Performing Patriotism in the Public Schools
John Schmalzbauer
Posted: 08.19.2008 / 1:14 PM PDT
It’s back to school time in Nixa, Missouri. With the possible exception of local churches, the Nixa R-II School District is the most important institution in town. With test scores well above the state average, the school system is a magnet for young families like my own. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 40 percent of households have children under the age of eighteen. As Dante Chinni noted in his profile of Nixa, education bond issues always pass.
Because of its centrality to the community, Nixa’s school system is a useful barometer of the culture of the area. Open to such innovative approaches as multiple intelligences and cooperative learning, the district reflects the city’s self-image as the “progressive choice of the Ozarks.”
Consistent with Nixa’s status as an Evangelical Epicenter, such progressivism coexists with a deep and abiding cultural conservatism. Until 2005 the Nixa schools practiced corporal punishment as a method of discipline. Reflecting close ties between church and state, the school district is an official member of the Nixa Ministerial Alliance, the group that plans the annual baccalaureate service at the local high school. Just last week, Nixa First Assembly of God provided the food for the annual Teacher Appreciation Luncheon, something they have done for the past nine years.
Last Friday my son’s elementary school began the year with a celebration of Ozarks patriotism. As the kids disembarked from buses and SUVs, they were greeted by three military Humvees, accompanied by a contingent of soldiers from the Missouri National Guard. Before entering the building, the children posed for pictures with the soldiers and camouflaged vehicles.
After the Pledge of Allegiance and the usual moment of silence, Principal Jerrod Wheeler announced yet another surprise: a Huey helicopter would visit the school later that morning. At 9:45 a.m. the children gathered outside to wait. As a color guard processed across the grass, they said the Pledge of Allegiance once again. As promised, the Huey landed around 10:00 a.m. Decked out in matching camouflage shirts, the teachers posed for a group photo before leading the children through the helicopter one by one.
A big day for Nixa and Dr. Wheeler, it was also the kick-off for this year’s theme, “Espy Elementary: An All American School.” As Wheeler noted in the school newsletter, “one of our responsibilities as educators is to instill a pride for our country.” While the school’s main bulletin board is decorated with the five seals of the U.S armed forces, each grade is identified with a different branch of the service (Kindergarten-Army, First-Coast Guard, Second-Navy, Third-Air Force, and Fourth-Marines).
What does all of this have to do with the 2008 election? Plenty, if you have been paying attention to the criticisms of Barack Obama for not wearing a flag lapel pin or the urban myth that he won’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Part of what sociologists call “civil religion,” icons such as the American flag celebrate the sacredness of the nation. Though dismissed as trivial by some, the rituals and symbols of American patriotism matter a great deal in places like Nixa, Missouri. According to sociologist Robert Wuthnow, commitment to civil religion is much higher in some parts of the country than others.
Anyone watching John McCain’s performance at the Saddleback Civil Forum knows that the Arizona Senator is especially fluent in the language of civil religion. Though Barack Obama did a far better job quoting scripture, McCain’s comment that “the most precious asset we have is American blood” hit on a core civil religious theme: the sacrifice of America’s war dead. While Obama spoke about “the sacrifices that have been made on behalf of our freedom,” he seemed far more comfortable talking about the biblical themes of justice and mercy. It remains to be seen which will matter more in America’s Evangelical Epicenters.
