Halloween Should Be Fun (October 31, 2007)

Halloween is a fun time for kids.  They can dress up and pretend to be anything they want.  Even adults like to dress up.  In America, children will knock on doors and say “trick or treat?”  It is a question that means “would you like me to trick you or would you rather give me a treat?”  A treat is something nice and usually adults will give children some candies.  Some kids have made up rhymes to make it even more fun.  One of them goes like this:

Trick or treat/Smell my feet/Give me something good to eat/If you don’t, I don’t care/I will take off your underwear!

Halloween is especially fun for kindergarten kids.  Sometimes, kindergarten teachers will decorate the classroom with spider webs, skeletons, and Jack O’Lanterns.  Jack O’Lanterns are pumpkin shells with a candle inside.  Americans like to carve out eyes, a nose, and a mouth on the pumpkin shell so the Jack O’Lantern can be either scary or funny.  Kids can go to school wearing their costumes and eat candies and other sweets.

Jordon Lock is 5 years old.  He went to school dressed like a firefighter.  He also brought a plastic axe with him.  His teacher told the school principal about the toy axe.  The principal called Jordon’s mother saying that the toy axe could be considered as a weapon.  The principal explained that weapons are not allowed in school.  So, he had to suspend Jordon from school for one day.

When other parents found out, they were angry with the principal for not being able to tell the difference between a toy axe and a real weapon.  They think the principal should be suspended, not Jordon.  What do you think?