Five Practices from My 1980s Elementary School That Should Make a Comeback

Our youngest citizens won’t care about the American experiment unless they experience educational models of patriotism.

Why this list matters: The American founders understood that education is essential if we want to keep our republic. In 1788, Noah Webster wrote, “The Education of youth is, in all governments, an object of the first consequence. The impression received in early life usually form the characters of individuals; a union of which forms the general character of the nation.”

For at least a generation, America’s schools have failed at this endeavor. According to a 2025 Gallup poll, “less than half (41%) of adults who belong to Generation Z have been extremely or very proud to be Americans, compared with 58% of millennials…71% of Generation X, 75% of the baby boom generation and 83% of the Silent Generation.”

Schools must teach patriotism to reverse this trend. Inspired by my 1980s elementary education, here are five ways to do so:

1. Start each day with the Pledge of Allegiance

From Kindergarten through 5th grade, every day started with the whole class standing, placing their hands over their hearts, and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance together. It’s a great daily reminder that, despite our differences, we are “One nation under God.” There is more that binds us together than separates us.

2. Ensure students memorize and recite key texts

“We the people of the United States” is the beginning of an idea that every student should know: the purpose of our union. I had to memorize those lines, as well as the beginning of the Declaration of Independence, in the 5th-grade social studies class. When students commit these words to memory, they carry the principles of the American founding with them long after the lesson ends.

3. Use music class to teach patriotic songs

Music class should contribute to our common American culture. It can do so by teaching songs that bind us together and illuminate our history. In his New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know, E.D. Hirsh recommends “America the Beautiful,” “Battle Hymn of the Republic,” “God Bless America,” “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” and “The Star-Spangled Banner,” as well as several folk songs. Elementary music class offers a prime opportunity to transmit these songs to the next generation.

4. Raise the flag

To many members of Gen X, being chosen for “flag duty” at school was a great honor. It meant both responsibility and reverence. Being entrusted with raising or lowering Old Glory, as well as proper flag etiquette, was a reminder that the flag stands for something bigger than itself–something worth honoring. That small ritual instilled a sense of civic responsibility and respect that no textbook lesson could fully replicate.

5. Celebrate America together

Growing up in Central Florida made it possible to watch space shuttle launches from the school parking lot. My classmates and I did so whenever a launch happened during the school day. That activity can’t be duplicated in most of the country, but the attitude can. Schools should intentionally mark shared national moments—whether historic anniversaries, civic holidays, or major national achievements—as occasions for collective recognition. The 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence gives schools a unique opportunity to commemorate this year together.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Ronald Reagan famously said, “Freedom… is not ours by way of inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation, for it comes only once to a people.” The same is true of every republican ideal. If we want the next generation to preserve the republic, we must first teach them why it is worth loving at the elementary level.