Tuesday, September 25, 2007

The Pledge of Allegiance

Patriotic Americans of tender disposition, you may wish to skip this post.

I don’t know if this is universal, but my children stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning at the beginning of the school day. It goes like this:

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.


After we’d been in the US for a week or so, I received a note home from 6-yo’s kindergarten teacher. It was very kind. It explained how the children recite the Pledge daily, and said “I’m sure 6-yo feels a little awkward standing in silence, so here are the words for him to learn”. I read the note to 6-yo and he said “I know the words already. I don’t want to say it, and I don’t feel awkward at all.” He then proceeded to give a word perfect rendition of the Pledge. When I say “word perfect”, I mean he gave a rendition that showed me that he knew it word perfect. In actual fact, (patriotic Americans, you have been warned) he replaced a few of the keys words with words pertaining to the bodily functions that small boys find so amusing. Shocking behaviour. I didn't laugh. Obviously. Not even when his rising crescendo finished in the joyous flourish "liberty and *** for all!" accompanied by a long, triumphant and carefree laugh - the kind of laugh you would want to hear from your child when he has just moved continents and started a new school.

What would you have done in my situation? Insisted that he recite the Pledge along with his classmates in a respectful manner? Told him just to say the words but cross his fingers so that it didn’t count? Just be glad he chose to keep silent rather than recite his own personal version? I thought long and hard. We are, after all, guests here in the US, and as such, I think we should respect its people’s values and traditions. But should we pledge allegiance? That’s strong stuff. We pay taxes but we don’t get a vote. If the government doesn’t like us, they can require us to leave. There’s no long-term guarantee of a continuing relationship. And anyway, doesn’t freedom of speech, a tenet so firmly entrenched in the American mind, also imply freedom to remain quiet? In the end, I decided to leave it up to 6-yo (mostly on philosophical and political grounds, but partly on the basis that I didn’t have any way of policing him anyway). I asked him the other day if he says the Pledge, and he was vague and slippery in his reply, so I expect he doesn’t (although he might just have been bored by the question – one never knows with children). I admire him hugely, actually. To be so firm in your views and so ready to stand apart from your peers, to be so protective of your own identity at the age of 6: this is the stuff of heroes. Spiderman, eat your heart out.

The daily reciting of the Pledge is led by one of the fifth graders, who goes to the office, and addresses the school through the microphone, under the eagle eye of the Principal. The job is billed as something of an honour, although I think they all get a turn if they want one. This week, 10-yo has the honour. He brought the scripts for the week home. It’s a bit “’Morning, Campers” at the beginning, but by the time he reaches the Pledge, he knows he has to use the appropriate serious tone. So yesterday, for example, you would have heard him announce the following:

“Good morning, Panthers [that’s the school mascot.] This is 10-yo. Today is Monday, September 24. We will be eating Country Fried Steak for lunch. It was the first day of fall yesterday, so please look out for all the lovely colours on the trees. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

[The Pledge.]

Goodbye, everyone. Have a magnificent Monday.”

(This becomes terrific Tuesday, wonderful Wednesday, etc.)

There is one thing that giving the daily announcement has done for 10-yo. He hasn’t seen the Pledge written down before – he just picked it up verbally in his early days here. Now he has done so, he realizes that the USA is one nation under God. “I thought it was under guard”, he told me.

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21 comments:

  1. Now I'll have visions of Ruth Madoc in her fetching yellow blazer inviting your kids' school to recite the pledge lol!

    And that last line in your blog? Out of the mouths of babes, eh?

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  2. I love it!

    For what it's worth, I never recited the Pledge of Allegiance in school either. The Pledge was said daily, of course, in similar fashion to that which you describe (right down to the perky PA announcements). But to me, pledging allegiance felt a bit... much.

    Perhaps even then I somehow knew I was not long for that country?

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  3. ha ha ha! I too am an expat,here in la belle france, and i would advise 6-yo to do what happens here...an actor (American usually, why do the french buy the rights to american soaps?) speaks in English - no sound comes out - and a french lip syncher blathers away over the top. Perfect symbiosis of war mongerer meeting cheese eating surrender monkey. That latter phrase is not my own, i am merely quoting.
    Pigx

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  4. Interesting conundrum. Perhaps you could teach your 6 y/o the words to the British national anthem / land of hope and glory / flower of scotland / 10 green bottles / or whatever takes your fancy and he could recite that instead? It IS meant to be the land of the free - and freedom of choice - after all...

