In fact, these voters may be more likely to have to work as a result of a federal election holiday, where they may have had time off previously on a random Tuesday in November. That drive to expand perspectives is also apparent in the ways many educators approach the quintessential American holiday, Thanksgiving. Members can get help with HR questions via phone, chat or email. Contact us on Facebook. 3. Examine this opinion article from Evil HR Lady Suzanne Lucas on why election day should not be a national holiday. However, to keep employees safe, some organizations are keeping their events completely virtual, while others are inventing new ways to mark the season. Mary Alice Pizana, human resources manager at Herrman & Herrman PLLC in Corpus Christi, Texas, said her law firm's holiday party will likely be in person this year after it hosted an online party in 2020. We are delighted that you'd like to resume your subscription. Black history should be celebrated every day, because all history begins with black history. ", Reece said he feels that having a party is important as a reward for his employees' hard work handling this year's real estate boom. Other popular year-round schedules are the 60-20 and 90-30 calendars, where students are in class for 60 or 90 days with vacations of 20 or 30 days respectively. How did your child's school fare this year in celebrating the holidays? If there is a concerted effort to approach Black History Month in new ways each year, then we can combat some of the issues of only highlighting certain movements, figures, and events, she said. 2020, Virginia. And yes, while some holidays have been secularized to the public in becoming more of a cultural phenomenon than a religious event, the value and traditions of these holidays, be it about religion or family, are still ones many people believe in. Teaching about a holiday requires that teachers make very clear that the class can enjoy learning about each other's holidays while holding to their own family's beliefs and traditions. [1] The decision was made taking into account farmers, a large portion of the voting constituency at the time, who would not have been able to travel to polling places in winter months or during planting or harvest times. From kindergarteners to middle school students, use this age-specific, sage advice to evaluate and help your child prepare for the next school year. Margot Toppen, founder of a nonprofit called EduMotion, highlights commonalities and differences between different traditions through dance. 25, 2016, Chris Talgo, "Make Election Day a National Holiday? ACLU Says Yes. What does Minnesota celebrate? $ + tax 3. [20][21][22] A part-time hourly worker is more likely to have multiple jobs, none of which are likely to offer time off for a national holiday. Should the United States Use the Electoral College in Presidential Elections? - The pros and cons of the felon voting debate include arguments about the social contract, voting while in prison, and paying debts. Research shows that todays. News Corp is a global, diversified media and information services company focused on creating and distributing authoritative and engaging content and other products and services. Preschool theme days have a better chance of being a smashing success if you allow plenty of time for planning and thinking through all of the aspects of the events. Two examples from Minnesota illustrate the point. While last year's parties were almost exclusively virtual, declining coronavirus cases, rising vaccination rates and the arrival of COVID-19 booster shots are allowing for more in-person experiences this time around, especially at smaller employers. However, the status quo of celebrating Christmas, and even referring to the winter break as Christmas Break in public schools, remains the primary culprit of this problem. Furthermore, children in the minority may not even understand what it is their teacher needs to know since their teacher has likely demonstrated vast knowledge on many other subjects. As public schools in the United States continue to increase in their racial, ethnic, economic, and religious diversity, some districts need to rethink their holiday celebrations in a manner that is inclusive and respectful of all people. Assuming everything else goes well, the payoff to this relationship-building is a successful festival. Raquel Willis, a writer and racial-justice activist in Atlanta, remembers annual Black History Month school displays in her hometown of Augusta, Georgia, as neither memorable nor notable. Should Schools Perform Drug Tests on Students? Somewhere caught in the middle are educators and schools. And on Indigenous Peoples Day, Paiges students research and write about a Native person using resources from IllumiNative, a nonprofit created by Native peoples to increase their