Should public schools be required by law to recite the Pledge every morning?

Josie said:

Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.

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No reason for it. End it.

SDET said:

Yup, along with The Lord's Prayer . Our society has been falling in the crapper since it was done away with in 1962.

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Proof ?
Or is this just your opinion ?
My opinion .. .. being forced to do ANYTHING is not good ..

Master PO said:

does not matter i don't support people, who advocate for the gutting of the constitution.

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So we are right back to you opposing it cuz you don't like the guy who wrote it, which is hilariously pathetic.

Redress said:

So we are right back to you opposing it cuz you don't like the guy who wrote it, which is hilariously pathetic.

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i oppose, because its from a man who with his ideas threaten the constitution...which my allegiance is to the constitution, not the u.s.

Master PO said:

i oppose, because its from a man who with his ideas threaten the constitution...which my allegiance is to the constitution, not the u.s.

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So if a guy invents a cure for cancer, but advocates for socialism, you would oppose the cure. God it is hard to take libertarians seriously...

Redress said:

So if a guy invents a cure for cancer, but advocates for socialism, you would oppose the cure. God it is hard to take libertarians seriously...

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so i have an allegiance to cancer?:doh

pretty stupid! post from you

I realize the United States has a desperate shortage of laws and we need to draft a lot more really stupid laws in a hurry. My opinion is that whether a state wants to have a law or not is not important. If they have the law saying the day starts with the Pledge of Allegiance that's fine but anyone who chooses to stand silent can. I do not hold with the delicate flowers who can't stand, or whose parents can't stand, to hear certain words. They can go pound sand but I believe not saying the Pledge of Allegiance is as much free speech as is saying the Pledge of Allegiance.

But, all of this is in the context of our pressing need for more laws and, oh, lord knows, more regulations. We aren't regulated nearly enough. Some people wipe their butts with one square of toilet paper and some use ten or fifteen squares of toilet paper. Obviously, this is a crisis in regulation that is screaming for attention.

Josie said:

Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.

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Yes. They should also be reminded with some regularity of what a Republic is, what Liberty is, what Justice is and what "All" means. They should be reminded that respect for the principles on which this nation was founded and humility before the sacrifice so many made to secure those principles is an important part of preserving those principles for themselves and their progeny.

They need to understand that America isn't a list of presidents and a spot on the map. America is them and respect for the flag is truly a matter of self respect.

Lutherf said:

Yes. They should also be reminded with some regularity of what a Republic is, what Liberty is, what Justice is and what "All" means. They should be reminded that respect for the principles on which this nation was founded and humility before the sacrifice so many made to secure those principles is an important part of preserving those principles for themselves and their progeny.

They need to understand that America isn't a list of presidents and a spot on the map. America is them and respect for the flag is truly a matter of self respect.

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Maybe so,but one shouldn't force it.
It's kind of contradictory in the land of the free.

As citizens, we impliedly owe allegiance to the nation anyway, so no need to say it.
Also, we all learn about the American Revolution etc. too, so blah.

Verthaine said:

Maybe so,but one shouldn't force it.
It's kind of contradictory in the land of the free.

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If you don't demand a certain standard then you have no standards. Those who resist or refuse are free to do so but not in the classroom. Their choice not to participate constitutes a disruption and that should not be tolerated in the classroom. It's kind of the same as if a manager in one of your restaurants decided that welcoming guests wasn't part of his job.

Lutherf said:

If you don't demand a certain standard then you have no standards. Those who resist or refuse are free to do so but not in the classroom. Their choice not to participate constitutes a disruption and that should not be tolerated in the classroom. It's kind of the same as if a manager in one of your restaurants decided that welcoming guests wasn't part of his job.

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The difference is that I pay my employees. They sign a contract stating that they understood and would abide by the rules of employement.

Exactly how does standing in silence constitute a disruption?
Don't be facetious.
I've seen kids beaten up after class in the 60's for refusing to recite the Pledge.
Is that what you want to bring back?
We aleady had one poster advocating making the Lord's Prayer mandatory.
Is that what you want to bring back also?
Just asking.

Verthaine said:

The difference is that I pay my employees. They sign a contract stating that they understood and would abide by the rules of employement.

Exactly how does standing in silence constitute a disruption?
Don't be facetious.
I've seen kids beaten up after class in the 60's for refusing to recite the Pledge.
Is that what you want to bring back?
We aleady had one poster advocating making the Lord's Prayer mandatory.
Is that what you want to bring back also?
Just asking.

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Nah, I don't advocate beatings or mandatory prayer. I simply believe that having certain expectations and expecting them to be met is a necessary part of education. I also believe that showing respect even if you don't believe or agree with a certain concept is also part of the educational process. I'm not going to throw a kid in jail because he doesn't recite the Pledge of Allegiance but I am going to reinforce the principles behind the pledge and the reasons for the expectations that students recite the pledge. If the kid doesn't want to recite the pledge then let him go to some private school where expectations are optional.

