Should Valentine’s Day be celebrated in schools?

Valentine’s is coming, how are your children? I remember being in high school and the Interact Club would be collecting orders for Valentine’s Day roses. We could order flowers for our friends in other schools and they could order for us as well. There was a silent, unspoken stigma surrounding those who didn’t get anything on the day. You could always predict who would have the most flowers and the biggest teddy bear. That was then. I wonder how Valentine’s Day in schools looks like now. With the advent of social media the Valentine’s Olympics have become cut throat. Which begs the question, should Valentine’s Day be celebrated in schools?

Whether or not Valentine’s Day should be celebrated in schools is a complex question with no easy answer. There are valid arguments to be made on both sides of the issue.

Valentine’s Day with all its pomp and fanfare can be a great opportunity to promote social and emotional learning. Students can have a chance to learn about different kinds of love, friendship, and empathy. They can practice expressing their feelings in a positive way and making others feel special. But for this to happen, there needs to be a solid foundation laid at home. After all, charity begins at home. Have you spoken to your kids about love and relationships? Do they understand the gravity of dating? Are they allowed to be dating? Are they emotionally prepared for all the drama that comes with mjolo and everything that comes along with?

I know a school that has introduced a rigorous Entrepreneurship curriculum. In this case, Valentine’s Day is an opportunity to teach the kids about running a business, taking orders, managing stock, packaging and making deliveries. Children can get first hand experience on how a business is run in a safe and almost predictable environment.

Valentine’s Day can also boost creativity amongst the children. If handmade cards and gifts still had value, Valentine’s Day would be a time for students to get creative with crafts, cards and decorations. This would be a fun and engaging way to express themselves and learn new skills. This take can still be beneficial to kids of younger ages. The kids who are still innocent and untainted by societal pressures.

We have to acknowledge that celebrating Valentine’s Day in schools can be exclusionary. It goes without saying that not all students have romantic partners or close friends to celebrate with. This can leave some students feeling left out or lonely. And this is if they aren’t ridiculed for receiving zero gifts/flowers. Valentine’s Day festivities can open up our kids to bullying. Not all gifts are good gifts. Getting no gift is probably the worst gift of all.

As adults we dread going to family gatherings and being asked when we are getting married. If we can’t handle that pressure in our adult years, what more in our adolescence? If we’re being honest with ourselves, we didn’t start buying ourselves Vale gifts now. We started doing that long ago back in high school. But what happens to the kids who can’t afford to buy themselves gifts to lessen the pressure?

Who stands to gain the most monetarily from all the roses sold?

How much is your child’s broken heart worth to you?

This gifting venture can be commercialised to minors who don’t understand how capitalism works. Valentine’s civvies day always felt like a cash grab to me. Valentine’s Day is often associated with expensive gifts and treats. Social media has set unrealistic standards not just in the beauty industry but here as well. Giant bouquets and money bouquets have really set the bar quite high. This can put pressure on students and families to spend money they may not have. We don’t need to go down the rabbit hole on how this is a potential recipe for disaster. In this harsh economy, how many kids are receiving tuck money religiously? How many parents can afford lavish gifts for school going kids?

Obviously delivering flowers door to door to each class can be disruptive to learning. Valentine’s Day activities are disruptive to the regular school day. This can be especially true in younger grades, where students may be easily distracted. Can all the gifts be delivered during break time successfully?

Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to celebrate Valentine’s Day in schools is up to each school. There is no right or wrong answer, and the best approach will vary depending on the age and needs of the students. Parents and teachers have to work together to teach the kids about Valentine’s Day and what it means. They also have to create a safe space for everyone to have a good day regardless of what happens.

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