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  5. Wow. That teacher has some nerve! It's not appropriate for your children to say the Pledge; they aren't US citizens. I tell my exchange students they must stand for the national anthem, but they may or may not choose to stand quietly while the pledge is said.

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  6. Of course, the "under God" part was added in the 1950's during the Eisenhower administration. It was supposed to separate us from the "godless heathens" in the Soviet Union. As far as I know, your child can't be compelled to recite the pledge, but I don't know. I think there's nothing wrong with standing in respectful silence. I did it in high school after we moved to the US, and no one hassled me.

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  7. It makes me laugh, we go to other countries and we have to live that countries way, people come to the UK and we are still expected to live their countries way! I too think a respectful silence is good.

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  8. Good for 6yo. Completely brilliant to be so self-assured at so young an age. All down to the mothering, I believe (really - whenever my kids do something cool or clever, I always take credit: grab it where you can, I say). As for 10yo, I can empahtize with the ''under guard'' thing. Not just the accent but the drone that tends to accompany mantras oft repeated. Like grace at boarding school. We had no clue what we were actually saying. Though he's not so wrong with 'under guard', is he.

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  9. Add my voice to the standing silently during the pledge vote. I'd like a crack at the pablum generator that writes that intro you mentioned. I think it's at every grade school in the country, right down to the chicken fried steak.

    Morbid curiosity does make me wonder what the boy enhanced song lyrics were.

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  10. I agree with everyone else. Stand silently, that's all.

    But please post the words to his alternative version. I promise not to teach them to my soon to be 6 year old, but I could use the laugh!

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  11. A brilliant slice of life, rock on 6yo; I'd be proud of him too.

    When I was at school the rudest word changes we had were limited to "While shepherds washed their socks by night", so standards are slipping and 6yo seems well-prepared to live in a climate of change and insecurity.

    Bet all your US readers simply had to follow the post down to the end after your teaser intro...

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  12. So...you've got Magnificent Monday, Terrific Tuesday...Wonderful Wednesday? I'm totally stumped on Thursday and Friday? Erm...fantastic?

    6yo sounds like he knows his own mind already, which is definitely a good thing in my opinion!

    Mya x

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  13. We too have moved to the US - but we have been here 3 years. My 2 oldest boys do 'pledge' every morning -although the 6 year old thinks it is 'under god, invisible'.... We also get to 'Honor the Texas flag'.....

    They have decided to do this but when I am in the same situation (sporting events, opening of Seaworld....) I stand silently out of respect, I think it is the least I can do.

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  14. That was hilarious! What a cool son you have there, atta boy! Wouldn't we adults like to adopt a similarly rebellious stance on occasion but are kept in place by fear/good manners/indoctrination.

    Good morning Panthers, crikey, very team-building, very terrifying.

    Wishing you a Fearsome Friday!!

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  15. It's a tricky one isn't it? I've been a British expat over here for ten years, and I'm still amazed at how many occasions are deemed 'Pledge-worthy'. I was even running a triathlon and we were all herded together to recite it - or rather to move discreetly to the back and not recite it! I agree with Jen - standing in respectful silence should be sufficient.

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  16. I don't actually say the Pledge of Allegiance either. The whole thing makes me unfomfortable, but standing in silence has always been fine for me.

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  17. how interesting that your school still requires this--a lot of schools in minnesota quit saying the pledge after enlightened (or so i like to think of them) parents objected.

    when i was in grade school i used to stand silently, too, but not at 6. what a precocious son you have. i didn't figure it out until 5th grade or so that i didn't want to say it.

    i stood silently and hoped someone would notice my quiet defiance, but if they did they never said a word.

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  18. I've lived in the US too, it's a bit like a never ending Amway rally. My advice to him is to do what millions of British women have been doing during sex for years... "Close your eyes and think of England!"

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  19. Of course he thought it was 'under guard' who wouldn't? Good on him!

    We have the National Anthem EVERYWHERE in Sri Lanka at 8.30a.m. I feel a bit self conscious in the supermarket rifling through the veggies with everyone around me standing to attention...........

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  20. Please award your kids a Congressional Medal of Hounr, or a knighthood, whichever they choose.

    Love ya blog!

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  21. Brilliant!

    "Morning campers" and "under guard"! He he he!

    I admire him, too, btw. No vote, no allegiance, I say!

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