Remember when we were is school, and we said the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of every day? It started in Kindergarten, with no explanation of what we were doing. We had no idea what we were promising, and sometimes did not even connect the words to the flag that hung in every room! Once when I was substitute teaching in a first grade, I noticed that some of the children had no clue what it was about, so I explained it a little bit to the kids--and the teacher was angry when she got back. It was well into the year, and although the teacher had plans to teach about the flag, she had not done so yet.
Another time I was substituting in a 4th grade class when the subject came up. There was a Jehovah's Witness child in the room who left while the rest of the class recited the pledge. The class thought this was strange, and asked me about it. I told them a pledge is a promise, and a promise should never be forced.
I do love the Pledge of Allegiance and have no problem with it being a part of every school morning. I particularly love the phrase, "with liberty and justice for all". However, it IS a promise, and it should not be forced. Nor should it be said without understanding. I wonder if the rote recitation with no explanation is why that phrase I love so much is so often missing in our national consciousness. Why our legal system and our social contracts so often treat people differently depending on their race or social status. Justice and liberty are not granted to all, at least not equally.
