Labor Day – Baltimore Magazine

Local Residents Have Mixed Feelings About School Starting After Labor Day

Michelle Evans — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 14:10:00 +0000

Back-to-school season usually begins in July with children pouting and parents dancing down the aisles of Target as they load up carts with supplies to send the children back to school at the end of August.

But this year, in Maryland, the shopping has commenced a little later and children are in camp a little longer because of an executive order issued in October 2016 by Governor Larry Hogan stating that the 24 public school districts in Maryland cannot begin before Labor Day.

“The Labor Day holiday weekend is an exclusively American institution that has served, both symbolically and practically, as our nation’s traditional end of summer,” he wrote in the executive order. “The policy of constructing the public school (kindergarten through 12th grade) calendars so that classes begin prior to the Labor Day holiday has imperiled this venerable tradition.”

Some local residents are having mixed feelings about the switch, like Jen Hauser, mother of two students at Rodgers Forge Elementary School. She said she loves the idea that her kids can “just be kids” a little while longer, but also understands the inconvenience it causes other parents.

“The constant running from one place to another will consume their lives when they are adults. For now, I love to see the creativity that comes from unscheduled routine,” she said. “But I do realize that for working parents, it’s another week to obtain daycare. I wish this was an equally affordable option for everyone.”

Governor Hogan believes that the post-Labor Day start will be good for businesses and families, but this order counters the trend in other parts of the country that start school earlier in an effort to bridge the socioeconomic gap and limit the amount of time working families have to pay for child care.

Prior to the executive order, a task force including teachers, administrators, and business leaders, was created by the Maryland General Assembly to examine the administrative and economic implications of a later start. Results identified only economic benefits—an additional $74.3 million in direct activity—and found no academic consequences, so the group voted to approve the new date.

Denise Mitchell, administrative secretary at Highlandtown Elementary/Middle School, believes that August is the best time to go back to school because children lose so much information over the summer.

“Starting school after Labor Day is only for financial gain,” she said. “Society is complaining about not having enough vacation time or making enough money because of the early start date. Educating our children during their formative years should be the first priority for every adult. Our children need to be able to function in this ever-changing world.”

For some, the start date isn’t the problem. Under Hogan’s new order, schools must complete the required 180 days of instruction by June 15. President of the Baltimore Teachers Union, Marietta English, said the hard end date complicates things.

“We already have two snow days built into the curriculum, but we can’t predict the weather,” she says. “Winter break and spring break are contractually set, so our professional development days will be impacted in order to end school on time.”

In an effort to resolve any calendar conflicts that may arise, Hogan has included an option for school districts to apply for an annual waiver that would permit a school to begin before Labor Day or end later than June 15. In order to obtain the waiver, the local board of education must apply to the state board citing “compelling justifications” for the exemption.

Such reasons could include charter schools with innovative schedules, low-performing or at-risk schools, and districts with 10 emergency or weather-related closings twice in the past five years. The school board must then hold at least one public meeting to consider the waiver and have it approved.

However, no school in the state has been granted the waiver this year and all Maryland public schools will be back in session on September 5.

“I am optimistic,” English said. “I think this will be a good school year, no matter when we start and stop.”

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Five Things To Do Labor Day Weekend

Lauren Cohen — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 15:00:00 +0000

Although this long weekend officially indicates that pools are closing and school is back in session, these fun Labor Day events are perfect remedies for summertime sadness.

Labor Day BBQ Cake Decorating Class
Celebrate by enjoying all of the delicious barbecue foods you’ve eaten all summer, with a sugary twist. Join veteran baker Mary Smith at Charm City Cakes to learn how to make a 6-inch round Labor Day themed cake your family and friends will love. Students can practice fondant rolling and air-brushing techniques, and even top their cakes with fondant crafted hamburgers and hot dogs.

Fells Point Haunted Pub Walk
See Fells Point like you’ve never seen it before by visiting all of your favorite bars while learning about the spirits who inhabit them. Tours take place Fridays and Saturdays and depart from Max’s sidebar at 7 p.m.

