‘Toil and Trouble’: Hallowe'en as an Educational Theme and Political Issue

Children, schools and Hallowe’en

“…Perhaps more than any other contemporary British festival, Hallowe'en poses significant and fundamental questions, both for children and for adults: 214 M. Plater social, psychological, moral and religious questions which challenge many of our everyday practices and assumptions, and which leave us struggling with deep fears, uncertainties and insecurities (Homan 1991;Davis and Edwards 2004). Perhaps, that is why we adults hold such ambivalent feelings towards the subject: it is too complex and uncomfortable for us to handle.…”

“…Considering this wealth of potential for artistic, historical, moral, social and psychological exploration, Homan (1991) expresses dismay at the declining reference to Hallowe'en in the primary school curriculum. Whereas 10 or 15 years previously teachers assumed that, 'the cycle in primary schools was, 'harvest', 'witches', and then 'Christmas' (Bath and Wells Diocese 1996), with adults 'having to wend (their) way under the witches suspended from strings spread across the classroom', by the late 1980s the subject had all but disappeared from schools in response to a concerted lobby against it from evangelical parachurch organisations (Plater 2004).…”

Toil and trouble confirmed: the demise of Hallowe’en in English primary schools

“…It would appear that this decision was not made intentionally on the basis of a sound educational rationale, but by default, and in response to the strongly expressed viewpoints of a vocal minority (Homan, 1991). With recent interest in the paranormal, made popular through media emphasis on Harry Potter and other such phenomena, perhaps it is time for schools to reconsider their aversion to the festival, and to give thought to developing appropriate pedagogical strategies for handing such sensitive material within the curriculum.…”

“…While many adults fondly recall childhood memories of daytime pranks and evening activities (Plater, 2004), the festival has also been the focus of a quite significant anti-Hallowe'en lobby (Homan, 1991;Plater, 1993). Urban myths abound and media coverage typically focuses on vandalism and community fears, providing little that is of genuine factual or educational value (Ellis, 1994).…”

“…Or perhaps even more significantly, 'From what other sources will children gain an understanding of the seasonal events which include Hallowe'en, and who else will help them to consider the issues which are raised by the activities they participate in or encounter?' If we were to begin from an opposite perspective, it might be argued that schools should seek out ways of including the festival in the curriculum, simply because it is so relevant to the experience of young people in our society (Beck, 1985;Davis & Edwards, 1988), and precisely because it raises so many important issues about freedom and safety, how we make sense of the world we live in, and so on (Homan, 1991). More specifically, if religious education is to make itself relevant to the lives of young children, in addition to expanding their horizons by offering a taste of the experiences and questions raised by others, it must deal creatively with the experiences and questions which those children themselves bring to the classroom (Cush, 2005).…”