It had no meaning to me, since we did it every day it was just *there*.

We also had a standard grace that we said before meals, and we'd often try to say it as fast as possible and honestly it held little value.

Nope. I stopped saying it and just standing quietly probably in 8th grade.

I was actually surprised when I was at my kids elementary school one morning earlier this year and they were still doing it! I know I shouldn’t have been. It’s just so… creepy.

Anonymous wrote:No, it was just part of the daily routine, and kids like routine so I’m thinking that was the main benefit.

I think this is a benefit but schools don't seem to agree nowadays.

No. Like the Our Father or Hail Mary, it was just rote. No feelings behind it.

That changed when I got older.

Yes. It meant that I was being encouraged to lie -- or that the government was telling me to lie, possibly so that I would believe the lies that we were collectively reciting.

I attended a racially segregated elementary school where "Brown vs Bd of Ed" hadn't changed much. I remember saying to a teacher, "it says: 'and Justice for All' and that's not true". The teacher did not respond directly to my comment, but, instead, spoke with me about the importance of showing respectful behavior.

I don't remember saying the pledge in school after I left elementary school. I later worked in schools, and was struck by the images of young children, dressed in uniforms, parroting this "pledge" -- often in communities that still hadn't received "Justice for All". For me, rather than feeling some communal sense of patriotism or loyalty or identity, saying the Pledge of Allegiance is one of the things that made me question the supposed ideals of America vs my own reality and experiences from a very early age.

I'm a military veteran and fairly patriotic now.

For most or all of elementary school, I think I was saying "I pledge *of* allegiance..."

Considering that in retrospect, I don't think it really registered as a personal pledge. On the other hand, I do remember thinking about "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

I don't think it's a bad thing to have this sort of recitation about our country's ideals. Even if we have to constantly strive to meet them, maybe it's good to be reminded of what we're striving for.

My mom was a public school teacher at a different school from me. She always told me she didn’t make her kids recite the pledge, but she expected them to be respectful (just stand quietly) during it.

She was and still is very anti-authoritarian and told me she didn’t care if I recited it, either. I think the US could and should be great and am proud to serve my country. As a kid, I recited it except for the “under God” part.

No, it was just part of the daily routine, and kids like routine so I’m thinking that was the main benefit.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nope. I went to a Catholic school and we added "the born and unborn" after "liberty and justice for all." Pretty clear, even to kid me, that it was intended as indoctrination, and even then I thought it was kind of weird.

Oh, I have never heard of that addition to the pledge. Yes that is odd.

Tacking on that bit of indoctrination does make pretty clear what the whole Pledge is about, though.

I was fairly patriotic as a kid/teenager (I'm less so now), but the recitation of the pledge was never a big part of that.

Nope. Waste of time for the most part. But I do see the value in teaching patience.

Anonymous wrote:Nope. I went to a Catholic school and we added "the born and unborn" after "liberty and justice for all." Pretty clear, even to kid me, that it was intended as indoctrination, and even then I thought it was kind of weird.

Oh, I have never heard of that addition to the pledge. Yes that is odd.

Nope. Never gave it much thought. Just something we said at the start of the school day. If anything, it signaled that school had started.

Nope. I went to a Catholic school and we added "the born and unborn" after "liberty and justice for all." Pretty clear, even to kid me, that it was intended as indoctrination, and even then I thought it was kind of weird.

I work in an elementary school and I just heard the pledge over the announcements. It never meant much to me, I'm wondering if it meant anything to you and to your family. Not wanting to get snarky or political here, just a personal question.