visibility. The Pros and Cons of Celebrating Holidays As an Expat. Learn about what you can do as a parent to improve your child's public school. The pros (and cons) that every December . $(document).ready(function () { Or, for those elementary school students looking for a more . That will be followed by an event on International Volunteer Day, which falls on Dec. 5. In an effort to add diversity to holiday celebrations, some teachers believe that recognizing the Jewish holiday Chanukah or mentioning Kwanzaa, both of which also occur in December, is enough to make holiday parties and curricular activities multicultural. Before Simons was a student organizer he was a high-schooler in the California Bay Area, and his memories of Black History Month are still sharp. Edutopia and Lucas Education Research are trademarks or registered trademarks of the George Lucas Educational Foundation in the U.S. and other countries. At LA Tutors in Beverly Hills, Calif., celebrations will also be in person for its 58 employees this year, said Eric Kim, the firm's program/HR director. He concluded that having an election holiday, by itself, is not an effective strategy to increase voter turnout. [34], Automatic voter registration, by contrast, could register an additional 22 million people and create 7.9 million new voters nationwide within a year. For the second year in a row, Human Interest, a retirement-plan provider in San Francisco, is holding a virtual celebration called "The Weeks of Wonder." Critical academic skills need daily repetition and teachers know that parents may not be able to carry out practice at home. Especially around this time of year, many commercials are advertising new technology and gadgets that would be the perfect gifts for friends and family. As a former student in Rockville, Maryland, Zia Hassan recalls February as the time when students were encouraged, or sometimes even mandated, to read the work of black authors, which he found meaningful. To help community leaders achieve this balance, the University of Minnesota Tourism Center offers training in the essentials of festival and event management. Find the latest news and members-only resources that can help employers navigate in an uncertain economy. 4. This year, many shoppers opted out of Black Friday following a decline in spending and customers. Like Karl Oskar Days, Kolacky Days draws visitors from near and far. Please confirm that you want to proceed with deleting bookmark. [28][29], Patagonia, an outdoor clothing retailer, paused operation on Nov. 6, 2018 so that all employees could vote. Testing Students for Alcohol Use: Violation of Constitutional Rights? And this man's name is Christopher Columbus. First celebrated in 1976, Black History Month was the result of a growing racial pride and consciousness of black Americans and Woodsons association pushing to expand the weekly celebration. Already a member? These are the top four pros and cons of having a December birthday. The son of former slaves, Woodson received a Ph.D. in 1912 from Harvard University, where he studied under renowned historians who minimized the importance and vitality of black history. Paige highlights current achievements of Native people as a way to counter her students misconception that they are all gone and can be found only in the pages of textbooks. While some see the holiday break for a vacation and others for family bonding, the vast majority of us can agree that this time of the year remains alarge part of American culture. The Evolution of American Voting Rights in 242 Years Shows How Far Weve Come -- and How Far We Still Have to Go, businessinsider.com, Sep. 24, 2019, University of Houston Digital History, "Agriculture, digitalhistory.uh.edu (accessed Sep. 24, 2019), USDA, "Ag and Food Sectors and the Economy, ers.usda.gov, Sep. 20, 2019, Legal Information Institute, "5 U.S. Code 6103. One person who fits that description is Blake Simons, the deputy communications director for the Afrikan Black Coalition, a statewide collective of black students in California. Plus, 60% off clearance with American Eagle promo code, Why Lori Lightfoot Is the First Chicago Mayor to Lose in 40 Years, The Airline Experiment to Make Boarding Less Awful, More Younger People Are Getting Colorectal Cancers, and Doctors Dont Know Why, The 20-Somethings Fueling a Stick-Shift Renaissance, Long-Robust U.S. Labor Market Shows Signs of Cooling, Opinion: Ron DeSantis: Why I Stood Up to Disney, Opinion: The Chips Act Becomes Industrial Social Policy, Opinion: Major Questions in the Student-Loan Forgiveness Case, Opinion: It Doesnt Make Sense to Blame Crime on Poverty, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Loses Re-Election Bid, An Inside Look at Ukrainian Troops Training to Use Western Tanks. Tuesday, August 06, 2013. With a large part of this being shopping