To stand or not to stand?
Many students are indifferent to the daily pledge recitation at Hazelwood Central
March 9, 2017
It’s 7:25 a.m. and the Pledge Of Allegiance is on the loudspeaker.
Instead of standing and reciting, students might be on their phones, going through their purse, or just sitting quietly. In fact, in any given class, you might only see three students standing. And maybe one angry teacher.
It seems like lately there is less respect for the Pledge of Allegiance. Different students react to the pledge in different ways. Some don’t stand for the pledge because of their beliefs. Others don’t know what the pledge stands for or why the school recites it every day.
In 2016, a Missouri law changed the Pledge of Allegiance requirement. As a result, publicly-funded schools in Missouri must recite the pledge at least once a day. Now that the law is in effect, it seems that many students have rebelled against standing for the pledge.
Teachers have noticed the change.
“Ever since the law, I’ve seen less and less children standing for the pledge,” said Mr. Rocco, history teacher.
Some teachers find it quite disrespectful, and that after all the things our country has been through, it’s hard seeing the students that they teach act in a way that they feel disrespects their grandparents and friends.
Mr. Foster combats this tension by placing himself so that he doesn’t have to see the students not standing.
“I tend to stand right up on the flag, so I won’t get frustrated by the students who don’t stand,” he said.
Mr. Foster respects students decisions but he personally stands for the pledge.
“Even though it’s their choice, it gets to me sometimes because I have grandparents who fought for us to have our freedom,” said Foster.
Senior Bre’Anna Wallace disagrees with forcing students to participate in the pledge every day.
“I think that it’s ridiculous forcing this on students and staff but from my understanding the law says that the school has to do it not the students,” said Wallace.
Even though students don’t try to be disrespectful to those who have loved ones in the military there are things in the pledge students don’t agree with.
Some believe that they don’t have equal rights in this country, so they don’t want to stand for the pledge.
“African-Americans, Mexicans, and other races that are not Caucasian don’t get treated fairly. African-Americans are automatically judged to be bad people, but that’s not truly who we are,” said senior Silas Bell.
Senior Bre’Anna Wallace agrees.
“No I don’t believe in the pledge because the government and society in general has shown that these words do not apply to people of color like myself,” she said.
Bell also has another reason not to stand for the pledge.
“I don’t agree with the pledge because the pledge says ‘republic’ and I support the Democrat party,” said Bell.
According to Mr. Foster, this is also a confusion that not only students have, but many people in America have. However, the word “republic” doesn’t refer to the Republican party, but to America’s form of representative government.
One interesting aspect of this phenomenon is that even though many students do not stand, the ones who do stand tend to be freshmen.
“I don’t even know what the pledge stand for but I still stand out of respect because that’s what i was taught all my life,” said Aniyah, a freshman.
Standing for the pledge is a personal decision according to the Supreme Court, so teachers and students have to respect each other’s choices, no matter what their reasons are.
“You can’t force students to stand or say the pledge because we have the right not to,” said Wallace.
Mr. Foster • Mar 9, 2017 at 10:32 am
After speaking with some of my AP Government classes on this issue I have since changed my positioning in the room of where I stand. The political climate has led me to an understanding of how many of my students feel about how they are represented today. As a government teacher I feel it is important to recognizably respect the opinions and feelings of my students. I now feel that if I ignore the statement that some of my students are making by not recognizing the statement that some are making (the ones that understand the meaning of what and how they carry themselves during the pledge) than I am going against some of the ideas that are ingrained in the Bill of Rights that I believe in, and teach in class. It is important for us to open up, listen, and create a dialogue when issues arise. That is the only clear way to reach meaningful change.
Good job Cortnee!!