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Should the Pledge be recited in class?
Yes, but don't force anyone to recite it. 38 (80.9%)
Yes, but only if you take GOD out first. 4 (8.5%)
No, students should not be pledging allegiance to anything. 5 (10.6%)
Total Votes: 47
Pledge of Allegiance
Topic Started: Sep 13 2007, 08:52 PM (5,875 Views)
DannyB
Member
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My 4th and 5th grader who attend Johnson informed me that they do not say the Pledge of Allegiance at school as a group. I find this very disturbing and surprising. The Pledge was said daily as a group at Randolph....

Is this true for the other schools?

I emailed the principal to confirm this...just wondered if anybody else has encountered this.


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BoaterDan
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If it turns out to be an individual teacher that decided not to, they might need to know that every board meeting begins with it. :)
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DannyB
Member
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I was just informed that it is up to the individual teachers to recite the Pledge or not at Johnson..
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Mrs.M
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Seems a bit hypocritical...ignore or avoid the pledge, yet expect and demand more money from the govenrment.

Teacher option for the pledge has been around for years, more than 10.
I'd agree with you, but then we'd both be WRONG.
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bailey
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I was also told by my child at Riley they have not said the pledge either..He was disturbed by that. I asked him to ask his teacher. I will let you know.
mouse
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BoaterDan
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Not to get all political here, but let's be honest - these days there are no doubt teachers in our district that are rather opposed to the principles expressed in the pledge. If the worst they do is not say the pledge we may want to just be thankful and call it a day.
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bjorenson
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BoaterDan
Sep 14 2007, 09:19 PM
Not to get all political here, but let's be honest - these days there are no doubt teachers in our district that are rather opposed to the principles expressed in the pledge.  If the worst they do is not say the pledge we may want to just be thankful and call it a day.

That's quite a provocative statement. I'm not sure I buy it. Help me out, why do you say this?
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Vanna White
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Some people may object to the Pledge of Allegiance. Reasons may include:

1) Their religion only allows them to pledge their allegiance to their God. Pledgling allegiance to the flag may be considered like worshiping a false idol.

2) They may believe strongly in the seperation of church and state and may consider the Pledge of Allegiance to be a breech of this concept.

3) They may believe in a supreme being that they call by a name other than "God" and they do not wish to use another term.

4) They may not be U.S. citizens at all and may find it inappropriate to make such a pledge.

5) They may be agnostics or athiests.

6) They may believe that pledging their allegiance to an inanimate object that is a symbol for a state or government is simply a bad idea.

7) They may feel that they cannot agree with all that our leaders do and they may therefore not feel complete allegiance to our government.

I do not want to argue about or advocate these ideas...I just wanted to point out a few reasons why people may not feel comfortable with the Pledge of Allegiance. There are undoubtedly others. I believe we need to respect each others beliefs, even if they are different than our own.
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DannyB
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What about those students who do believe in all of the above mentioned reasons and want to stand up for THEIR beliefs ???? Why aren't they given the opportunity or choice to express their beliefs and have others respect their beliefs? That is all I will say or this thread could easily turn too political.
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IDK
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BoaterDan
Sep 14 2007, 09:19 PM
Not to get all political here, but let's be honest - these days there are no doubt teachers in our district that are rather opposed to the principles expressed in the pledge. If the worst they do is not say the pledge we may want to just be thankful and call it a day.

",,,no doubt teachers in our district that are rather opposed to the principles expressed in the pledge. "

I take offense to this incorrect, negative generalization of LPS teachers.
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cecelia
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DannyB
Sep 14 2007, 10:57 AM
I was just informed that it is up to the individual teachers to recite the Pledge or not at Johnson..

I do the pledge of allegiance with my classroom but there are a few things about it that give me pause.
-not all of my students are Americans
-not all of my students believe in God
-not all of my students who believe in a higher being call him "God"
I have not had heard from any parents this year but I have had three children in my career whose parents were opposed to the pledge for religious reasons and I felt bad about them sitting down every day and having their differentness made so obvious.