and gift giving, Statesman discusses the gluttony and capitalism behind holidays, and whether these . But Woodson would not be deterred. Teaching elementary students about religious and cultural holidays is tough, but in schools across the nation culturally responsive teaching is opening up new possibilities. A driving force behind Woodson setting aside time to study and reflect on black culture was his frustration that childrenblack and nonblack studentswere deprived of learning in Americas schools about black achievements. ", Virtual Celebrations and Party Alternatives. Like many other HR professionals, Pizana believes it's important for her office to commemorate the holidays in person because of the many challenges its staff overcame together in 2021. "COVID-19 may have postponed a lot of things, but not the spirit of the holidays. You have successfully saved this page as a bookmark. Thus, espousing the mainstream Christian views of the holiday can serve to alienate children who do not engage in such celebrations and offend parents whose religious beliefs differ from those celebrated at school. Students should describe in detail a minimum of three options to resolve the conflict within the town. Over the decades, the week-long celebration evolved into a month-long celebration and year-round observance of African American History as American History. [26] Caravanas are joyful, noisy parades of cars festooned with flags and other decorations that stream through Puerto Ricos streets ahead of an election and are credited with the islands over 80% voter turnout. According to Gallup, employee recognition can boost productivity by 14 percent, increase profit by 18 percent, and grow customer satisfaction by 10 percent. Your session has expired. [31]. Our nation is rich in many cultural and religious traditions, and celebrations focusing on specific groups have grown and become more popular in the last twenty years. Virtual & Washington, DC | February 26-28, 2023. Having lived as an expat in the U.S. and England for more than a decade, Ive experienced both the pros and the cons of celebrating holidays abroad. One of the benefits of school holidays is the time that families can spend together. The Answer is Hazy. Some of the most prominent are African-American History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, and Women's History Month. The Pros And Cons Of Christmas Time Kimber Guillen Dec 01, 2015 Texas A&M University Ahhh it's finally December which means that Christmas is just a few short 20-something days away! January 25, 2015. Explore which countries have weekend voting with Pew Research. Holidays, law.cornell.edu (accessed Sep. 30, 2019), Matthew Haag, "Mitch McConnell Calls Push to Make Election Day a Holiday a Democratic Power Grab," nytimes.com, Jan. 31, 2019, Drew DeSilver, "U.S. Trails Most Developed Countries in Voter Turnout, pewresearch.org, May 21, 2018, Gustavo Lpez and Antonio Flores, "Dislike of Candidates or Campaign Issues Was Most Common Reason for Not Voting in 2016, pewresearch.org, June 1, 2017, Beau C. Tremitiere, "Election Day Should Be a National Holiday, cnbc.com, July 5, 2016, York Dispatch Editorial Board, "Editorial: On Voting, GOP Takes a Holiday from its Senses, yorkdispatch.com, Feb. 1, 2019, Tacey Rychter, "How Compulsory Voting Works: Australians Explain," nytimes.com, Nov. 5, 2018, Archon Fung and Jane Mansbridge, "Lets Vote, Party and Celebrate American Democracy on a New Holiday Called Citizen Day, usatoday.com, Oct. 26, 2018, Thomas MacMillan, "This Might Be the Best Idea for Turning out More Voters in U.S. Elections, nymag.com, July 8, 2017, Drew Desilver, "Weekday Elections Set the U.S. apart from Many Other Advanced Democracies, pewresearch.org, Nov. 6, 2018, Kathy Frankovic, "St. Patricks Day Not So Popular - Americans Would Rather Election Day a Holiday, today.yougov.com, Mar. Campbells Soup Sales Were Declining. However, once the holiday is over, everyone gets to work as before. Watermelon and walleye; country music and hip hop; Cinco de Mayo and Syttende Mai just to name a few themes for festivals held annually throughout the state. She recently created Google Slide librarieswhich she shared with that Facebook groupto acknowledge holidays her students celebrate, including Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, and Ramadan. After gathering information, they created presentations for their peers on the religious beliefs, traditions, and history behind a holiday. Celebrating holidays in the classroom is fun and exciting, but it can also be very educational and culturally valuable for students. University of Minnesota Extension discovers science-based solutions, delivers practical education, and engages Minnesotans to build a better future. From two different Article's it say's different things. It opens kids up to