{"id":6987,"date":"2025-06-02T08:43:25","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T08:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/archives\/6987"},"modified":"2025-06-02T08:45:38","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T08:45:38","slug":"teacher-removes-u-s-flag-from-classroom-makes-kids-pledge-allegiance-to-pride-flag-happiness-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/?p=6987","title":{"rendered":"A California teacher sparked outrage by removing the American flag from her classroom and having students pledge allegiance to the pride flag instead, setting off a wave of shock, controversy, and fierce reaction as the school\u2019s response leaves everyone talking\u2014check the link in the comments for what happened next and join the conversation! \ud83d\ude31\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><span class=\"stream-title\"> Advertisement<\/span><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9932088343059403\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"\/>&#13;\n<!-- happiness-life top -->&#13;\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9932088343059403\" data-ad-slot=\"2250127698\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"\/>&#13;\n<script><![CDATA[\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n]]><\/script><\/p>\n<p>A teacher in California lost her job after she made fun of the U.S. flag and promoted her own beliefs in class. Kristin Pitzen thought it was funny when she shared a TikTok video saying she took down the American flag from her classroom because it made her feel \u201cuncomfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She even told her students to pledge allegiance to the pride flag instead, which upset many parents who felt she was teaching kids to be disrespectful to the American flag. If you want to know more about this situation and why it made so many people angry, keep reading.<\/p>\n<p>Kristin Pitzen, who worked in the Newport Mesa School District in Orange County, made a video on TikTok that has since been deleted. In it, she explained that she removed the American flag from her classroom because it made her uncomfortable. While giggling, she said,<strong> \u201cI packed it away and I don\u2019t know where, and I haven\u2019t found it yet.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"655\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/546565-655x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28331\" srcset=\"https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/546565-655x1024.jpg 655w, https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/546565-192x300.jpg 192w, https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/546565.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 655px) 100vw, 655px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>She mentioned that when the Pledge of Allegiance is said in the mornings, she tells her students: <strong>\u201cYou can stand if you want, or you can sit. You can say the words if you feel like it, but it\u2019s totally okay if you don\u2019t.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Her class decided to stand but chose not to say the pledge, which she thought was perfectly fine. The funny part? Her classroom doesn\u2019t even have a flag, and she laughed about it.<\/p>\n<p>Then, she shared a story about a student who asked what he should look at while saying the pledge since there was no American flag in sight. Trying not to laugh, she said, <strong>\u201cI told him, \u2018We do have a flag in the class that you can pledge to.\u2019 He looked around and asked, \u2018Oh, that one?\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The camera then showed the wall where the pride flag was displayed.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-pushing-pride\">Pushing pride<\/h2>\n<p>She didn\u2019t just do this once; she often tried to influence her students with her own ideas.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"973\" src=\"https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/55566.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/55566.jpg 768w, https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/55566-237x300.jpg 237w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>In a video that has since been removed, Pitzen shared a glimpse of her colorful classroom celebrating Pride Month, featuring lots of different flags.<\/p>\n<p>In the video, she declared, \u201cI pledge allegiance to the queers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She also expressed, \u201cI care about all of you \u2013 whether you\u2019re out or not. You matter. You are loved. You are enough. I\u2019m here for you. I\u2019ve got your back.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\n<script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9932088343059403\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"\/>&#13;\n<!-- middle post -->&#13;\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9932088343059403\" data-ad-slot=\"2535897297\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"\/>&#13;\n<script><![CDATA[\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n]]><\/script>\n<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-a-symbol-of-freedom\">A symbol of freedom<\/h2>\n<p>The community and school board were not happy with the teacher who was trying to push her beliefs on the students.<\/p>\n<p>The video spread fast and caused a lot of anger from people who thought Pitzen\u2019s behavior was wrong and disrespectful to the American flag.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/578878.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/578878.jpg 768w, https:\/\/happiness-life.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/578878-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Several parents decided to show their support for the school by placing flags on the lawn. One mother explained, \u201cWe heard the school needed more flags, so we wanted to help out and show our love for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Michele Vaughn, whose son serves in the military, expressed her feelings, saying, \u201cI wish I could explain to her how important it is to respect the flag.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the same time, many people online were upset about Pitzen\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n<p>One commenter pointed out that the flag represents a significant part of history and the freedom people enjoy today: \u201cI don\u2019t think you understand. Teach them that it stands for those who fought for your freedom and happiness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another person added, \u201cYou should honor those who fought for our freedom. It\u2019s hard to believe you don\u2019t see how fortunate we are, and to disrespect the flag that represents our country?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A third commenter suggested, \u201cMaybe she should try living in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"tiktok-embed\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@deletedvideos09\/video\/7091072389773249838\" data-video-id=\"7091072389773249838\" style=\"max-width: 605px;min-width: 325px;\">\n<section> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"@deletedvideos09\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@deletedvideos09?refer=embed\">@deletedvideos09<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Teacher mocks the American Flag and suggests to students they can say the Pledge of Allegiance to the pride flag<\/p>\n<p> <a target=\"_blank\" title=\"\u266c original sound - Deletedvideos09\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/music\/original-sound-7091072363760143150?refer=embed\">\u266c original sound \u2013 Deletedvideos09<\/a> <\/section>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"\/>\nSince the video was shared in 2021, Pitzen \u2013 who has now removed all her social media accounts \u2013 \u201cis not teaching anymore\u201d and the investigation is still happening.\nThis event sparked discussions about topics like freedom of speech, the importance of national symbols, and how teachers should encourage inclusivity and diversity in schools. It\u2019s unclear what steps, if any, the school district will take next regarding this matter.\nWhat are your thoughts on this situation? We\u2019d love to hear what you think, so please share your opinions and pass this story along to see what others have to say!\n<span class=\"stream-title\">Advertisement<\/span><script async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-9932088343059403\" crossorigin=\"anonymous\"\/>&#13;\n<!-- happiness-life end -->&#13;\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-9932088343059403\" data-ad-slot=\"7310882687\" data-ad-format=\"auto\" data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"\/>&#13;\n<script><![CDATA[\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n]]><\/script><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Advertisement A teacher in California lost her job after she made fun of the U.S. flag and promoted her own beliefs in class. Kristin Pitzen thought it was funny when &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6990,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6987","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6987"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6992,"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6987\/revisions\/6992"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6990"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightflowmedia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}