One School Swears Allegiance to Planet, Flag and Fruit Bats

[Voegelin]

Christian Science Monitor
August 18, 2005
Todd R. Nelson

Last August, at our faculty meeting before the new school year, we asked, "Do the kids really know the meaning of the Pledge of Allegiance, and should we repeat it every day? Do they even know what it means to pledge, to swear an oath?"

As we discussed the rationale for the school's longstanding tradition, a new idea arose. Why not begin each day of the week with a different pledge? Perhaps our students could even write one . . .

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0818/p09s01-coop.html

 

[sidiousmax225]

Thats actually kinda neat.

 

[Voegelin]

Nothing cool about teaching 4th grade children that everything is subject to parody.

 

[Vylo]

This will surely mean the moral decline of the entire world.

In other news: molehills have suddenly turned into great mountains. Story at 5.

 

[Ozymandius]

Nothing cool about teaching 4th grade children that everything is subject to parody.

No problem with it. I think they should mess with their heads all they can. At least that way they'll turn out interesting!

 

[sidiousmax225]

Nothing cool about teaching 4th grade children that everything is subject to parody.

Why? The pledge was already made a parody by adding "Under God" to it in the 1950's.

 

[Voegelin]

No problem with it. I think they should mess with their heads all they can. At least that way they'll turn out interesting!

Actually they turn out to be bores. If they learn nothing else in school, kids come out with one idee fixe:

Who are they to judge?

Pledge to fruit bats, candy bars, the American flag, what's the difference?

Makes for a pliable, easily manipulated population.

Which, after all, is the entire point of the exercise.

 

[sidiousmax225]

Actually they turn out to be bores. If they learn nothing else in school, kids come out with one idee fixe:

Who are they to judge?

Pledge to fruit bats, candy bars, the American flag, what's the difference?

Makes for a pliable, easily manipulated population.

Which, after all, is the entire point of the exercise.

*gasp* you figured it out! Its a liberal plot to make our children easily manipulated so that they will follow evil liberal plots, such as using alternative fuels and fighting against government invasion of privacy! Darn those Liberals!

 

[MadeInOz]

I think it is demeaning

 

[HumbleMan]

It's a stupid idea. Despite what Dr. Spock has said, children need structure for learning and self discipline.

Coming in every day and pledging allegiance to whatever just re-informces the belief that there is no absolute truth, no responsibility to develop an adherence to your beliefs, that there is no right or wrong, and that even though some people take a pledge seriously, it's ok to make a mockery of their beliefs.

Homeschooling looks better every day.

 

[Voegelin]

*gasp* you figured it out! Its a liberal plot to make our children easily manipulated so that they will follow evil liberal plots, such as using alternative fuels and fighting against government invasion of privacy! Darn those Liberals!

Ever read John Dewey?

 

[Voegelin]

. . .Coming in every day and pledging allegiance to whatever just re-informces the belief that there is no absolute truth, no responsibility to develop an adherence to your beliefs, that there is no right or wrong, and that even though some people take a pledge seriously, it's ok to make a mockery of their beliefs . . .

Yes, and despite the frivilious tone of this teacher there is nothing lighthearted about what he is doing. Nor spur of the movement. It reflects his belief that, as you say, everything is relative. Which is no surprise. That is what teachers are taught.

We used to write our own parodies. Now we have teachers descending to the level of children.

 

[burrow_owl]

Someone ought to email this thread to the daily show or something. talk about parodies....

 

[Voegelin]

Parody? Camille Paglia on the system which creates teachers:

" . . .two generations of embezzlers and crooks, as far as I am concerned, took over the universities and forced out interesting grad students and faculty and they took up other careers. And destroyed the humanities."

 

[Ginny]

Homeschooling looks better every day.

Amen, Humbleman. I'm right with ya.


Hugging trees and singing "I'd like to teach the world to sing in perfect harmony....blah- blah- blah- blah....I'd like to pledge to creatures and earth and keep them company."

 

[Gunny]

Twisted.

 

[lucid42day]

Pledge to fruit bats, candy bars, the American flag, what's the difference?

Makes for a pliable, easily manipulated population.

Easily manipulated by fruit bats, candy bars, or the American flag that is.

 

[Arnold_Philips]

I don't think it's a bad idea. It's pretty neat actually.

 

[Praise2God]

We used to write our own parodies. Now we have teachers descending to the level of children.

The biggest violators of all is the teachers union. They need to be broken up.

 

[MalcolmX]

Someone ought to email this thread to the daily show or something. talk about parodies....

I second that, if anything it reveals the degree of fanatacism people have in this country. Recitng a pledge is important and I think it's neat that they have this creative way of teaching about the pledge.