Someone is missing the point. A decision by a Los Gatos High School history teacher to post a photograph on the wall of her classroom of an American flag being burned—as one of a number of photographs of a San Francisco antiwar protest—has touched off a firestorm of controversy in town.
Trouble is, it seems that the firestorm is raging out of control for the wrong reason.
Many who criticize Los Gatos teacher Erin Schwartz for her decision to display the photo are quick to point out that the act of burning the American flag is repugnant, especially during a time of war. They're right.
Many of Schwartz's detractors recall that Americans have fought for and died to protect that flag and what it represents, including those service men and women currently serving in Iraq. They're right, too.
And many of her critics call the act of burning the American flag unpatriotic since that flag is the very symbol of the freedom and democracy that we all cherish in this country. And they're right as well.
Trouble is, flag burning is not the issue. Teaching our young people that such events occur in this country and allowing them to process that information through critical thinking to formulate their own opinions of such actions—that is the issue.
Burning the American flag in protest of our government's actions, especially during a time of war, is a distasteful act. The point is, though, no one—not even Schwartz—is condoning such a desecration. But the problem now is that misinformation and innuendo has fanned the flame of public opinion so that the real issue is lost in a smokescreen of confusion.
The issue is not whether or not flag burning is a proper form of protest—the issue is whether our educators at the secondary school level should be teaching our young people about such acts of protest. The answer is simple—of course they should.
Are high school students prepared for and mature enough to process that information? Of course they are. They are not children. They are young adults preparing for college, and they must be challenged now if they are to be ready for the next step in the educational process.
We may not like the thought of someone burning an American flag. But if we do indeed cherish our liberty, we must recognize that while it is one person's right to proudly fly the stars and stripes in support of our nation, it is another person's right to exercise his freedom by burning that flag in protest. It's a lesson students must learn so that they fully understand our nation's Bill of Rights.
And teaching our young people, especially those at the high school level, that such events occur only seems to be presenting the broad educational base that creates the well-rounded individual.
What's wrong with this picture? Plenty. It's an American flag being burned, and it makes us mad. But let's not confuse the act with a teacher's decision to share information about current events with her students. And that, it seems, is the real issue here.
