CommenTerry: Volume Forty-three | Eastern North Carolina Now

    Publisher's note: The author of this post is Dr. Terry Stoops, who is the Director of Education Studies for the John Locke Foundation.

Long-forgotten school observances deserve another look

    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,


    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.


    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

• 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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