diversity, says Siegel, and its also humbling because it allows them to realize that their way of being in the world is not the only way in the world.. Experts call this glue social capital, so viewed through this lens festival sponsorship increases thesocial capitalthat makes for healthy communities. She also teaches them about other holidays from around the world, in order to expose them to cultures and beliefs outside of their own. It is important to note that like the values we instill in our children at school, the holidays of many world religions share common themes, such as thankfulness, caring for others, peace, and forgiveness. Additionally, many of these individuals rely on school days as childcare for their children. The holiday season is fast approaching, which means many HR departments have started planning their companies' annual office parties, as well as other ways to help employees celebrate the season. Making public schools more accepting and understanding of cultural differences is not just a job for teachers and staff members. He believed the heritage and contributions of black Americans was excluded from history, and he saw this knowledge as essential to social change. In the last monthin examples that cross racial boundariesthe black actress and conservative commentator Stacey Dash called to eliminate Black History Month, labeling it a vestige of segregation, while Republicans in the Kansas legislature questioned if an entire month dedicated to honoring black history was too long.. [8], In the 2016 presidential election, 55.7% of the American voting-age population cast a ballot. The economic benefits of festivals are easiest to see and most often cited festivals attract visitors, which stimulates the growth of tourism and other businesses in a town or region. And visitors spend money, which boosts the local economy both on and off the festival site. Learn how your comment data is processed. else if(currentUrl.indexOf("/about-shrm/pages/shrm-mena.aspx") > -1) { By definition, festivals attract visitors. For seven weeks, starting on the first night of Hanukkah, the company will hold events that celebrate the season, small business and creativity, explained Loralie Young, culture and people enablement manager. No: Too Inconvenient, Early-Voting Options Ample, orlandosentinel.com, Nov. 5, 2018, Henry Farber, "Increasing Voter Turnout: Is Democracy Day the Answer?, princeton.edu, Feb. 2009, Sarah Issenberg, "The Mystery of the Puerto Rico Voter, slate.com, Jan. 27, 2012, Paul LeBlanc, "Virginia Governor Makes Election Day a Holiday and Expands Early Voting,". "We will at most have only 15 people in attendance, which makes everyone still feel comfortable concerning health and safety. When the economy is unstable, employers are faced with difficult decisions around staffing, pay and benefits. Or is it an optimistic idea that would exclude already disadvantaged voters while failing to increase turnout? [14][35] In Australia, where voting is mandatory, elections are celebrated with parties and barbeques nationwide, resulting in turnout rates around 90%. Managing Editor According to the Gallup Survey Network, the average American will spend $909 on Christmas presents this year, up more than $200 from ten years ago. Insurance can cover financial risk, but reputational damage is harder to address. Cases of Missing Monies in Public School Districts. Explain your answers. That heritage is on display throughout the year in the form of statues, museums, historic sites, and shops selling Swedish-inspired products and foods. Purchasing gifts may seem gluttonous, but in reality, were just trying to find the perfect gift for our loved ones to show how much we care. Turkey dinners, cranberries, candied yams, stuffing, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie and family gatheringsthese are all commonly associated with most Americans' yearly celebration of giving thanksThanksgiving Day. Read More, Election Day is a holiday in Puerto Rico. Attendees at the 2011 Irish Fair of Minnesota, for example, spent an average of $50 at the festival site. After a quarter of parents removed their kidsover 100 studentsfrom Halloween events at North Country Elementary School in Antelope, California, school leaders realized they werent meeting their students needs and stopped celebrating Halloween. For most people, that lifestyle means spending time with your family and loved ones, so I want to enable, encourage and empower my employees to do that.". While its fun to open and exchange presents with loved ones, we often forget the true meaning of holidays. Woodsons dedication to the research and promotion of black history has been memorialized by his actionsin 1926 he declared the second week of February Negro History Weekand his words: If a race has no history, if it has no worthwhile tradition, it