The American flag is one of the most recognizable symbols for American pride in the United States. It’s on clothes, phone cases, bumper stickers. Anything that can have an American flag on it will, but not everyone agrees on where it should be.

The American flag and the Pledge of Allegiance are a controversial presence in classrooms across the country. According to Act 451, Michigan requires a flag and the equipment necessary to display it in every public school classroom. This act also requires that teachers give students the option to recite the Pledge each morning, though after elementary school, students rarely do.

Even though physically, it’s nothing more than a piece of dyed fabric, the American flag holds a lot of symbolic values and meanings for people, both good and bad. Some people see it as a symbol of freedom, while others view it as a representation of America’s history of oppression. These conflicting views have led to a lot of different opinions on whether the flag belongs in an American public classroom.

Art teacher Luna Zuniga feels that requiring the flag in every classroom feels archaic and isolating.

 “There are so many different cultures in the US now. If we’re gonna represent the US we should represent other cultures and their flags,” Zuniga said.

Like Zuniga, students also have conflicting thoughts about the presence of these American symbols in classrooms. Some students think that the flag is an important symbol, while others think America’s pride is a bit strange.

One student in particular, sophomore Muti Kadaluka, thinks America takes its patriotism to a comedic level.

“Growing up in an ethnic household, it’s honestly bizarre seeing people persistently rep[resent] their nation’s flag, on their assets, attire or even skin. I understand being proud of where you came from and such, but I feel like we overdo it,” said Kadaluka.

A lot of students seem to agree that ultimately it should be up to the teacher whether or not to have an American flag in their classroom, bringing up how context also matters. It makes sense to have an American flag in a history or government class, but not so much in an art or science class. 

Sophomore Cordae Gordon thinks that because the flag doesn’t represent everyone, it shouldn’t be in every classroom.

“I feel like you don’t have to keep one in every classroom because some teachers may not be from the US and not want it there,” said Gordon.

Kadaluka feels a similar way.

“There might be students who don’t feel represented by the American flag, and seeing it everywhere might not be the best for them,” said Kadaluka.

Not all students think that way, however. Some students think that the American flag should be in every classroom. This, however, is a far less popular opinion among students, with most preferring the teacher to have a choice in the matter. In a poll of 80 Norrix students, approximately 80% said they would like the teacher to be able to choose.

Having the ability to choose is an important part of this equation. America prides itself on being a mixing pot of cultures, but there’s something that feels a bit constricting about requiring the American flag in every classroom in a school. At a school like Loy Norrix, a place full of so many different backgrounds, ethnicities and nationalities, having the American flag everywhere you go may be a bit much.

Michael Wright, AP Government and Military History teacher, feels very strongly that there should be an American flag in every classroom. However, he  doesn’t feel the same way about the Pledge of Allegiance. 

“I think there are other ways to build loyalty to your country and your nation without compulsory standing and reciting of lines that don’t really have any other meaning or explanation to students,” Wright said.

Wright served in the Army National Guard for almost four years but says that his service had little to no impact on his views.

 “I served my country because I love it, and I continue to love it,” said Wright. “I had those views long beforehand.”

Zuniga believes that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but she thinks that publicly reciting the pledge every morning is strange.

 “It’s very nationalist. It’s a weird pride that I personally don’t understand, even growing up in a military household,” said Zuniga.

The origins of the practice emerged as a way to “Americanize” immigrants in the 1800s. In his article, How the Pledge of Allegiance Went from Marketing Ploy to Classroom Staple, Dave Roos writes about Francis Bellamy, the original author of the Pledge of Allegiance. Bellamy was a Christian Socialist whose goal was to spread patriotism throughout America by marketing the pledge and selling flags. 

At the time, a lot of American citizens wanted to make sure that all of the immigrants coming to the US were integrating themselves into the culture, a trend we still see today. The thought process was that if you had people reciting the pledge and saluting the flag, their loyalty for the country would grow.

The original salute for the Pledge of Allegiance resembles the Nazi salute. It was changed to the hand over heart salute used today as a result. 

If not for the law requiring it, Zuniga states that she wouldn’t have an American flag or the Pledge of Allegiance in her classroom, saying that the pledge uses up class time.

“Even though the pledge is one minute, that’s one minute less of class time we get on top of announcements, drills, or any other type of emergency situation,” said Zuniga.

While reciting the pledge is optional in Michigan, some states, like Texas and Florida, require students to say the Pledge of Allegiance each morning. 

According to Do Students Have to Stand for the Pledge of Allegiance or National Anthem in Schools? by E.A. Gjelten, in those states students need to have permission from their parents to exempt their student from participating in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

America is a very prideful country and it works to spread that pride through its schools, but it can be isolating to students and staff. If freedom is valued in schools the people in them should be able to choose where, and if, they want American flags and the Pledge of Allegiance in their classrooms.