Speaking about organizing my thoughts, that's not what I'm here to write about today. As I was digging through some boxes in the garage the other day, frantically looking for something that wasn't where I KNEW it would be, I came across a couple of interesting things I hadn't realized I still had. One was the phone directory from West University Elementary School for 1975-76, my 6th grade year. It was so fun to look through! The most amazing part though, was that all of the faculty and administration were listed, WITH their home addresses and phone numbers. I can't even imagine doing that today!! I won't even call parents from my cell phone because I don't want them to drive me crazy once they have the number on caller ID.
The other thing I found was a paper I wrote for that horrible undergraduate English grammar class I had to take while in grad school. It was written in 1990, and discussed a rash of recent flag burning episodes around the country. To prove my point, I used some work I had my 6th graders do when I was teaching in Atlanta, Ga. I have saved them all these years, and they apparently had an impact on me. Anyway, since it was kind of fun to find, I thought I'd share the essay with you. You'll be sadly shocked at the evidence my students provided.
Thoughts on Flag Burning (1990)
The 10 o'clock news tonight showed a protest in Seattle over the flag burning issue. It was a violent scene. Police officers were rushing at, hitting, and wrestling with those who attempted to burn the flag. Spectators became violent with the flag burners, and the burners responded with equal violence. The last image was a burning flag on the ground.
Flag burning is not an issue I have felt particularly passionate about, but I did feel sad as I saw that flaming flag on the ground and the violence that surrounded it. My initial thought was that this was just another example of a growing lack of respect among Americans today. Although my opinion there has not changed, I began to think it must be something more than that. I wondered what it was that made someone despise a flag enough to want to destroy it in flames. To me, the American flag is a symbol of remembrance for those who have fought and died in its name and of the special rights found only in this nation. One of the special rights found here is freedom of speech, and to some extent, I suppose, flag burning falls under freedom of speech.
I wondered, what kind of an example we are setting for our children. Every school day begins, in most American public schools, with the Pledge of Allegiance. The children stand, place a hand wherever it happens to fall on their chest, and mumble a few words. Does this ritual have any meaning to them? Do they know why they are saying these words? Do they even know what words to say? From my experience, the general answer to these questions is no.
One day I watched as my room full of sixth graders made their meager attempt at pledging allegiance to the flag. After it was all over, I asked my students, "Why do we say the Pledge every morning?" They looked back at me with confused faces. Eventually someone said, "Because old people think it's important, so they make us do it." Another student said, "Isn't it part of our grade for social studies?" The other answers consisted of numerous, "I don't knows," or "Well, we just do because we always have." I was amazed at the responses I had gotten.
As I stood there before our future national leaders, my face must have given my frustration away. Realizing that my sixth graders had missed the point of words they had repeated daily for the last six or so years, I wondered if they even knew what the words were. I had only heard them mumble and had never deciphered the sounds. I asked them each to take out a piece of paper and write the Pledge of Allegiance. Again they looked at me confounded. When a boy said, "But Ms. Range, we don't know how to write in a foreign language," I realized the seriousness of the situation. What made it worse was that no one even laughed when he said that.
The papers turned in to me confirmed my suspicions that not only did my students not know the purpose for saying the Pledge of Allegiance, they did not even know what the words were. Below are some of the typical responses:
I plega alenga to the flag of unite states of america and to the repluic
for witches stand one nation under God inavede for lebery and justice for all.
I plege, a ligge to the flag, of the United States of America. And to the
probabey for witch it stands. One nation under God for library and justice for all.
I plege the leges to the flag of united states of united states of America to the
republic for Richard stand one nation under god invisible and justice for all.
I pleage allege to the flag of the Unite State of American and to repulic from
which in stand one nature on the god invible for which for all.
I pleag of leage to the flag of the United State of American And to the
rupucic of watch One Nation under god.
I plag a legue to the flag of the unit state of Amercie and to The repuice
for wice it stand One nuce under God in the vise Liverica and justice for all.
My students were pledging their allegiance to witches and people named Richard. They thought we were an invisible nation with libraries and justice for all. We spent the rest of the morning discussing why we say the Pledge and what the words mean. The next day, I posted the Pledge of Allegiance next to the flag. By the end of the year, each student knew the words and the meaning behind them.
As I watch these protesting flag burners, I wondered if they ever really knew the words to the Pledge of Allegiance and what they meant. Had they merely gone through the motions like my students had been? If the symbol has no meaning, then why not burn it?
If we are going to require students to say the Pledge in school every day, then they should be taught what it is all about. They should be taught not only the words, but what they mean and why we say them. They must understand the symbolism of the flag before they can show any respect for it. If this is not done, I don't see how we can be surprised when we see others setting the American flag ablaze.
