During third period, every class stands for the Pledge of Allegiance, but do they stand willingly? Does anyone really care about the pledge? Some students don’t even stand up. This is not just a matter of laziness but of disrespect. We as a student body have stood up every morning since kindergarten to say the pledge, but these days it seems that the teacher has to force us to say it. The pledge should be said clearly and respectfully every morning. There is an obvious reason why teachers make us say the pledge, or they wouldn’t have taught it to us in the first place. The reason is respect.

    This country has gone through so much, from the Revolutionary War to September 11th. We should show some pride in our country. Sometimes respect isn’t the problem. Laziness is another factor. Some students in my third period will not stand up for the pledge unless the teacher yells and forces them to stand. Why not stand? Some argue that for years they had to stand up to say the pledge and think they don’t have to anymore. Do we still have soldiers in Iraq? Yes. Do they give their lives to keep America safe everyday?
Yes. Do high school students still have to stand for the pledge? Yes. Just because we are getting older does
not mean the pledge is juvenile.

    The opposite should happen because, in fact, we should be mature enough to know a country stands together when everyone stands up and does their part. The pledge is a small part of that, so people should be able to say it everyday. The pledge is not that hard to say if you know it. It isn’t hard to stand up to the flag everyday. The students should stand for the pledge without the teachers having to strictly enforce it.