Pledge/Flags in public school

[Blerpiez]

At my school we were never led in the pledge of allegiance, and we did not have American flags in our classrooms until the middle of last year.  From reading other threads I learned that both of these things are required by law.  What are your experiences/views on these issues?

[MasterJedi]

Yes/Yes

[7,052,770]

Yes/Yes

[The Dowager Mod]

Had a picture of president Eisenhower on the wall too, I should have counted the stars on the flag.

[AkSaber]

My elementary school had American flags in every class room, and we recited the pledge every morning.

[CPT MikeyMike]

Yes/Yes

At my school we were never led in the pledge of allegiance, and we did not have American flags in our classrooms until the middle of last year.  From reading other threads I learned that both of these things are required by law.  What are your experiences/views on these issues?

Where are you from in MA? I grew up in MA and we always had them.

[Everett]

Whilst I vaguely remember learning the Pledge, we didn't exactly wallpaper our house with the American flag. I certainly never recited it past the equivalent of second or maybe third grade in the conventional public school system. Maybe that explains why I ended up becoming such an unpatriotic Communist sympathising terrorist-hugger.

[Boris]

Yes/Yes

We recite it every morning at my high school, although it's obviously not obligatory. It's kinda funny how haphazardly it's recited though. Several people are too lazy to stand up so they just sit down and say it, while others don't join in until like halfway. And no one paid attention when we had tests.

I remember reciting it once a week in Middle School, but only after 9/11 occurred. lol.

Probably did it in elementary school, but I don't remember how frequently.

[phk]

Yes/Yes

[Blerpiez]

Yes/Yes

At my school we were never led in the pledge of allegiance, and we did not have American flags in our classrooms until the middle of last year.  From reading other threads I learned that both of these things are required by law.  What are your experiences/views on these issues?

Where are you from in MA? I grew up in MA and we always had them.

I'm from Sudbury.  I understand that this is a thing that doesn't exactly differ by broad regions, but really from school to school.  Every other public school around here that I have seen does have flags, and before high school we did recite the pledge every week.

[Person Man]

Yes/Yes

We recite it every morning at my high school, although it's obviously not obligatory. It's kinda funny how haphazardly it's recited though. Several people are too lazy to stand up so they just sit down and say it, while others don't join in until like halfway. And no one paid attention when we had tests.

I remember reciting it once a week in Middle School, but only after 9/11 occurred. lol.

Probably did it in elementary school, but I don't remember how frequently.

That's how it was when I went to High School....and there was FOX news in the lobby.

[CPT MikeyMike]

Yes/Yes

At my school we were never led in the pledge of allegiance, and we did not have American flags in our classrooms until the middle of last year.  From reading other threads I learned that both of these things are required by law.  What are your experiences/views on these issues?

Where are you from in MA? I grew up in MA and we always had them.

I'm from Sudbury.  I understand that this is a thing that doesn't exactly differ by broad regions, but really from school to school.  Every other public school around here that I have seen does have flags, and before high school we did recite the pledge every week.

Doesn't Sudbury go to a regional school? Nevertheless, I'm shocked that Sudbury doesn't have them. I thought you'd say either Amherst or Cambridge.

BTW: I grew up in Medway and I did some vendoring work for Sudbury Farms while in college.

[Blerpiez]

Yes/Yes

At my school we were never led in the pledge of allegiance, and we did not have American flags in our classrooms until the middle of last year.  From reading other threads I learned that both of these things are required by law.  What are your experiences/views on these issues?

Where are you from in MA? I grew up in MA and we always had them.

I'm from Sudbury.  I understand that this is a thing that doesn't exactly differ by broad regions, but really from school to school.  Every other public school around here that I have seen does have flags, and before high school we did recite the pledge every week.

Doesn't Sudbury go to a regional school? Nevertheless, I'm shocked that Sudbury doesn't have them. I thought you'd say either Amherst or Cambridge.

BTW: I grew up in Medway and I did some vendoring work for Sudbury Farms while in college.

Yes, our high school is called Lincoln-Sudbury Regional HS.  I don't know how long ago you lived in the area, but Sudbury is now pretty liberal and solidly Democratic.  The high school in particular is thought of as very liberal in its policies and attitudes (as well as the politics of its staff and students).

