Parents Fight Over Pledging Allegiance In Schools
Residents are waving the flag in Brookline,,cheap nfl jerseys china, Mass.Breitling watches wholesale, both for — and against — the Pledge of Allegiance.
Courts have ruled that public schools cannot compel students to recite the pledge,Nfl womens jerseys so in Brookline, as elsewhere, the pledge is voluntary.
But critics say there's still pressure on students to conform, and they want the pledge out of the classroom altogether.
A Concern About Peer Pressure
Brookline parent Martin Rosenthal says he is very patriotic. He proudly put his hand on his heart and pledged allegiance to the flag at a recent community event. But, he says, the pledge has no place in the classroom.
"You're asking kids in school to take a loyalty oath in front of their classmates," he says. "I just don't think that's right."
Rosenthal says the pledge has no educational value and even flies in the face of the kind of critical thinking schools should be teaching.Nfl bears jersreys cheap But, he says, he's most bothered by the peer pressure students may feel to recite it.
"It's like if you don't agree with the group, we're gonna ostracize you," he says. "If you don't swear allegiance, you're considered disloyal. That's what I'm getting."
Since he filed his proposal, Rosenthal says he's been assaulted by calls and emails that prove his point — messages like "Go f - - - yourself you socialist pig," and "You liberal a - - - - - - - are ruining this country."
Residents are waving the flag in Brookline,,cheap nfl jerseys china, Mass.Breitling watches wholesale, both for — and against — the Pledge of Allegiance.
Courts have ruled that public schools cannot compel students to recite the pledge,Nfl womens jerseys so in Brookline, as elsewhere, the pledge is voluntary.
But critics say there's still pressure on students to conform, and they want the pledge out of the classroom altogether.
A Concern About Peer Pressure
Brookline parent Martin Rosenthal says he is very patriotic. He proudly put his hand on his heart and pledged allegiance to the flag at a recent community event. But, he says, the pledge has no place in the classroom.
"You're asking kids in school to take a loyalty oath in front of their classmates," he says. "I just don't think that's right."
Rosenthal says the pledge has no educational value and even flies in the face of the kind of critical thinking schools should be teaching.Nfl bears jersreys cheap But, he says, he's most bothered by the peer pressure students may feel to recite it.
"It's like if you don't agree with the group, we're gonna ostracize you," he says. "If you don't swear allegiance, you're considered disloyal. That's what I'm getting."
Since he filed his proposal, Rosenthal says he's been assaulted by calls and emails that prove his point — messages like "Go f - - - yourself you socialist pig," and "You liberal a - - - - - - - are ruining this country."