Lutherf said:

Nah, I don't advocate beatings or mandatory prayer. I simply believe that having certain expectations and expecting them to be met is a necessary part of education. I also believe that showing respect even if you don't believe or agree with a certain concept is also part of the educational process. I'm not going to throw a kid in jail because he doesn't recite the Pledge of Allegiance but I am going to reinforce the principles behind the pledge and the reasons for the expectations that students recite the pledge. If the kid doesn't want to recite the pledge then let him go to some private school where expectations are optional.

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How are you going to reinforce the principles behind the pledge and the reasons for the expectations that students recite the pledge.
Are you going to punish them for not reciting?
If a child refuses to say the pledge,just what are you going to do about it?
Plus you never did expalin how a child standing in class is disruptive.

thought i had read something recently about that communist Obama undermining the saying of the pledge of allegiance
appears another lie is making the rounds
Fact Check: No, Obama has not banned Pledge of Allegiance | jacksonville.com

Verthaine said:

How are you going to reinforce the principles behind the pledge and the reasons for the expectations that students recite the pledge.
Are you going to punish them for not reciting?
If a child refuses to say the pledge,just what are you going to do about it?
Plus you never did expalin how a child standing in class is disruptive.

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You reinforce by having a conversation with the kid and, perhaps, the parents. Maybe there's some kind of misunderstanding behind the resistance.

There doesn't need to be a punishment. There needs to be an expectation and reinforcement of that expectation.

As far as how not participating is disruptive, such things are kind of a team sport and not even trying is the antithesis of "team".

Lutherf said:

You reinforce by having a conversation with the kid and, perhaps, the parents. Maybe there's some kind of misunderstanding behind the resistance.

There doesn't need to be a punishment. There needs to be an expectation and reinforcement of that expectation.

As far as how not participating is disruptive, such things are kind of a team sport and not even trying is the antithesis of "team".

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A football team is a team.A class room is a collective of individuals.

No offense,but you are beginning to sound a little Borgish.
Everyone must conform.
Rather scary if you ask me.
Glad I wasn't one to confirm.
I don't think I would have been quite as successful if I did conform.
Sometimes a little rebellion is a good thing.

Our Forefathers thought so.

Verthaine said:

A football team is a team.A class room is a collective of individuals.

No offense,but you are beginning to sound a little Borgish.
Everyone must conform.
Rather scary if you ask me.
Glad I wasn't one to confirm.
I don't think I would have been quite as successful if I did conform.
Sometimes a little rebellion is a good thing.

Our Forefathers thought so.

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Rebellion is definitely a good thing but you need to know what you're rebelling against. Like most things in life, it's generally beneficial to show that you can conform before you rebel. You get, and deserve, more respect that way.

Josie said:

Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.

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Schools should be required to have it yes as they are representative of our government. Students however should not be required to say it.

Josie said:

Every morning the students stand, face the flag, hand over heart and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Should that be mandatory of all public schools in your state? Would you support that legislation? Please tell us why.

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Yes but with the option for parents to opt out of the public schools by offering students who wish to enroll in the private or parochial school of their choice. This, to be funded by a School Choice tax credit on the parent's tax returns that is indexed to 80% of what the government would otherwise have paid for the child's public school costs.

A win, win, win for everyone. Johnny isn't necessarily forced to recite anything that contradicts his family's values. The parents are reimbursed their private/parochial school tuition costs. The tax-payers save .20 cents on the dollar in public school education costs for every student that opts out of the traditional public school system. Alternately, the public schools could use that .20 on the dollar per student windfall to finance things like more technology in the classroom and other capital improvements. Meanwhile, the public school overcrowded classes problem is solved. All education will improve as schools now compete to be the best that they can be in order to attract and retain students as opposed to the current system where parents with limited resources are forced to accept whatever the government offers.

All qualifying schools would need to meet certain academic benchmarks such as being accredited by a respected accrediting agency. As an alternate, students scoring grades on standardized tests at levels roughly equivalent to the scores of their public school counterparts. Plus, an equivalent percentage of graduating seniors being accepted to college as in their community's public schools, graduate with various vocational licenses and certifications.

The question is will the government, or better stated powerful interests that control the government, be willing to give up control over the indoctrination of your children?

MorrisDay said:

You have to take an oath of allegiance to become a U.S. citizen, to enlist in the U.S. military, and to become a federal government "servant" so what's wrong with continuing to instill a little allegiance to our great country in our youngsters?

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An interesting question would be whether forcing children to blindly repeat the words every day without any real understanding of what they mean or represent actually instils any kind of real allegiance to the country, especially when the very act of forcing them to do so could be seen as directly contradicting the principles behind it?

Do you really want people to be loyal to the USA and your constitution because they were effectively indoctrinated in to it from an early age and know nothing else or do you want them to be loyal because they’ve understood and thought about everything they stand for and reached a free conclusion that they are right?

I'm a patriot and I value nationalism, but I still find the practice gratuitous. It's even self-defeating, as repetition eviscerates any act of sentimentality and reverence. If patriotism is the aim, there are far better and more fruitful ways of cultivating and demonstrating it.

Mandating that anyone be forced to say anything should not be allowed. Freedom of speech includes the right to not say anything.

Or even sitting during anthems..

Should all adult citizens of the USofA be required to recite the Pledge each and every day at work?