Most schools in Utah celebrate Halloween in school. There are a lot of reasons not to celebrate Halloween at school, and you can find most of those talked about all over the web this month. They range from celebrating bad eating habits to costumes that are inappropriate for school. A quick search of the web for reasons to celebrate Halloween at school yields no results.

One reason to have Halloween celebrations at school that is not widely talked about is the relationship between the teacher and student. Students who have a positive relationship with their teacher will want to learn from them, while students who don’t have a positive relationship will not.

Halloween is a great way for teacher and students to engage in imaginative play together and get to know each other better. Coming, as it does, at the beginning of the school year, it is a great opportunity for the teacher to know their students’ interests. A student that comes to school as an astronaut or a cowboy provides a great indicator of how to approach that student to help them learn subjects better.

Students also get to know their teacher better. A teacher who dresses up as a ballerina or a clown or a lab technician also reveals their interests. One of the most interesting things about teaching was the first day of class, when students would interrogate me about my life: was I married, how many children did I have, where was I born. Students wanted to know everything about my life. It seems natural that students would want to know a lot about their teacher who they will spend so much time with, in the case of elementary school or who will have so much effect on their future careers, in the case of high school students.

The relationship between students and teachers can only be strengthened when they enjoy an innocent time of imaginative play together and get to know each other through a holiday that most find low-stress, enjoyable and innocent. The relationship formed will help students learn better over the course of the year. I support the celebration of Halloween in schools as a way to help students, both, enjoy school and do better in school.

Jeanne Whitmore is the founder and CEO of American Fork charter school Aristotle Academy, and an education columnist for the American Fork Citizen. You can learn more about Aristotle Academy at aristotleacademyk8.org or on Facebook.