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GUEST: Joel Westheimer, Professor and University Research Chair in Democracy and Education at the University of Ottawa and the co-Director of DemocraticDialogue.com

In the days after the twin towers fell on September 11, 2001, American citizens and residents took up US flags in droves, on their cars, in front of their homes and businesses, and as buttons on their clothes. The patriotic fervor spread like wild fire and many people felt compelled to wave the flag to prove their loyalty to the nation. In classrooms across the country, teachers and children also reflected the national sentiment. In a new anthology called “Pledging Allegiance: The Politics of Patriotism in America’s Schools,” editor Joel Westheimer brings together a variety of essays on how schools are dealing with patriotism. Pledging Allegiance has a foreword by historian Howard Zinn and features Studs Terkel, Cindy Sheehan, Robert Jensen, James Loewen, and many others.

For more information, and teacher resources, visit www.pledgingallegiance.org.