| Words of
Inspiration |
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT NEWS
Graduate Summer Session 2 2002 Edition -
best viewed at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/020701.html
|
Education Dept. Homepage |
The Pledge of Allegiance
A Short History
by Dr. John W. Baer
Copyright 1992 by Dr. John
W. Baer
Francis Bellamy (1855 - 1931), a Baptist minister, wrote the original Pledge in August 1892. He was a Christian Socialist. In his Pledge, he is expressing the ideas of his first cousin, Edward Bellamy, author of the American socialist utopian novels, Looking Backward (1888) and Equality (1897).
Francis Bellamy in his sermons and lectures and Edward Bellamy in his novels and articles described in detail how the middle class could create a planned economy with political, social and economic equality for all. The government would run a peace time economy similar to our present military industrial complex.
The Pledge was published in the September 8th issue of The Youth's Companion, the leading family magazine and the Reader's Digest of its day. Its owner and editor, Daniel Ford, had hired Francis in 1891 as his assistant when Francis was pressured into leaving his baptist church in Boston because of his socialist sermons. As a member of his congregation, Ford had enjoyed Francis's sermons. Ford later founded the liberal and often controversial Ford Hall Forum, located in downtown Boston.
In 1892 Francis Bellamy was also a chairman of a committee of state superintendents of education in the National Education Association. As its chairman, he prepared the program for the public schools' quadricentennial celebration for Columbus Day in 1892. He structured this public school program around a flag raising ceremony and a flag salute - his 'Pledge of Allegiance.'
His original Pledge read as follows: 'I pledge allegiance to my Flag and (to*) the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.' He considered placing the word, 'equality,' in his Pledge, but knew that the state superintendents of education on his committee were against equality for women and African Americans. [ * 'to' added in October, 1892. ]
Dr. Mortimer Adler, American philosopher and last living founder of the Great Books program at Saint John's College, has analyzed these ideas in his book, The Six Great Ideas. He argues that the three great ideas of the American political tradition are 'equality, liberty and justice for all.' 'Justice' mediates between the often conflicting goals of 'liberty' and 'equality.'
In 1923 and 1924 the National Flag Conference, under the 'leadership of the American Legion and the Daughters of the American Revolution, changed the Pledge's words, 'my Flag,' to 'the Flag of the United States of America.' Bellamy disliked this change, but his protest was ignored.
In 1954, Congress after a campaign by the Knights of Columbus, added the words, 'under God,' to the Pledge. The Pledge was now both a patriotic oath and a public prayer.
Bellamy's granddaughter said he also would have resented this second change. He had been pressured into leaving his church in 1891 because of his socialist sermons. In his retirement in Florida, he stopped attending church because he disliked the racial bigotry he found there.
What follows is Bellamy's own account of some of the thoughts that went through his mind in August, 1892, as he picked the words of his Pledge:
It began as an intensive communing with salient points of our national history, from the Declaration of Independence onwards; with the makings of the Constitution...with the meaning of the Civil War; with the aspiration of the people...
The true reason for allegiance to the Flag is the 'republic for which it stands.' ...And what does that vast thing, the Republic mean? It is the concise political word for the Nation - the One Nation which the Civil War was fought to prove. To make that One Nation idea clear, we must specify that it is indivisible, as Webster and Lincoln used to repeat in their great speeches. And its future?
Just here arose the temptation of the historic slogan of the French Revolution which meant so much to Jefferson and his friends, 'Liberty, equality, fraternity.' No, that would be too fanciful, too many thousands of years off in realization. But we as a nation do stand square on the doctrine of liberty and justice for all...
If the Pledge's historical pattern repeats, its words will be modified during this decade. Below are two possible changes.
Some prolife advocates recite the following slightly revised Pledge: 'I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all, born and unborn.'
A few liberals recite a slightly revised version of Bellamy's original Pledge: 'I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with equality, liberty and justice for all.'
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Bibliography:
Baer, John. The Pledge of Allegiance,
A Centennial History, 1892 - 1992, Annapolis, Md. Free State Press, Inc.,
1992.
Miller, Margarette S. Twenty-Three
Words, Portsmouth, Va. Printcraft Press, 1976.
http://www.vineyard.net/vineyard/history/pledge.htm
posted on June 27, 2002
Message from Gretchen Grudier, recent graduate, to Leah Barbuto, faculty member:
"I just wanted to drop you a note telling
you about my new job for the fall. I am going to be a long
term sub at Murphy School in Montville.
I will be teaching first grade while the teacher is out on
maternity leave. I am going to keep applying,
but it's a good start :) Gretchen"
Paulette Mares has decided to postpone her retirement during July 1, 2003. Great news for us - thanks, Paulette.
John McGeary, a graduate student in our MS in Elementary Education program and a sixth grade teacher at Milner Elementary School, passed away on Wednesday, June 19 at a school end of the year picnic. Our condolences go to his family.
From Dean Kleine -
Here is an opportunity
for your faculty and graduate students to be
published in a new
journal. Dr. William Howe, the State Department of
Education's specialist
on Title IX and multicultural education, is on the
editiorial board.