[Alcon]

Yes/Yes

I'm pretty sure this is true of every public school in the United States.  Even in San "Homobortionville" Francisco.

[Frodo]

I don't remember having to say the pledge of allegiance, but there were flags in every classroom, and we did have a mandated moment of silence before the start of the first class in the day. 

And remember, this is pre-9/11....back in the day, you know? 

[Ebowed]

Yes/Yes, but I would happily vote against any such law requiring either.  The Pledge of Allegiance should be abolished.

[angus]

Goddamned right we did.  Back then you could hold up your head high and be proud of being a yankee.  And I even started kindergarten in 1973, the year we surrendered in Viet Nam.  Surely Iraq isn't as bad as Viet Nam, and yet these days young folks won't even admit to being a yankee on a Paris subway.  Hell, when I visited paris for the first time at the age of seven, I had no problem wearing my Mickey Mouse T-shirt and psycedelic bell-bottoms, like any dorky american schoolchild would have in those days.  I don't know what the kids are wearing now, but you can bet it's anything anti-US when they're overseas.  Pussies.

I do think we should have freer and more open borders, and I have no problem teaching in Spanish or Chinese in public schools if it helps the locals learn, and I certainly don't support this English-only crap, but I also think it doesn't hurt to remind them who's paying for that education.  I am.  And you are.  Fly the banner high, and let's remind them all of our allegiance.  Maybe if we weren't so busy beating up on those who don't speak english at home, or those who are muslims or queer or cigarette smokers or whatever, folks wouldn't be so goddamned ashamed to pledge to  the flag and to the republic it represents.

I keep a flag on my desk in order to remind myself every day of the good people who fund my grant and, indirectly, my salary.  I keep it right next to a big poster of a seven-pronged cannibis leaf with the words "make it legal."  Land of the free.  Home of the brave.  I don't often pledge my allegiance to it, but I remember fondly the pledges of my youth, and I think they made me a better citizen.

I'll pledge now.  I pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america, and to the republic it represents.  One nation with liberty and justice for all.

We can call the two word prepositional phrase "under god" optional.  Frankly, I think they should lose that.

[J. J.]

At my school we were never led in the pledge of allegiance, and we did not have American flags in our classrooms until the middle of last year.  From reading other threads I learned that both of these things are required by law.  What are your experiences/views on these issues?

Yes/Yes, and I like anyone that quotes P J O'Rourke's Parliament of Whores in their signature.

[Padfoot]

There was actually a big argument in my High School about the pledge.  Bush invaded Iraq during my senior year and there was a small group of people opposed to the war who refused to stand for the pledge afterward.  The school tried to give them detention but when their parents threatened to take the district to court the school struck a deal and those students sat in the office during the pledge so that they "didn't cause a disturbance."  This ended up being completely counteractive because all of these students were always late for second period which caused an even greater disturbance.  The school stopped using this policy after all the teachers complained about their classes being interrupted by late comers every day.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Abolish the pledge.

[??????????]

Yes/Yes and make the pledge mandatory to say in class. None of this "I object" bs either.

[7,052,770]

Yes/Yes and make the pledge mandatory to say in class. None of this "I object" bs either.

Forcing someone to say the pledge is contradictory to the freedom the pledge represents.

At my high school, we were technically required to say the pledge, but I know one guy who didn't, and he never got in trouble.  I have no objection to the pledge personally, so I always said it.

[??????????]

Yes/Yes and make the pledge mandatory to say in class. None of this "I object" bs either.

Forcing someone to say the pledge is contradictory to the freedom the pledge represents.

At my high school, we were technically required to say the pledge, but I know one guy who didn't, and he never got in trouble.  I have no objection to the pledge personally, so I always said it.

Freedom isn't free, plus we are talking about children, who don't have full constitutional rights anyhow.

[SPC]

Yes/Yes and make the pledge mandatory to say in class. None of this "I object" bs either.

Forcing someone to say the pledge is contradictory to the freedom the pledge represents.

Yes/Yes, however, I protest to it by reciting the entire thing in gibberish.

[Colin]

Yes/Yes

I went to a private school and we only had to say it before major assemblies, which were rather infrequent no more than once a month or so, and as you can see its scarred me with a lack of patriotism and nationalism for the rest of my life. As for making people say the Pledge, I think its a horrible idea and goes against everything the Pledge stands for.