Did saying the Pledge of Allegiance in school mean anything to you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No. Said the pledge for 12 years in private school. Eventually it just became a hoop to jump through and I could say it while thinking about other things.

I am patriotic and care about my country, but worshipping a flag is not part of it.

You don’t understand that the flag is only representative. You’re not actually worshipping the flag per se.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, very meaningful.

It belongs in every school, without exception.

Why?

And why?

Because it expresses the crucial, foundational ideals on which our proud nation rests, and of which we need to remind Americans daily ( given how many soon forget), and

Because this is the United States.

Because nothing says freedom like being forced to stand and recite something.

[Anonymous]

I have a soft spot for the pledge, because it felt great to get to be the pledge leader for the day or the week. Nothing like the adrenaline of rushing to sharpen your pencil before the pledge started! The second best jobs were getting to take attendance sheets and lunch orders to the main office, or go to the main office to call the time and weather hotline so we could fill in the weather chart.

My child is at a highly regarded independent Catholic school and I feel sad for how they rush through their days yet seem to do nothing. I get pangs about the things they don’t have time for, that happen online, or that are done for them. They don’t even sharpen their own pencils- frankly I can’t imagine them grasping the meaning of the Pledge.

Fwiw, justice for all left an impression on me and I am in law now.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, very meaningful.

It belongs in every school, without exception.

Why?

And why?

Because it expresses the crucial, foundational ideals on which our proud nation rests, and of which we need to remind Americans daily ( given how many soon forget), and

Because this is the United States.

Because nothing says freedom like being forced to stand and recite something.

Idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a kid, no it didn't mean anything because frankly nothing meant anything. I did what I was supposed to because I was told to. It's not until I matured that I thought about what it was supposed to mean and the purpose of it. I guess it's supposed to instill patriotic pride and for many many years it did. My dad's generation is very patriotic. But then as a country we stopped instilling any sort of loyalty or allegiance to anything but ourselves and made everything "optional." Now we have no enduring loyalty to basically anything in life. Whatev. We did this to ourselves so we will muddle through because we apparently know what's best.

I love your post. Many things are meaningless to kids, but we still instill things in them for the day that they can appreciate it. Things eventually go from rote to understanding. The pledge for me represented our values. As others have said what we aspire to. Community, one nation. Of all the things Kids are exposed to on a daily basis, a routine involving saying the pledge is not something that bothers me in the least.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, very meaningful.

It belongs in every school, without exception.

Why?

And why?

Because it expresses the crucial, foundational ideals on which our proud nation rests, and of which we need to remind Americans daily ( given how many soon forget), and

Because this is the United States.

Because nothing says freedom like being forced to stand and recite something.

Whoosh!

- that’s the sound of the point, flying way over your closed-minded little head.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a soft spot for the pledge, because it felt great to get to be the pledge leader for the day or the week. Nothing like the adrenaline of rushing to sharpen your pencil before the pledge started! The second best jobs were getting to take attendance sheets and lunch orders to the main office, or go to the main office to call the time and weather hotline so we could fill in the weather chart.

My child is at a highly regarded independent Catholic school and I feel sad for how they rush through their days yet seem to do nothing. I get pangs about the things they don’t have time for, that happen online, or that are done for them. They don’t even sharpen their own pencils- frankly I can’t imagine them grasping the meaning of the Pledge.

Fwiw, justice for all left an impression on me and I am in law now.

Who sharpens their pencils for them?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, very meaningful.

It belongs in every school, without exception.

Why?

And why?

Because it expresses the crucial, foundational ideals on which our proud nation rests, and of which we need to remind Americans daily ( given how many soon forget), and

Because this is the United States.

Because nothing says freedom like being forced to stand and recite something.

100%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, very meaningful.

It belongs in every school, without exception.

Why?

And why?

Because it expresses the crucial, foundational ideals on which our proud nation rests, and of which we need to remind Americans daily ( given how many soon forget), and

Because this is the United States.

Because nothing says freedom like being forced to stand and recite something.

100%.

Except no one is forced to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a soft spot for the pledge, because it felt great to get to be the pledge leader for the day or the week. Nothing like the adrenaline of rushing to sharpen your pencil before the pledge started! The second best jobs were getting to take attendance sheets and lunch orders to the main office, or go to the main office to call the time and weather hotline so we could fill in the weather chart.

My child is at a highly regarded independent Catholic school and I feel sad for how they rush through their days yet seem to do nothing. I get pangs about the things they don’t have time for, that happen online, or that are done for them. They don’t even sharpen their own pencils- frankly I can’t imagine them grasping the meaning of the Pledge.

Fwiw, justice for all left an impression on me and I am in law now.

Who sharpens their pencils for them?!

They turn them in at the end of the day, teacher sharpens them, they take them out of a communal jar the next morning. Apparently there were too many pencil sharpening breaks and too much jostling at the sharpener. Not sure why they couldn’t just learn self-control, ownership and to sharpen their own d*mn pencils all at the same time, but that’s the least of my complaints so I ignore it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, very meaningful.

It belongs in every school, without exception.

Why?

And why?

Because it expresses the crucial, foundational ideals on which our proud nation rests, and of which we need to remind Americans daily ( given how many soon forget), and

Because this is the United States.

Because nothing says freedom like being forced to stand and recite something.

100%.

Except no one is forced to.

They really are. It's true that if a child didn't stand and had a cogent argument for why not, they would not be forced. But in reality, a 5-year-old will simply do as told 99% of the time and not question it. Moreover, any kid who didn't stand would really stand out among their peers, and the children would almost certainly say something about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, very meaningful.

It belongs in every school, without exception.

Why?

And why?

Because it expresses the crucial, foundational ideals on which our proud nation rests, and of which we need to remind Americans daily ( given how many soon forget), and

Because this is the United States.

Because nothing says freedom like being forced to stand and recite something.

100%.

Except no one is forced to.

Kids are forced to or punished for not participating. Likely not in this area where it's less of a pervasive cultural practice and administrators don't want lawsuits. But you know there are places where it's still like my experience in the 80s-getting yelled at in front of the class, kicked out of class, or given detention and all the adults with power thought that was perfectly okay.

[Anonymous]

When as a new immigrant from Europe I entered MS and was required to do this for every group assembly, I didn't know the words and just stood silently. It meant nothing to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Yes, very meaningful.

It belongs in every school, without exception.

Why?

And why?

Because it expresses the crucial, foundational ideals on which our proud nation rests, and of which we need to remind Americans daily ( given how many soon forget), and

Because this is the United States.

Because nothing says freedom like being forced to stand and recite something.

100%.

Except no one is forced to.

You are mistaken. In my public high school, you got detention if you didn't participate. That's force.

[Anonymous]

No.