Happy Labor Day! I admit it is kind of nice to get a three-day weekend this early in the school year. Naturally, I am finding it necessary to work on lesson plans and grading papers in between rounds of Monopoly. However, I also think it is important to remember the purpose of Labor Day.
According to the Department of Labor, this day was established in order to recognize the “social and economic achievements of American workers”. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. It was celebrated again a year later, and then in 1884 the first Monday in September was chosen as the holiday. The idea spread from the Central Labor Union in New York to other cities. Over the subsequent years, other states adopted the same legislation to create a state recognized holiday, with Oregon being the first to pass it as law. By 1894, 23 more states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers. In that same year, Congress passed the act marking the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
So as you fire up the grill or pack a picnic lunch or toss the football around, remember to pause a moment to recognize the workers that built our country – the construction workers, the plumbers, the mechanics, the engineers, the waste management department, the firemen, policemen, EMTs, teachers, nurses, and all those who work day after day to help our country remain strong. I wish I had room to list them all – but those of you out there building roads and bridges, teaching my kids, keeping us safe, and keeping our city and nation moving….I want to say thank you.
Happy Labor Day!
Christine Moore currently holds a degree in education and psychology from Howard Payne University and has a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction. She is now working on her Ph.D. in Educational Technology at Walden University. Married with four children who attend Brownwood schools, Christine teaches 6th grade reading in Brownwood and has been working in education at various levels for the past 16 years. You can read her blog, Technology in Schools, at http://edtech-school.blogspot.com/. Christine welcomes your questions and comments and would love to hear from you!