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School Divided Over Pledge
Filed under: Opinions
A heated controversy over the pledge of allegiance at a Vermont elementary school is dividing the small town of Woodbury, Vermont. It is also reinforcing my own decision to send our kids to a private Catholic school, despite the financial sacrifice. This month, I'll grumble a little less when I write the tuition check, thankful for not having to deal with "progressive" teachers, administrators and parents who are determined to strip the American public schools of a sensible civic tradition. These are the same folks who have given our children silly "winter" concerts that forbid traditional carols and require kids to suspend reality to pretend that this is all about a "season" rather than a two -thousand year old Christian holiday.
So here's the story of Vermont's Woodbury Elementary School. Somewhere along the line, the daily classroom recitation of the pledge fell by the wayside. Then this year, a parent-initiated petition convinced the school board to reinstate it. However, teachers and administrators were worried that students who did not want to say the pledge might feel isolated. So they came up with a ridiculous arrangement that would instead make those kids who want to say the pledge feel isolated.
First of all, despite a unanimous decision by the school board, the teachers decided that the pledge should not be said during school hours. Instead, five minutes before school starts, a 6th grader visits each classroom to take any children who wish to recite the pledge to a a 2nd floor gymnasium where together, they recite the pledge under staff supervision and then return to their classrooms. Boy does that make pledging allegiance to our nation seem like a subversive activity! Children who choose to exercise their constitutional right to not say the pledge have free play during that time.
Obviously, parents who favored the pledge and won school board approval for its recitation in class were unsatisfied with this arrangement. So the administration came up with an alternative arrangement: take all students out of their classrooms at the beginning of the day to an adjoining foyer for an all-school recitation of the pledge. Why not simply recite the pledge in the classroom? Well, because the principal and teachers decided that that was the best way to protect students who don't want to say the pledge from being singled out. In a crowd, they will be less likely to be detected not saying the pledge. This is the kind of insanity that is pervading our public schools.
But here's the kicker. The taxpayers of Woodbury are paying an astounding $12,000 a pupil for a school that is currently suffering declining tests scores. I say, give the parents a real choice. Allow them to use their tax contribution to Woodbury Elementary (or at least some portion of it) at a school that meets their child's needs and family's values. When parents get to vote with their tax dollars, these "progressive" shenanigans will end!
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ReaderComments (Page 3 of 3)
11-19-2008 @ 10:42AM
Justina Moore said...Rachel, you are very close minded. The whole point of schools celebrating a "season" instead of Christmas now is to be considerate to all children. Newsflash Rachel, not everyone in this country is a Christian who celebrates Christmas! I am Christian, and I celebrate Christmas, but I do see the logic in why schools had to change this. This is America. Perhaps you should move to Cuba or Spain--or Ireland! I know you have a double Masters degree, but you make yourself sound uneducated by some of the views you have. You are coming off as one those dreadful people who thinks children are little mini versions of themselves. Allow your children the opportunity to have an open mind and think for themselves. PLEASE!
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11-20-2008 @ 9:15AM
Sue said...This is absurd. I grew up in a town with a large population of Jehovah's Witnesses. They do not say the pledge. It was never a problem. When we stood to recite it in the morning they would stand silent. It was never a big deal to any of the other kids. No one cared. I can't say whether the JW kids felt embarrassed but I can say that I never - in 13 years of public school heard anyone make a negative comment about it.
There were definitely kids who would ask (politely) why they did not participate. And they would answer. IMO, this opens up a healthy dialouge.
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11-20-2008 @ 2:22PM
Kelly said..."We non-Christians do exist in America"
Maybe instead of banning every holiday, why can't we all be open to learning the meaning of all of the holidays? Why is it such a problem that I celebrate Christmas? You are welcome to celebrate whatever it is you believe in. I am Catholic but I am not offended if I see a manora in someone's window. That is what they believe in and I respect them. I don't knock on their door and demand they take it out of their window.
Goodness, here is a little tip: they world does not revolve around you. Learn some respect.
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11-20-2008 @ 5:11PM
EH said...For the "oppressed and persecuted Christians"...
Jehovah's Witnesses happen to be one of the only organized religions that I respect...at least their brainwashed beliefs and actions are consistent worldwide. None of them pledge allegiance to any flag, following the bible's direction not to kill, even in times of war. How can a true Christian who believes God's Kingdom and word is the one they follow yet got to war and kill "brother's & sisters" in other countries of the same beliefs?
From a biblical sense, the pledge is a bit hypocritical...
As for Christmas, maybe educate yourselves on the origins of Christmas...and birthdays in general for that matter. Birthdays were days of idolizing and self worship including the killing of Christians. John the Baptist ring a bell on this? The only birthday mentioned in the bible had John the Baptist's head being delivered to King Harod AS A Birthday present. Modern day Christmas is not really a religious Holdiay, anyways...
As a "Heathen" existing among the self glorified Christians, I do believe that if their is a God he created by Evolution and not wiggling his / her nose. I celebrate all Hallmark Holiday's...Christmas included:) Wether Jesus was actually the Son of God or just a great guy with some wise incite, know one can answer for sure. I guess that makes me a Christian / Jew / Evolutionist... and smart enough to know I don't know everything. I don't judge anyone's beliefs and welcome them all and expose my children to everything positive the world has to offer so they can make their own choices.
How does the Holiday Season at schools being inclusive of all or exclusive of all religious holidays matter, as long as it's consistent across the board?
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11-20-2008 @ 10:44PM
Sifrina said...Rather than all of this useless "hysteria" about the pledge (either for or against), what we should be emphasizing to our children is that how you ACT as a citizen is infinitely more important than what you say each morning (whether the pledge or your morning prayers).
Second, there IS something wrong with Christmas (or Jewish or Muslim) concerts IN A PUBLIC SCHOOL (it's secular - duh!). I do not celebrate Christmas and my family has a right to not be subjected to such proselytization in a publicly funded school or by my government (I have nothing against Christmas concerts, by the way, I thoroughly enjoyed them while living in a PRIVATE Opus Dei residence during PRIVATE college in South America). If you don't like a secular learning environment for your children, just stay out of my PUBLIC school system (a win-win for both of us).
Having said that, however, I AM in favor of families being able to use at least some of their taxes to send their kids to the private school of choice. This seems only fair.
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