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Some parents believe that the pledge should not be said in schools one Brookline, Mass. parent Martin Rosenthal says he is very patriotic. He proudly put his hand on his heart and pledged allegiance to the flag at a recent community event. But, he says, the pledge has no place in the classroom. "You're asking kids in school to take a loyalty oath in front of their classmates," he says. "I just don't think that's right." Rosenthal says the pledge has no educational value and even flies in the face of the kind of critical thinking schools should be teaching. But, he says, he's most bothered by the peer pressure students may feel to recite it. "I mean, I have a thick skin, but I don't think it's right to put 6- to 7-year-olds in that situation — and the school committee doesn't get it," Rosenthal says. School committee Chairwoman Rebecca Stone says no students have ever complained they were bullied for not pledging. Brookline school, eighth-grader Noam Fink agrees that there is no pressure to pledge. In fact, she says, sometimes there's pressure not to pledge. "I did it once," she says. "And I was one of three people standing up and it was awkward 'cause everyone was staring at you." Pledging seems to be more common in the younger grades. Though, as fourth-grader Milena Kitterman puts it, it's up to you. "If you wanna do it, it's cool to do it," she says. "But if you don't want to do it, you just sit in your seat and wait till it's over and it's no big deal." She and classmate Kate Staff say they like pledging.