MEET THE BAUMANN SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS
SCHOOLS
070496When patriotism isn't taught in school, it's up to parents
MY father served in combat in the Korean War. As a veteran, he has intimate knowledge of war. And he isn't the type to let something he knows to be Wrong slide by without a fight.
Which is why some of my earliest memories are of protesting against the war in Vietnam. With my parents, my brother and I attended peace marches, carrying American flags and banners that proclaimed war wasn't healthy for children and other living things.
Oddly those marches served as a lasting lesson in patriotism for me.
My country right or wrong, with the emphasis on my. Walking with a huge group in Washington, I learned about the group to peaceful protest and freedom of expression.
And I learned that citizenship in a demoracy allowed for dissenting voices.
Patriotism is unfashionable, it seems. In first grade, my son learned a lot about Greece, Egypt, China but cannot recite the words of the Pledge of Allegiance. At school, discussions of American history or the Constitution aren't part of the curriculum.
It's a little disturbing. I'm not suggesting every school in the United States hold citizen rallies or begin every day with rote recitations and songs. But I believe that kids should be aware of being part of a democracy, and the history, rights and responsibilities that go along with it.
How do we teach kids about patriotism? In the past the issue seemed simpler; we'd battle the bad guys. Vietnam made things more complicated, us more cynical.
In recent years, the concept of patriotism has tended to focus on fighting foreigners.
In a land made up of foreigners or their descendents it seemed strange. Instead, in discussing the issue with focus on why we live where we do.
It boils down to choice and thought, the my in "my country." Samuel Johnson said
patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. It is if approached in a mindless way.
Which is why I've started talking with my kids about our country's history and the people who live here came here. I'd like to convey that true patriotism is feeling part of things, empowered to have to say. My kids are big fans of going to vote; both have watched me flip those mysterious little buttons. I remember going with my parents and feeling a little thrill: that vote mattered.
Today, well see fireworks, discuss "bombs bursting in air" and the idea of independence. We'll also talk about community, and about ways we can change things that we think are not right. Happy July 4th.