Poway Unified School District has decided to make reciting the Pledge of Allegiance an option for all students. This has posed quite a bit of controversy from parents all over the district. Jennine was quoted in the article about the impact of stopping the Pledge of Allegiance would have on the students. Here what San Diego’s Marriage and Family Therapist, Jennine Estes said about this in the article:
“The joint activity [of saying the Pledge] they once had with their classmates is gone, thus creating a sense of loss in their day,” said Marriage and Family Therapist Jennine E. Estes. “Kids should be prepared for the change ahead of time in order to allow them to make sense of it.”
Estes also believes that changes to the ritual of the Pledge could take away from teaching children to give respect to the country.
“They lose out on the educational experience of saying the Pledge of Allegiance and understanding the significance,” she said. “Humans learn a large portion by experience; taking away the experience of stating the Pledge of Allegiance may take away understanding the respect and significance it has for our country.”
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