When teachers die,

[proud2BlibKansan]

if we go to hell, it's Halloween every day.

A veteran teacher told me this my first year teaching. And it still seems funny today.

Happy Halloween, fellow teachers. Get your candy detector ready for Monday morning. :)

[slackmaster]

1. My late Uncle Fred was a teacher. One of his favorite jokes involved a teacher and two other people

They all died and went to the gates of Heaven.

I don't remember the occupations of the first two or why they were denied entrance, but the punch line was that the teacher got in automatically because he'd already been to Hell.

[proud2BlibKansan]

2. Today was definitely hell

Party all day. Haunted House in the gym. The parents spent a week putting it together. And it was nice but calming the kids down afterwards was no fun.

Then class parties. I decided to show a movie and that kept my kids sort of calm. But they were still hyped up on sugar.

And of course, the schedule had to be changed due to the special activities. That's always stressful.

[Reader Rabbit]

3. Ours was draining, but not quite Hell.

We had an all-school social. There were dancing, basketball, and Omnikin ball in the three gyms, games in the cafeteria, and various activities in select teachers' rooms about the school. I got to be a Hall Monitor, helping kids get to the activities in rooms of teachers they didn't know. It was noisy, but did not reach teenage critical mass. Plus, the staff organizer wisely decreed it to be "Dress Your Best Day", so lots of the kids were in their Sunday go-to-meetin' clothes, which cut down on a lot of crazy behavior. I did feel bad for some of the little girls who wore heels—they were hurting by the end of the day!

[LWolf]

4. I always thought it would be Valentine's Day every day.

Halloween can be hell, too, of course, but nothing beats the flames of Valentine's day.

[proud2BlibKansan]

5. Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday at school

Cause it's the last holiday party of the year.

[LWolf]

6. No spring? Colored eggs, etc.?

Skipping over the day everyone assumes permission to pinch each other, of course. ;)

I love holidays. I think they should be celebrated at home, with family, in the community...but not in class during instructional time. That's just me.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. No class party at Easter

Last party is Valentine's.

I agree about the parties at school. This year they guilted us with an email that said we should remember that many of our kids didn't celebrate Halloween except at school. Five years ago they told us not to celebrate Halloween, so as not to offend certain religions. I guess they can't make up their minds.

[LWolf]

9. "Many don't celebrate except at school?"

It's our responsibility? Compromises: A harvest festival that uses the harvest theme for academics without costumes and candy; there can still be plenty of fun and treats, and it's inclusive. A PTO/PTA sponsored event after school. I'm sure there are more. Getting a staff to agree? Not always easy.

[proud2BlibKansan]

10. Well originally the parents big thing was going to be on Saturday

But then the admin couldn't come in on Saturday so it was moved to Friday.

[southerncrone]

11. Not just you, LWolf. Me, too. I suspect we have lots more company.

[mzteris]

8. We have a two day school break

every year on or around Halloween. It's a "teacher conference" break.

I suspect it's to avoid all you're talking about.

[RetAZEd]

12. Sugar high

This is a day every elementary school teacher dreads, but none dare miss. No way can you leave a substitute in charge. The kids I always felt sorry for were the Jehovah Witnesses. JW's don't celebrate holidays and the kids must decline. No birthday cupcakes, no Halloween stories.