Pledge of Allegiance in schools?

Well, that is illegal and you should have taken the school to court. 

I was 16 at the time, didnt know my legal rights. I look back at it now and regret not taking further action

Yeah, I think it was the "under God" bit that was unacceptable to certain religious groups.  In the UK there are groups who get their kids excused from "assembly". I thought that our primary school was good that way, but I did wonder how those excused kids felt being set apart. (Kids always hate being different at that age)

It's even more than that for Jehovah's Witnesses. They are not really supposed to "pledge" to anything (other than God, really), especially in a secular setting; they oftentimes do not vote, and generally do not serve in any armed forces.  While I was teaching, I would often be requested because I never took it out on the kids if they had to be excused (I had a few who also couldn't participate in other activities, and some teachers seemed to take it personally when a student had to skip something, I never really did), especially when a new elder came in who was more strictly doctrinal (like any religion, there was a lot of variety in the interpretation).

But yes, I would have infinitely preferred to not have the pledge at all.  I could, maybe, see its worth in a time of war as a national affirmation of purpose or something, but I find the reference to god distasteful and the whole idea that it somehow "proves" patriotism rather...ick.

I grew up in the liberal Northwest.  There were no prayers before football games or school nativities at Christmas-time, etc.  If the elementary school choir sang "Silent Night" the local chapter of the ACLU would've filed a lawsuit before the song was even finished.  I liked saying the Pledge of Allegiance, I'm surprised we were allowed to do so.  It didn't take any time away from lessons, it took less than a minute and was lumped in with school announcements.  I didn't mind at all if some students sat quietly in their chair instead of reciting the pledge, I thought that was what American freedom was about.  But I was proud to do it, and it always made me think about the people who fought for that freedom.  If that makes me a brainwashed patriotic fanatic.....  well there are worse things I could be.

I understand were they were coming from because you have all these people from different countries and they maybe were trying to unify them by saying the pledge.

My DW was telling me that they use have to raise their right hand up, like a salute,  when saying the pledge. That was dropped because of the Nazi connection.

Maybe it's generational?  I graduated in '97.

Nope I graduated in 97 as well, from a smallish town in southern Ohio, and remember having to do it.  I didn't say it, just stood.

I was 16 at the time, didnt know my legal rights. I look back at it now and regret not taking further action

Yeah, sorry.  I realised that sounded sort of mean. But there are a lot of things I wish I'd known. 

I remember having to recite the Canadian pledge (I lived in Canada in elementary school), and to sing the Canadian national anthem, British national anthem and Would You Like to Swing on a Star ... just because my fourth grade teacher was a big Bing Crosby fan. 

How about this one.

I, (NAME), do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me, according to regulations and the Uniform Code of Military Justice. So help me God.

The older I get I question whether I could now agree to this oath, thinking of obeying the orders of then President George Bush and officers. At the time I had the choice or going to jail because of the draft.

I took that oath under Bush.  I wasn't happy about it being Bush, but I did it.

Notice how is says according to the rules of UCMJ and uphold the Consitution.  It is not some blind following of the President.   Also, you can leave out the God part. 

The oath I had to take to become a citizen of the UK where I had to swear the Queen and all her heirs and successors according to law rankled slightly more.  Of course, no where is that law spelled out.   

The oath I had to take to become a citizen of the UK where I had to swear the Queen and all her heirs and successors according to law rankled slightly more.  Of course, no where is that law spelled out.   

The one I took to become a US citizen was awful! Fortunately, there were so many people being sworn in on my day that it wasn't noticeable when I kept quiet for most of it. 

My DW was telling me that they use have to raise their right hand up, like a salute,  when saying the pledge. That was dropped because of the Nazi connection.

We had to place right hand over heart.

One thing that really makes me agitated is at public observations of Memorial Day, say, where they're laying wreaths and playing taps, men no longer remove their hats. I think that is so poor, not because of lack of patriotism but because its shows lack of respect for the fallen. I remember my dad and grandpa standing with their hats over their hearts at football games when the National anthem was played or when the flag went by in parades. OK, so don't take off your baseball cap then but please do so when you're supposed to be honoring the men and women killed in war.

In the Texas schools I worked at, the students would recite the Pledge to the US flag as well as a separate one for the TX flag... 

I think the Pledge is still very much an "elementary school" activity since most tend to begin the day with some sort of assembly. I recall doing it daily from kindergarten until 8th grade. I went to a private, Catholic high school and we never said it.

I grew up in New England (CT).  In elementary school, we stood up, put our right hands over our hearts, listened to the SSB, and then recited the pledge (with our hands still over our hearts).

In middle and high school, we just stood up to hear the SSB play over the loudspeaker and that was that.

In the UK there are groups who get their kids excused from "assembly". I thought that our primary school was good that way, but I did wonder how those excused kids felt being set apart. (Kids always hate being different at that age)

This is something I struggle with.  The whole 'assembly' thing, and basically most of the religious content that apparently creeps into even secular state schools.  Even though faith is a part of my life, and I plan to teach that to my kids, I just feel really uncomfortable about it being presented to my (hypothetical) kids at school.  But, at the same time, I don't want everyone thinking they're freaks or something if they're skipping out on assembly or whatever.  Or, at the very least, teachers treating them differently because they have a crazy, difficult, American mother. :p

I know people in other threads have gone back and forth about whether their schools do hymns, prayers, etc, and, like the deal with the Pledge of Allegiance, it sounds like it's very much down to the individual school or district.  I suppose I just hope that our local schools won't bother. 

We had to say the pledge in primary school (Catholic one in MA) but not middle or high school.  My Sophomore English teacher used to make us say the prayer to St Anthony (patron saint of lost things)... but I frankly think it was her mind she'd lost 

I don't think 5-10 year olds really understand the words frankly, it's just patriotism parrot-fashion.