  Hmmm...I'm starting to think ahead to curriculum after spring break, when we will have time to read another book and also to prepare for the AP exam. I know from talking with Miss Clark that her classes have recently been spending time studying the Holocaust, and I'm thinking about Kailie's expression of frustration. Why didn't Jim just run? A similar question is often, "Why didn't the Jews just band together and keep the Nazis from treating them so poorly. " I'm wondering...are you folks interested in reading a first-hand account of Auschwitz after break? The book I'm thinking of is Night, written beautifully by Elie Wiesel. It's a quick read, but it's also a hard read because of the subject matter. It isn't American lit (Wiesel was Romanian, I believe), but that doesn't really matter for the test.
What do you all think? Would it be best to be presented with a variety of options before deciding? As for your question about the Pledge of Allegiance, Rob...I find myself asking many more questions in addition to the one about the "under God" phrase. For example, what does it mean to pledge allegiance to a flag at a time when patriotism is so integrated with war-making? I cannot help but remember photos I've seen of Nazi swastika flags hanging over church altars during World War II. As a religious person, I want to see a full separation of church and state so that I am left to practice my faith as I see fit. I believe others have that right, too. Although I believe that we exist by the grace of God, not everyone does. So what does our flag stand for? When we pledge allegiance to it, what are we promising to do or not do? What is the role of God in a pluralistic country? What binds us together as a people, particularly as we become a more diverse society every year?
Does pledging allegiance mean committing ourselves to creative peace-making, or only that we will pick up arms if attacked? And what about "justice for all"? These are the questions I ask myself every day at the beginning of third period.
What do you all think?
Mrs. V-A 