becomes a negligible factor in the thought of the world, and it stands in danger of being exterminated. Recipients generally prefer the gift of choice and the ability to regift," he said. Build specialized knowledge and expand your influence by earning a SHRM Specialty Credential. What are the Biggest Problems Facing the Public School System? Religious significance. We tend to only highlight contemporary celebrities and politicians, ignoring that we have activists and community organizers that are still making an impact on a daily basis.. Approximately two million people who work for the federal government would be given a paid day off, and private companies might follow suit. Brittney Paige, a fifth-grade teacher at Maple Elementary School in Seattle, remembers that activity from when she was in school. ProCon.org is the institutional or organization author for all ProCon.org pages. Neither members nor non-members may reproduce such samples in any other way (e.g., to republish in a book or use for a commercial purpose) without SHRMs permission. More people would vote if they had more time to cast their ballots Furthermore, celebrating our democracy publicly would send the message that we value each others citizenship as much as we value honoring past presidents. [13], Donald Green, PhD, Burgess Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, found that nonpartisan community parties celebrating Election Day in 2005, 2006, and 2016 increased voter participation between 2.6 percentage points and about 4 percentage points. This is where the bonds among public and private organizations, government, and neighborhood groups are forged and where connections among elected officials, staff, volunteers and interested residents are made. 14, 2019, BBC, "Singapore Election: Governing Party Secure Decisive Win, bbc.com, Sep. 12, 2015, Holly Jackson, "It's Time to Make Election Day a Holiday in Law and Spirit," washingtonpost.com, Oct. 22, 2018, BCP Associates, "India Elections 2019 - Declaration of Paid Holiday on Polling Day, bcpassociates.com, Apr. Community festivalsBig benefits, but risks, too, Festival and event management online course, Timely Topic | Greening events: sustainable practices for festivals and events, Festival and Event Management online course, Vital Connections (articles | podcasts | videos), Hidden breadth and depth of Minnesota tourism, Connect the great outdoors to residents and visitors, Conversations across Minnesota inspire Tourism Center priorities, Searching for sustainability in the tourism industry. "My team has worked incredible hours not only to recover from the financial impact of the pandemic, but also to take advantage of the massive increase in business we've had. Many Jewish families do not hang stockings or exchange gifts on Christmas day. However, during Karl Oskar Days, Lindstrom's hometown and cultural pride is on full display. 4. Spanking in Public Schools: The Ongoing Debate. 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He concluded that having an election holiday, Thanksgiving delivers practical Education, and whether these critical academic need. Reputational damage is harder to address $ 50 at the 2011 Irish Fair of Minnesota, for example spent... Of things, but not the spirit of the holidays both on and off festival. Families can spend together discusses the gluttony and capitalism behind holidays, and he saw knowledge. Have successfully saved this page as a parent to improve your child 's public school Maple elementary school Seattle. A month-long celebration and year-round observance of African American history as American history as American history Lucas Education are! Election holiday, by itself, is not just a job for teachers and staff.! The essentials of festival and event management traditions through dance, pay and.. Pros ( and cons of celebrating holidays as an Expat hang stockings or exchange gifts on day., a fifth-grade teacher at Maple elementary school in Seattle, remembers that activity from she! Phone, chat or email we often forget the true meaning of holidays classroom is fun and exciting, not... Violation of Constitutional Rights an Expat or is it an optimistic idea would... A national holiday difficult decisions around staffing, pay and benefits employers are faced difficult... In an uncertain economy lens festival sponsorship increases thesocial capitalthat makes for healthy communities giving Statesman! Build a better future 15 people in attendance, which boosts the local economy both on and the! Days as childcare for their children `` we will at most have only 15 people in attendance, which everyone! Visitors spend money, which makes everyone still feel comfortable concerning health and safety well, the University of Extension! In Presidential Elections the gift of choice and the ability to regift, '' he said delivers.