I will continue to say it as long as it is allowed . It is a tradition in American schools and I do love and respect my flag and country.
As to Danny B's comment about the rights of children who believe in the pledge to express their belief we really don't allow children or teachers to get up and express their religious beliefs in school. I do not get up and talk about my Catholic faith in school. That would be the wrong place to do so.
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For4
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In the past some teachers have also suggested students simply not vocalize "under God" if that is against their belief system. Nice compromise in my opinion.

My guess is that the teachers choosing not to do the Pledge are making that choice simply because of time or organizational reasons.
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bjorenson
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unhappycamper
Sep 15 2007, 09:12 AM
My guess is that the teachers choosing not to do the Pledge are making that choice simply because of time or organizational reasons.

I agree.
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134K
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Some schools allow those students whose parents take exception to the pledge to stand silently while it is being said.

Quote:
 
4) They may not be U.S. citizens at all and may find it inappropriate to make such a pledge.


This is the only reason not to pledge that I actually disagree with. Most immigrants have chosen to live here for one reason or another and I would think they would want to pledge the flag of the country they have chosen to live in.
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DannyB
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Quote:
 
I will continue to say it as long as it is allowed . It is a tradition in American schools and I do love and respect my flag and country.
As to Danny B's comment about the rights of children who believe in the pledge to express their belief we really don't allow children or teachers to get up and express their religious beliefs in school. I do not get up and talk about my Catholic faith in school. That would be the wrong place to do so.

It is great that you continue to recite the pledge in class. One of my children's teachers do recite the Pledge, while the other does not. The pledge is not only a religious statement but a statement expressing ones respect for their country and I feel that the children should be able to express this respect for their country. I do not expect anybody to talk about their religious beliefs in the classroom.
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DannyB
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Since the pledge contains the words "under God", individuals who are not comfortable with those words should have the right to omit them from the pledge.

This thread began when I found out that the Pledge was not being recited as a group in my kids school. Reciting the Pledge was always a tradition at the K-6 elementary school and as I understand is still being practiced at the K-4 school. I also addressed some teachers in the past who did not talk about the significance of Veteran's and Memorial day.

I feel that individuals who are living in the United States show respect for their country and flag and reciting the pledge in the classroom is one way to teach our children about respecting the country in which they live in.
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Queen of Hearts
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You are making an assumption that the pledge was a tradition at the K6. Maybe YOUR K6, but definitely not ALL of the K6 buildings. It has not been a tradition across the board for a longggggg time.
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DannyB
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Reciting the Pledge was a tradition at the elementary school that my kids attended. I have no idea what goes on at the other schools.
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Spanky
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I pledge Allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible,
with Liberty and Justice for all.


I am not a teacher, I do not run a classroom, but how long can it take to stand and say 31 words? I really believe the Pledge should be said in ALL public schools in America. This is America. We should be teaching our children pride in our country. And respect for our country. The Pledge is one form of respect that is quick and easy to do.

I understand some will not want to participate because of religious reasons. So be it. Let them sit it out for 30 seconds. If they are embarrassed, that is their choice for not reciting it with the rest of the class.

I hate to sound so preachy, but we should be proud to live in this country, whether we are card carrying citizens or not.
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sourgrapes
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Spanky
Sep 15 2007, 12:49 PM
I pledge Allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible,
with Liberty and Justice for all.


I am not a teacher, I do not run a classroom, but how long can it take to stand and say 31 words? I really believe the Pledge should be said in ALL public schools in America. This is America. We should be teaching our children pride in our country. And respect for our country. The Pledge is one form of respect that is quick and easy to do.

I understand some will not want to participate because of religious reasons. So be it. Let them sit it out for 30 seconds. If they are embarrassed, that is their choice for not reciting it with the rest of the class.

I hate to sound so preachy, but we should be proud to live in this country, whether we are card carrying citizens or not.

So when it's something you think should be done, your ok with embarassing someone else's child? I have no problem with my child saying the pledge of allegiance, but I don't want to force anyone else to say it when they may not believe in GOD. Everyone doesn't you know? Have them sit out? How about have them stand and just not say the words Under God? That would not be embarassing for anyone, because I don't think anyone would notice that they weren't saying it. Come on, we shouldn't want to embarass any child, that's just mean.
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