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ANNOUNCEMENT FROM
Tonya Huber
Founding Editor
Journal of Critical
Inquiry Into Curriculum and Instruction
Volume 4, Number 1
(2002) of Journal of Critical Inquiry Into Curriculum and
Instruction is now
available for purchase.
JCI~>CI publishes articles
representing contemporary issues and inquiry
methodologies exploring
curriculum and instruction by professionals in
graduate study. Participatory
action research, ethnographies, case studies,
portraiture, arts-based
analyses, theoretical papers, or other disciplined
inquiries into education
that inform the professional knowledge base for
educators in pre-K
to grade 12, community college, college, or university
are included.
Send your orders and
payment to Caddo Gap Press, 3145 Geary Boulevard PMB
275, San Francisco,
California 94118; phone 415-392-1911; E-mail:
caddogap@aol.com
Cost: For an individual:
US $20($30 for international) for one year or $35
in US for 2
years ($55 for international).
For an institution: US $50 ($60 for international) for one year or
$90 in US for 2
years ($110 for international).
The Journal of Critical
Inquiry Into Curriculum and Instruction is a
refereed journal committed
to publishing educational scholarship and
research of professionals
in graduate study. It is published 3 times a year.
Single copies of past
issues may also be purchased (US $8 each,
international $12).
The following are available:
Volume 1, Number 1:
Master of Education Curriculum and Instruction,
Site-Based
Program
Volume 1, Number 2:
An Arts-Based Approach to Educational Research
Volume 1, Number 3:
International Issues in Education (sold out: paper copy
only)
Volume 2, Number 1:
Educational Leadership
Volume 2, Number 2:
Curriculum Inquiry and Curriculum Workers
Volume 2, Number 3:
International Issues in Education
Volume 3, Number 1:
Putting Theory to Work: Philosophy and its Application
to Issues
in the Classroom and Curricula
Volume 3, Number 2:
Narrative Lives
Volume 3, Number 3:
International Perspectives on Curriculum Development
Across
Disciplines
Volume 4, Number 1:
Showcasing Holmes Scholarship
****
A Reading recommended
by NCATE
Jane Leibbrand
Vice President for
Communications
NCATE
2010 Massachusetts
Ave., N.W., Suite 500
Washington, D.C.
20036
tel. 202/466-7496
fax: 202/296-6620
e-mail: jane@ncate.org
website: http://www.ncate.org
Dear Colleagues;
The NY Times has published an outstanding article
(op-ed) that
buttresses the need for teacher preparation. I wanted to bring it to
your
attention. I endeavor not to bombard you with e-mail, but this is a
candidate for letter of the year. The link is below.
Please add to your teacher quality materials
file/list. More
importantly, forward this to your faculty, administrators, and public
relations office; most importantly,INCLUDE THIS ITEM in materials for
your
local and state policymakers, community foundations, and businesses,
as you
communicate with them.
The writer entered teaching coming from another
career, but was not
prepared. She is now heading back to graduate school. She has expressed
the
thoughts of perhaps thousands of unprepared individuals thrust into
a
position of responsibility they are not ready to assume. Her experience
stands in sharp juxtaposition to the call in the U. S. Department of
Education report to revamp state licensing for teachers in order to
greatly
reduce teacher preparation requirements for licensure.
Did you have a crystallizing experience, a turning point which lead you to say "YES" to teaching? Please take a few minutes now to write a paragraph or two about your experience OR email me the response "YES" and I will call you to get your story over the phone.
For many of us, the decision to teach, to touch lives, was the result of turning points or what Thomas Armstrong refers to as Crystallizing Experiences. Crystallizing experiences is a concept originating with David Feldman (1980) at Tufts University and further developed by Howard Gardner and his colleagues.
For example, Albert Einstein was four years
old when his father showed him a
magnetic compass. The adult Einstein later
said this compass filled him with
a desire to ferret out the mysteries of
the universe. Gardner himself had a
crystallizing experience in the development
of his talents and abilities. As
an adolescent, Gardner's uncle gave him
a book on psychology. This turning
point inspired him to pursue psychology.
He developed the Theory of Multiple
Intelligences in 1983 and is now one of
America's leading scholars in the
area of education. His path breaking work
has forever changed the face of
education.
Many passionate teachers have had a crystallizing
experience, a turning
point-someone (or something) who has changed
the course of their life
forever. We turn to those teachers to 'share
their stories.' We provide a
forum for those teachers to extend themselves
beyond classroom walls to
share their story to both inspire those
just beginning their journey for
teacher preparation and to entertain those
ending their journey as a
teacher. This book will be a compilation
of stories from successful,
prominent, and passionate educators around
the country with diverse
backgrounds and perspectives who experienced
a turning point which lead them
to say "YES" to teaching.
Thanks!
Dr. Victoria Schirduan
Assistant Professor Early Childhood Education
&
Coordinator for Teacher Certification and
Placement
Mitchell College
Nathan Hale, Room 112A
437 Pequot Avenue
New London, CT 06320
860.701.5449
No scheduled department meetings during the summer sessions.
****
****
Call for Graduating Senior Information
A request from Institutional Research -
Please share news about the plans of graduating seniors.
