Standing for the Pledge of Allegiance
Mosier, Tuija
I am struggling over this issue and am curious on what you think. Any
suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!
As most of you know, I am student teaching on an air force base in
Okinawa. The school is for the children of the service men and women
who are stationed in the air force on this island. Some of the
students are also the children of the teachers who teach on the base
schools. I have a student who is a child of one of those teachers (who
teaches at another school). This student is very opinionated and likes
to do things her way. She has tested the water in other situations to
see how far she can go, and I have a feeling this is some how a
similiar situation. Two days ago, I noticed that when we rose for the
Pledge of Allegiance she stayed seated. Once the class began and I had
an opportunity, I pulled her aside and asked her how come she did not
stand. She claimed that she does not believe in the pledge and what it
stands for. I told her that I understand she has different beliefs,
and I respect that, however I am not forcing her to say it. I simply
want her to stand up out of respect. She said she would not. I left
it at that for the day, so I could find out the school policy and seek
some advice. I was told by one teacher to have her stand up (after all
this is a military school), or then quietly excuse herself from the
classroom during the pledge. So, today I spoke with my student again.
I let her know her options, and for the time being, I think the
situation is under control. She agreed to leave the room. I am
wondering if I did the right thing? If any of you have an opinion on
this issue, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. Thanks.
Tuija
maggiero...@aol.com
Mosier, Tuija
Thank you for your comments! I agree with you that it's a positive
thing to have strong beliefs, especially at such an age, and it's
important to have the courage to withstand personal conviction. I am
not trying to discourage her to be different and it's wonderful that
she thinks for herself. (In my first comment when I said that she has
tested the waters, I was referring to her doing things she clearly knew
she was not suppossed to - like reading a book when she was supposed to
be participating in the class activity.) However, I do not see it as a
big embarrassment for the other students when she does not stand up.
Simply a sign of disrespect (again, this is a military school and
basically all of these students have parents serving in the U.S. Air
Force). I definitely agree that as art teachers one of our greatest
missions is to cultivate original thinking, and hopefully I am not
inhibiting her from such a thing. I have let her know that I respect
her beliefs. I'm not trying to force her to change them (I know I
don't agree with everything our country/government is doing at the
current time), however, I feel like the central issue in this case is
respect.
Thank you, again.
llam...@mac.com
Great issue for discussion. Thanks for putting it on our website. I
think you handled the situation well for that moment. I understand
that you're in another country on an Air Force Base and it may be
difficult to really get into this issue witht the student and other
students. My partner who was a high school art teacher mentioned that
high school students are looking for a teacher that they can trust and
talk to; someone who isn't going to pass judgment on them. Once this
trust is built they may open up to you. Here's a thought (and maybe
this is for an ideal world but I'll put it out there). Would it be
possible to privately dialogue with her as to why she doesn't want to
stand for the pledge? Would this student be willing to respond to the
issue either through writing or a visual work - not as an assingment
but maybe a way to inspire her own artwork? What is it about the words
in the pledge that she takes issue with? Is there some part of the
pledge she can accept and not other parts? What has already been
written about having students say the pledge in schools and what are
the issues? (Maybe she could 'google' this issue - maybe she is quite
versed on the issue.) I agree with Maggie that we want to cultivate
originial thinking. I also believe that we need to cultivate in our
students the ability to defend their positions in a civil and clear
way. Another idea is to have her respond to the opposite view - why
would others choose to stand for the pledge?
Mosier, Tuija
Thank you very much for your thoughts and suggestions. Even though I
did let my student know that I respected her differences, I agree I
should have discussed the issue with her more in depth. Going along
with your ideas, and Maggie's, I will pull her aside this week when we
have a chance to talk about this issue. I definitely didn't mean to
silence her, or make her do something she was against.
Thank you, again!