Think about it – why do we salute our flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance?
Our pledge is just a commitment statement, a promise we make out of respect for this republic and what it stands for…one nation, under God (no matter the name), indivisible with liberty and justice for all.
Forty-seven states still require the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance in their public schools. But with states passing legislation for the sole purpose of dictating how American history should be taught, we need to consider changing our national aspiration and loyalty pledge to read, one nation, under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for some. That’s if we want to be honest about it!
Or we can be creative problem solvers.
In her blog, author Christine Sleeter says, if you are in one of the 15 states with an educational gag order, it may actually be more supportive for teaching from multiple perspectives. Sleeter cites the work of two Florida educators, not lawyers, who did a careful analysis and synthesis of Florida’s House Bill 7 and said it actually promotes teaching our history from multiple perspectives. Florida teachers can obey the law and continue to teach our nation’s history. Sleeter shares their work in her blog.
Legislators should never mess with teachers!
We taught them some of what they think they know.
Christine Sleeter books: Multicultural Education as Social Activism, Empowerment Through Multicultural Education, Doing Multicultural Education for Achievement and Equity and more…
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