Thoughts about the Pledge of Allegiance

I have some thoughts on our discussion of the pledge of allegiance from Monday. I wanted to sit and let them stew for a while so they can be well developed, but now I have some responses to the two questions that Dr. Banks posed to us.

1. Would you have your class say the pledge of allegiance?

Yes, I would. I think it is a valuable opportunity for teaching American values. These are my main points. Firstly, I would teach around it, it is at best useless if it is not explained and at worst it encourages students not to think about their nation. I would explain where it came from, what all the words mean, why we say it, and what we can learn from it. I would do this as part of the beginning of the year classroom routine setting so that they begin saying it while knowing it's meaning. I also think that the fact that our nation does not have liberty and justice for all, and it certainly doesn't, is a good reason to not say it, on the contrary, it turns the pledge to a call to action. I see the pledge as an oath of service to a symbol that stands for certain ideals. I believe these ideals to be good ones. A Republican form of government (in the classical sense of the word deriving from the Latin Res Publica meaning "the thing of the people", not the political party) with popular sovereignty, clear limits on the power of the government, checks and balances between different branches of government, and a written set of laws. One indivisible union of states who maintain their differences but work together towards a common good. Justice and liberty for all people before the law and among the citizenry. I think these ideals are good ones, and I also know that I do not live up to them, and that our nation and government do not always live up to them and have often flatly contradicted them. I see the space between ideals and reality to be the place where citizens can work to affect change, and by reminding ourselves and our students of these ideals, and making our oaths not to any person but to a set of principles, we become agents in the good work of bringing these ideals closer to reality.

2. Would you change any part of the pledge of allegiance?

No, it is beyond my power to do so. The pledge as it is has been appointed to be that way by the rightful authorities in government, and whether their decisions are good or ill, as an agent of the government it is my duty to represent it truthfully. If I were the person in power I would make one small tweak, and I think it is a good idea to ask students if they would change anything if they were the ones in power. Now, if the pledge I think perpetrated some great evil or lie, or put forth ideals that I believed to be harmful, for example if it promoted some sort of fascist or communist regime, I would not say it. However, I believe that the pledge is for the most part good for the reasons enumerated above. Secondly, I would not change it to a pledge to earth or humanity because we are not part of the government of earth or humanity, we are citizens of this nation, and it is our responsibility to do the good work in our own home. That is not to say that one should not advocate for people abroad, in fact it is good to do so, and I even think the government can be just in affecting change abroad. I think though that while one can have allegiance to all mankind, there is a special category of allegiance to one's own nation and this is called citizenship, and an oath like the pledge belongs within that context, there are other oaths that apply to our global neighbors. While the ideals may be for everyone, the responsibility for Americans is realizing them in America.

That was awfully long winded. The short version is this, The pledge is valuable for Americans as a way of improving America with ideals that are for everyone.

Revisiting Ayers

I've almost completely forgot about Ayer's book this quarter to be honest. The reason being is that what I am learning now is far more practicable than anything Ayers ever wrote. I actually get to see a teacher working in a classroom with realistic constraints around him with advice that makes sense and is grounded in specific case by case approaches to working with students. I see teachers that make learning fun, which according to ayers learning should not be. I see teachers who teach useful knowledge in a way that not only lives up to the constraints of the standards and the given curriculum but sees them fully realized in a way that reminds us that the standards are a good thing at their core.  I remember some of Ayers talk about how race and diversity play education, and I am learning more about that with Dr.Banks now, and in a way that every time we meet seems to become more concrete. Ayers talks about seeing the student, and now I can see that being done in a wise way. So I have not much memory or care for Ayers now, I have more immediate and tangible role models for my teaching.

WSCSS Conference thoughts

            I really very much enjoyed the Washington State Council of Social Studies conference we attended on Saturday. I was glad to see so many teachers there who were willing to share their thought on social studies and I really do think I learned quite a bit. Also there was a bountiful supply of free stuff which I was sure to exploit, honestly I think that conference came close to paying for itself, I even got a whole unit of Japanese American soldiers in WWII for free, and it was well thought out and everything, a real score.

            I think the conference had more material benefits than most of what we do in class. Apart from the material things I received, the knowledge that I received from the booths was of a very concrete sort, which is good since that will end up being more imminently useful than all the theory we have been doing in class. I especially enjoyed my lunch period wherein I chose to eat with a few teachers who had absolutely no authority over me. They were acquaintances in the profession I have gathered over the years, and unlike my time spent in the presentations, there was no overarching goal to our conversation and we approached each other more like equals, although they were certainly the senior and more honored party in the conversation.

            I think that this is the real power of free collaboration and perhaps the highest end of the conference. While the speaker may have had some good stories and interesting ideas, there was little practical in her speech for me, although that is not to say I did not value it. Two of my presentations left me with useful resources and techniques, one of them less so and did not do what was advertised, which I will admit left me a bit cross. I would certainly go again if given the chance for the measurable material and practical benefits rendered unto me mainly by the booths at the conference and normal conversation with common people. 

The magic rectangle

To be honest, I don't really trust consumer technology. I think it's ease and novelty often do more harm then good. That's why initially, I thought our new magic rectangle was mainly useful as a paperweight and a backup flashlight. I have however re-evaluated my thoughts on it for a couple of reasons.

1. I got a pocket constitution app so I don't need to carry my paper copy around with me and I can appreciate our republic any time I want. Also it has the federalist papers. This is of great educational value, I can put the greatest ever set of earthly laws on a screen for children, and it even has little explanations for the kiddos.

2. I can get many public domain books for free. I will use this as an opportunity for self improvement. The classics have survived all these years because they are good and have words of truth in them, and now I have whole libraries of truth at my fingertips for free!

While I would still never spend my own money on one of these magi rectangles (I could save towards buying a long term US treasury bond with that money), I have found some uses for mine. I will not wait with bated breath for the next great achievement in consumer technology though, there is always some new thing to spend money one. After all, there is nothing new under the sun.