The Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, blasted what she described as a troubling lack of patriotism among some public school teachers and administrators at an event titled “The Roadmap for Restoring American Education” at Yale University this week.
She recalled a moment in which a principal told her that students at his school did not know the words to the Pledge of Allegiance, and that he had told them they were not required to pledge allegiance to the American flag, but instead to the “spirit” of the United States, or to any flag they chose.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon lamented the lack of patriotism among some teachers and administrators in American schools.
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"How can we really drive home patriotism and love of country and respect for our flag if we actually have teachers and principals who are not encouraging… pic.twitter.com/wgBCct8lZP
"I'll tell you the saddest thing that happened to me relative to any of these tours was at one school that I went to and the principal told me, he said, wow, he said, I'm really glad you had the words, you know, to the Pledge of Allegiance, you know, up on the boards because I don't think the kids in our school know what they are. And they can opt out of saying the Pledge of Allegiance, and so the school just opted out, and they didn't have to say it anymore," McMahon said. "I thought, what a comment that is. And this same principal, when he got up to announce for everyone to stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance, he said, now, understand, you're not pledging allegiance to any particular flag, but it's to a spirit, so you can pledge this allegiance to whatever flag you think is appropriate for you."
"And I'm going, wow, how can we really drive home patriotism and love of country and respect for our flag if we actually have teachers and principals who are not encouraging the very basics of what is patriotic in our country," she said.
This comes as McMahon has been tasked with overseeing the effort to end the Department of Education, amid concerns that student test scores and overall readiness for the real world have steadily declined, even as federal spending on education has increased since the department’s creation.
One of the issues frequently cited is the federal government’s expanding role in education policy, despite the system originally being intended to remain far more localized. Many critics also point to public education as a factor in what they see as a decline in civic knowledge and patriotism, arguing that curricula often place greater emphasis on the United States’ historical shortcomings than on its accomplishments, allowing the nation’s past mistakes to define its broader legacy.
Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to dismantle the Department of Education and ensure America's kids get the education they deserve.
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