As I recall we did the pledge only when either we were in the same classroom all day, or had a morning assembly. That ceased to be the case in middle school (or junior high as they called it there) and high school.

I don't know if they do the pledge at the kid's schools, probably. On a tangent, when I've seen the middle school and high school here it feels so strange to me to have everything in one building. My middle school had 4-5 buildings and my high school had, I think, 9 buildings and a few trailers for overflow. It feels weird to walk into a high school where everything is all under a single roof.

I had to say the Pledge of Allegiance in grade school, but not in high school. Some organizations (4-H is the one I remember) started meetings with the Pledge. I don't remember anyone refusing to say it.

When I was in 5th or 6th grade, the teacher pointed out that there was no comma before "under God," and she wouldn't let us pause before those words. Got kind of funny at 4-H meetings, where some people would pause and some wouldn't.

From my current perspective, I can see a purpose of a first-thing-in-the-morning ritual at schools. But when you say the Pledge of Allegiance -- or anything else -- 180 days a year for years on end (and when you're 5 or 6, a year is forever!), it can become a bunch of words devoid of meaning as opposed to a heartfelt statement of belief. If you want to instill patriotic feelings, I'd think there would be more productive means.

And the tune "To Anacreon in Heaven" was used for "The Star Spangled Banner."

We definitely said the pledge through 8th grade, and maybe we sang too, but that I don't remember.

I know we said it during our first period in middle school, meaning we said it in French class, which was sort of odd.

I can't remember if I ever had issues about it, my mom might have thought it was odd, but she was a big believer in respecting oaths. One of the main reasons she didn't become an American was she couldn't swear an oath she couldn't commit to all out.

I feel like even saying, "Ok, you don't have to say it, but you will stand with everyone else," is still...I don't know.

I have no issue with it. It's like going to a Kings Game and standing through the Canadian Anthem. It's just respectful.

If you want to instill patriotic feelings, I'd think there would be more productive means.

But it's a great way to sell flags!

Yeah, I declined to say the pledge and to sing the anthem (although I do have the range, usually) and sepending on how radical I`m feeling, I will sit. For me it started when I discovered what had happened with the Japanese American internment during World War II. Once I understood that, it was no longer a government I was willing to pledge allegiance to.
 
Although I do love the enthusiastic singing of the anthem that happens at Chicago Blackhawks games.

For some reason, singing the national anthem is less oogy to me than reciting the Pledge. Maybe because the lyrics are more "American flag, YAY! Things go boom, yay!" whereas the pledge of alleigence is a pledge of alleigence. Singing the national anthem doesn't imply a promise to do anything else.

I neither said the pledge, nor stood. When I was quaker, there's a fundamental opposition to loyalty pledges (Ido not swear on a bible, just agree to tell the truth) and later, I took political and god-clause issue to it.

Not really here, just waiting for something to process.

Ha for hockey anthem crosspost. I do, in fact, know all the words to the Canadian national anthem too, but only in English. We don`t watch enough Montreal games to know the French one.