them any differently than any other homeschool day.

It is not that I am a meanie.  It is not that I do not believe in having fun.  I do however believe even more strongly in academics and the need to learn.  If one of those days comes along and there is true historical value in it, don’t worry, we will cover it!  Not by taking the day off of school or wasting the entire day with trivial activities, but by researching, discussing, and evaluating.  However, if there is really no use in that holiday, and I would argue there are a few in that category, we move on.

Should every homeschooling family agree with me?  Of course not.  The beauty of homeschooling is that we are all able to choose the path we feel is best for our children.  We are a conglomerate of people who acknowledge differences, respect others in their decisions, and do the best we know how to raise our children.

No matter your decisions on Holidays and how to school around them, rejoice in the knowledge that YOU the parent, have the freedom to choose!  Freedom – what better reason to homeschool!