If they are going on to graduate school, please provide the graduate's name, undergraduate major, graduate university, location (city, state), field of study and degree program sought, and any information on scholarships and/or fellowships.
If they have been accepted for employment positions, please provide the graduate's name, undergraduate major, company, location (city, state), position, salary.
Please email the information to David, who will compile it for the department. Thanks.
****
Take
a look at the Education Department Photo Gallery at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/photos2002.html
*****
Other Events
***
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****
ECSU - ThinkQuest for Tomorrow's Teachers Projects
Faculty members and students from Eastern Connecticut State University are participating in a US Department of Education grant to Prepare Tomorrow's Teachers to Use Technology with ThinkQuest [ http://www.thinkquest.org] and 13 other universities throughout the US. This project's homepage may be at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/dept/pt3.html .
Alumni news may be found at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/alumninews.html.
Planning
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Past surveys of our graduates are available on the WWW –
an analysis of the survey of teacher education program graduates 1996-98 http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/survey9698.htm
results of the survey of teacher
education program graduates – 1996-1998 -
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/surveyresults9698.htm,
and
results of the survey of teacher
education program graduates – 1998-2000 -
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/gradsurvey2001.htm
survey of interests in graduate programs –1999, http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/gradinterestsurvey1999.htm
survey of interests in graduate
programs – 2001
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/assessment/gradinterestsurvey2001.htm
*****
Research and Creativity Activities -
chronicling the ongoing progress of the
Education
Department at Eastern
Connecticut State University
also found at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/rca.html
Fourth Report
3/1/02
As part of our participation with the ThinkQuest for Tomorrow's Teachers project, we have administered a survey to our student teacher candidates on their self-evaluation of their preparedness to use educational technology in their classrooms. In the past 10 months, 104 certification candidates have assessed their preparedness based on the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) standards.
Based on this scale, KEY: Not prepared = 1, Somewhat prepared = 2, Prepared = 3, Well prepared = 4, the average ratings were all in the "somewhat prepared" range for all of these items, except an average rating lower than to 2 (1.8) for "Model and teach legal and ethical principles related to technology use" for the Fall 2001 student teachers.
A future edition's research report will feature whether any of these self-assessments on the ISTE standards were statistically different. The table for this report may be found at http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/news/rca020301.html .
Searches
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searches pending approval - we had request an additional faculty member in Elementary Education.
***
Experiences
for Future Teachers Using Technology (EFTUT)-
http://www.easternct.edu/depts/edu/yes/
Dr. Jaime Gomez had a dream of convening a week-long workshop for middle and high school students on video development. The dream came true for 18 students from 9 schools, three parents, and faculty participating in a video workshop from June 17 - 21. Dr. Gomez and three student assistants - Tom Atencio, Kasha Topa, and Kevin Saucier - facilitated the development of music video and narrative videos with these students.
Our Institute for Future Teachers Using Technology continues with nearly 50 students from 18 schools -
A.I.
Prince Tech
Bennet
Middle School
Bristol
Eastern High
Bulkeley
High
Coventry
High School
E.O.
Smith High School
Enrico
Fermi High
Hartford
Public High
Kolbe
Cathedral High
Manchester
High
Mansfield
Middle School
Middletown
High School
St.
Paul Catholic High
Thomas
Edison Magnet (Middle) School
William
H. Hall High
Windham
High School
Windham
Tech
Woodstock
Academy
on Sunday, June 23 until Friday, June 28, with a showcase in LIB 204.
We will have sessions on video development and editing, computer productivity tools for teachers, MicroWorlds led by Hari Koirala, webpage development, and animation. It should be an interesting and instructional week. I would be glad to share the VHS tapes of the student projects, now available in the Chair's office.
*****
Recently acquired
media - in the Chair's Office or on the Web
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Institutional Overview and Response to Standards, Self-examination report on Teacher Preparation Programs at ECSU, March 2002.
Portfolio Responses for BEST program, 2001-2002.
Precondition Report for the Education Unit - April 2002, NCATE document
Handbooks for the Development of Teaching Portfolios 2001-2002 - Connecticut State Department of Education - most subjects
General Education Committee's General Education Program Proposal
Wednesdays - A Compilation of Short Stories written by Eastern Connecticut State University Graduate Students
Educational Technology Resource Documents from the Connecticut State Department of Education.
American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) Public Policy Agenda - 2002.
The BEST Program Portfolio Resources 2001-2002: School Year
BEST 2001-2002 Rubrics.
NCATE State training information from January 29-30, 2002 meeting.
Faculty Handbook.
Our Reading/Language Arts, Webb Hall 113, has been enriched with past issues of Phi Delta Kappan, Academe, Syllabus, Converge, Journal of Teacher Education, and other resources. Please feel free to use and encourage your students to use these materials.
The Condition of Education 2001 in Brief. National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education.
*********
Please contact David Stoloff at (860) 465-5501,
email:
stoloffd@easternct.edu
if you have any questions or comments on this newsletter. Please
invite others to receive this newsletter and be added to the Education
Department e-mailing list by contacting David Stoloff.