Why Do Boston School Children Have a St. Patrick's Day Holiday?

I used to stump my students with this question when I taught fourth graders. They came up with some very creative answers to imagine why St. Patrick's Day would be a day off for their fellow students in Boston. Why would they be in school and Boston children have the day off?

It was a trick question. While the media focuses on the St. Patrick's Day events in Boston, it is not the official reason students have the day off from school. March 17 is Evacuation Day in Boston. Tell kids that and they jump off into another whole train of thought as to what would cause Boston to be evacuated.

Start nudging children towards history and you get them closer to the mark. Evacuation day is celebrated as the day British troops left Boston during the American Revolution.

I always find it a fun challenge to find out how many people know about the paid holiday and its origins.