I Pledge Allegiance to the “Wolf Pack” ??
Embarrassed to say this actually happened in Georgia. But, with regret, it did. On the first day of the new school year, an Atlanta charter school’s campus president actually announced that, henceforth, our Pledge of Allegiance would not be a part of the traditional all-student morning meeting. Instead, the kindergarten through fifth-grade students will, instead, join together pledging, while standing, to something called “The Wolf Pack” chant, named after the school’s mascot, yes, you guessed it, the wolf.
Oh, and apparently this chant hasn’t been written yet! Once written sometime in the future, that new ode-to-the-wild chant will “focus on the students’ civic responsibility to their school family, community, country and our global society.” As an after-thought, no doubt, “Students will also be given the opportunity to say the pledge at another point during the school day within their classroom”….if they so choose!
This ridiculous pledge exchange (wolf pack vs. our nation) was aimed at providing more, here it comes, “inclusion,” since “more and more students and staff members have decided not to recite or stand for the Pledge to America.” Shucks, wonder were that disrespectful notion came from! And shame on those supposed role-model staff members.
So in deference to those young students, now imitating some adults who have some kind of perceived beef with our nation, the country that is providing these children with a free public education, and all manner of other advantages, to keep them happy and ‘included,’ let’s just refrain from ingraining our Pledge and respect for our great nation, in unison, daily, in the lives and formative years of these young citizens. Yes, and as a bonus on behalf of the disgruntled, perhaps they will advance to middle and high school without really knowing the words to our Pledge. Perfect!
How about if we stop devoting our lives in service to the all-powerful mandate for inclusion. All who are here legally, citizens or citizen-wannabes, have a “civic” responsibility, to honor our beautiful flag, those who’ve fought and died to defend it, and with it, our great nation, made great by decade after decade of citizen loyalty and sacrifice.
Those kids can pay homage to “our global society” when they get older, and have a reason to. Right now, they can begin to realize just how blessed they are to be here studying and growing within our extraordinary nation. And the Pledge of Allegiance fosters that, it helps to secure and cement that devotion to America.
But wait. Out of Pledge negativity, comes the bright light of reason and right. This foolish move by the school’s adult leadership, went viral on social media, and the protest backlash was so immediate and intense, that the Pledge was reinstated in that school’s “morning (all student and staff) meeting” within one day! So exchanging loyalty to our nation for loyalty to wolves, was short lived, thanks to the Governing Board Chair, who quickly over-ruled the Campus President. Within the Board Chair’s reversal statement, she also spoke of the priority of providing students with a safe environment “where they cultivate a love for learning.” Along with that, it would be an appropriate priority, as well, for students to also cultivate respect and a love for our great country.
(Quotes via Katherine Lam, Foxnews.com, 8-9-18 & Sarah Taylor, TheBlaze.con, 8-10-18)