I was asked an interesting question by someone at dinner last night: If you were going to start a school, would you make the students recite the Pledge of Allegiance?.

I actually had to stop and think really hard about what the pledge means, and the words that are said. In general, I believe the pledge or something like it is an important part of the mandate of the public school system (reminding and teaching kids that, for all their apparent differences, they are part of “one nation … indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”). So, I want to say I’m in favor of it. But even as a (older) kid, I used to remain silent for the phrase “under God” because I didn’t feel like anyone meant “my” God. I also don’t feel like the pledge is properly explained to kids, so it just becomes something they repeat rather than mean.

I’m curious about what everyone else has to say about this. If it helps, you can find some histories of the pledge online. You might also remember the recent controversy created by a recent court decision that originally ruled the pledge unconstitutional because of the phrase “under God.”

Thoughts? What would you do if you were starting a school, and why?