As crazy as it may seem, Halloween is right around the corner and this pub crawl is the perfect way to get ready for the spooky thrills coming our way in a couple of months. If you’re looking to try something new, experience this exhilarating tour where you can have a beer in your hand from start to finish!

Charm City Carousel
The newly re-opened Charm City Carousel located in the Inner Harbor features free live entertainment on Saturday Aug 30 at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. If you haven’t yet seen the Inner Harbor’s newest attraction, and are looking for some youthful fun, visit the Charm City Carousel this weekend. As you twirl around on the 36-foot carousel, enjoy the sights of Baltimore’s beautiful Inner Harbor. At $3 per ticket, this inexpensive attraction guarantees fun for the whole family, even if you’re on a budget.

The Baltimore Museum of Art
Four current exhibitions on display at the Baltimore Museum of Art are not only indicative of the artistic and cultural sophistication of our city, but are also totally free of charge. Check out exhibits such as Lorna Simpson’s “Black Box” and Seth Adelsberger’s “Front Room “ on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. If you’re looking for a change of scenery on your weekend off, The Baltimore Museum of Art is the way to go. Grab some friends and experience the most beautiful artwork that Baltimore has to offer.

The Maryland State Fair
This Maryland tradition annually held at the Timonium Fairgrounds features some of the best events of the fair’s entire run during its last weekend. Experience classic state fair delicacies, rides, and games while also taking advantage of events such as “Swifty Swine Pig Racing,” an autograph signing by former Orioles player Rick Dempsey, and a performance by Phil Vassar with Lyndsey Highlander as part of the M&T Bank Maryland State Fair Concert Series on Aug. 30 at 7 p.m.

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Labor Day

Max Weiss — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 12:30:00 +0000

Bless the people who can get through Labor Day
without cracking up a few times, for they are made of stronger stuff
than I. This story of Adele (Kate Winslet), a helpless, sex-starved
single mother (for reals) who gets quasi-kidnapped by rugged escaped con
Frank (Josh Brolin) and ultimately falls in love with him, is so silly,
so retro in its values, so preposterous from beginning to end, it plays
like a parody of a 1950s melodrama.

The film is narrated
(tremulously, of course) by Tobey Maguire as the grownup version of
Adele’s 13-year-old son Henry (Gattlin Grifflith), so if there was
concern that Henry and his mom are in real danger and might not make it
out of this ordeal alive, that’s pretty much dispelled.

But how
could anyone see Frank as a threat? He’s the most hilariously idealized
male I’ve ever seen in a film. The first day he kidnaps Adele and Henry,
he changes the oil in their car, fixes the furnace, teaches Henry how
to throw like a boy, inspects Adele’s firewood (she’s been
over-charged), and whips up a batch of chili (that he hand feeds to
Adele, as she’s tied up in a chair to make the kidnapping look more
legit in the eyes of the authorities). Later, he fixes squeaky door
hinges, takes off his shirt to reveal rippling biceps, dances the rumba
with Adele, and gives mother and son a lesson in how to (sensually) bake
a peach pie. All the while, young Henry is torn between loving his new
father figure and being overcome with Oedipal rage (the film literally
cuts to Henry glowering jealously every time Frank touches Adele).

What
to make of all this? I frankly don’t know. Everyone involved is
talented—from Winslet, who is one of my all-time favorite actresses, to
Brolin, who is the rare American actor who can project masculine
strength and decency (lately we’ve been outsourcing that role to
Australians). Director Jason Reitman has made three films I love (Juno, Up in the Air, and Young Adult), although there’s a secret conservatism lurking at the edges of those films that he really doubles down on here.

The
film is certainly well acted and directed, for what it’s worth. I guess
I’m just going to have to give these guys a mulligan. Whatever they
were going for, they didn’t achieve. Unless they were trying to give me a
few good sneaky laughs behind my hands. In which case, well played.

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