Do you remember...

I am sure we all do. I was on a little island in Washington, near Seattle. We were shut off from everything. No one could go off or come on the island. We didn't know everything that was going on, just that something terrible had happened. (Thanks mom for the call or we would have been clueless all day.)

I do not have school on fridays so on Thusday we talked a little about Sept 11th. I realized that these seventh graders were 4 or barely 5 when it happened. They do not care and they have no real love for thier country. I wanted to scream at them that they should respect the flag, the country and the president. Now I do not agree with a lot of what the president of the US is about and what he does BUT he is the President and we should respect him. My students feel like they can talk so badly about and disrespect him greatly. In my class I heard them using words that I never say describing our president. I finally told them that I didn't care what color, or party, or sex our president was, as the president they should be respected. I told them that in my classroom I would not allow or put up with them talking about the president that way. It makes me sad to see what thier parents must be saying and doing at home for these 12 and 13 year olds to have such strong opinions.

I am grateful for a mom and dad that taught me to love my country and to respect the flag, the president and the men and women who fight every day so that I can say and do what I want and live freely. If only some parents would do the same.

So, I am asking you all to teach your children how lucky they are to live here and to have the freedoms we do. We may not like certain things about our government and how things are run but that should never deter us from remember how we got the freedoms we do and how lucky we are.

I am proud to be an American. I can not thank in words those that have sacrificed thier lives and thier time to keeping me free. I thank those who are the families of the military men and women that go out. They deserve just as much for what they do at home while thier loved ones are fighting for all of us. THANK YOU!!!!!! Thank you for everything a million times over. Don't forget that there is still a great majority that are grateful for you and what you stand for. Don't let the negative cause you to forget those that truly care and are truly grateful!!!