Current Events > Did they really "force" you to say the Pledge of Allegiance in school?

(+) Yeah! (+)

I'm browsing some political forums and people are saying they were forced to say it at school. I don't remember the teachers forcing us to say it, as a ton of kids didn't say it in class and no one got in trouble for it. Were you "forced" and if someone refused did they get shamed for it and get in trouble?

I think we did it in kindergarten, not after

Yeah

Nope. I didn't say it.

I don't remember any students not doing it, so I'm not sure if any students were outright punished if they didn't.

Though I do remember students legit getting in trouble for not doing the Macarena at an assembly

Strongly encouraged, but not forced. Ultimately, they have no means to really enforce such a thing.

We did the pledge in elementary school but I dont remember being explicitly told we had to; it seemed like I just did it because everyone else was doing it and I was afraid to stand out.

From middle school onward, there was no pledge in school.

I mean there were a ton of students who half assed it as well. Some just stood up and that's it, they didn't put the hand on their heart or repeated the pledge.

I got in trouble once for not saying it in grade school. I continued to be stubborn about it, and they gave up on it. The pledge stopped being a thing in junior high. I didn't learn about the pertinent case law on the matter until much later.

nah, but i went to private school until 8th grade. i think my highschool friends who were in public school their whole life had to do the pledge of allegiance in elementary school, but not middle or high school.

I had heard of people not saying it getting write ups (enough of those and you might get a detention) but I never saw anyone not say it through all my school years. I'm in Texas though so we have to do two pledges lol.

Then after 9/11 (I was in 6th grade) they added the "please remain standing for a moment of silence", which has never gone away.

Yes. I still didnt

At my school we weren't explicitly "forced" to say it but I can think of maybe one or two teachers who would let it slide without confronting someone about it. I don't remember anyone ever refusing to do it outright, post-9/11 America was kind of a nightmare in terms of blind patriotism.

In elementary and middle school, yeah. By the time high school came around, most people sat through it lol

In my middle school, yes.

Idk about forced but it was played every morning for sure

I stopped saying it in high school. Think I sat during it for a few days or something. Teacher asked me to at least stand

Yep and I appealed it in kindergarten and didn't have to

But by like 6th grade I did it anyways because social conditioning on kids

Solid_Seb posted...

Then after 9/11 (I was in 6th grade) they added the "please remain standing for a moment of silence", which has never gone away.

my highschool also had this. I'm canadian. I don't think it was related to 9/11 (since that was years before I was in highschool) and I don't think anyone ever said why it was there but it was. I always figured it was just like, a moment for self-reflection and just to kinda slow the day down a little since you never really have any quiet time at school otherwise. I never considered even for a moment that it might be some sort of remembrance thing

I think you could get sent to the principal's office for not participating (at least standing).

In elementary, but we just went with it. I don't know if it was "forced" though. This was in the 1980s.

I only did in kindergarten until I moved to Virginia and they made us do it in highschool

I did in elementary school but that was pre 9/11. So over 20 years ago things are probably different these days.

When we were younger it may have been forced but that's because no one was thinking to question it.

Late middle/high school it wasn't forced but we were at least asked to stand.

I lost my student eyes a long time ago. I cannot tell you what is in elementary anymore.

You had to stand to show respect, but no obligation to actually do the pledge. You did it cause just standing there felt awkward.

They can't force you to, but it is usually encouraged.

The only incident in which a teacher tried to reprimand students was once in High School. It was within a year of 9/11, so this were still pretty passionate. Three students didn't want to recite the pledge, so the teacher would have them wait out in the hall during.

It was only a couple days later than the principal happened to come by and asked why they were out in the hall. After explaining it to him, the teacher had a brief talking-to and the students were no longer required to wait outside the classroom.

Yeah, I was in detention for not saying it >_>

Definitely did it all the way through elementary. Can't remember for 6th and 7th grade though. Don't think we were forced to after that. Or maybe. I can't remember.

Yup. We were forced right up until about high school. In the middle of my high school years, it suddenly stopped being a thing. I graduated in 2007.

Only one who didn't was the Jehovah's Witness kid.

I don't think forced is the right word, but it was something we're supposed to do. They'd do it over the intercom every morning, and the teachers instructed us to stand, put our hand over our heart and recite it.

I don't recall anyone getting in trouble for not doing it, but I don't recall anyone not doing it either. It was just a thing we had to do every morning.

Iirc they stopped that around high school.

all thru elementary school, i had to stand and put my hand over my heart and mumble something that sounded respectful, if not the exact words

Yep and you can get into detention for refusing to do it.

Yeah. I regularly got ISS for refusing to say it or otherwise being a butt while it was time to say it.

It was always optional at my school. We were probably all supposed to say it, but the teachers didn't care whether you participated or not.

My high school tried to get me in trouble for not saying it.

No

Up to grade 4 in my schools.

Grade 4 school had an assembly every morning. Every student in the gymnasium, lined up rank and file.
Hand over heart for pledge of allegiance and national anthem.

Not doing it was punishable by detention, and suspension for repeated offenses.
Shit was stupid.

why is modern day america so fucking creepy i'm tired of getting reminded that this shit exists

I stopped saying it in 6th grade and just stood. They didnt do it in junior high or high school.

RedLuigi posted...

Yeah, I was in detention for not saying it >_>

Indoctrinate or face the consequence!

Yes

Suolevram posted...

Indoctrinate or face the consequence!

There is a book called Nothing But The Truth about a kid that gets detention for humming the national anthem in class as it was playing.

You could get detention. At least get some strong words from the teacher and everyone looking at you.

It was never "forced", but at the same time, no one wanted to be that one kid who refused to stand.

Private school, yes.
Also had to pledge to the Christian flag and the Bible.

It was part of the routine to say it in the morning but most kids didnt bother saying it anymore by the time we were like 14