Analysis

Identity Under the Stars and Stripes: What Role Should Schools Play in Shaping a Child’s Relationship to the American Flag?

The school day had barely started when my eighth graders stood for the Pledge. A few eyes tracked the red, white, and blue hanging above the whiteboard. A handful of students stayed seated, quiet and steady. One girl placed her hand over her heart and whispered the words, another mouthed nothing and looked out the window toward the soccer field. No one argued. Afterward, we opened our notebooks and moved into a discussion about civic symbols and civic actions. The students

Oct 4, 202615 min read

Read Identity Under the Stars and Stripes: What Role Should Schools Play in Shaping a Child’s Relationship to the American Flag?

Signal

Are We Protecting Feelings at the Cost of American Identity?

I was standing in a school hallway not long ago, coffee in one hand and a stack of visitor stickers in the other, watching a custodian roll up a small American flag that had hung outside the front office for years. The principal, a reasonable person trying to keep peace during a tense board meeting week, had decided to take it down temporarily. Better to appear neutral, the thinking went, than to risk complaints. A few parents were relieved. A few were angry. Most were conf

Oct 4, 202615 min read

Read Are We Protecting Feelings at the Cost of American Identity?