Country singer Chris Janson said he was “blown away” after his fourth-grade teacher taught him an important lesson about respecting the American flag.
Janson, 40, recalled the moment from his childhood while speaking with Fox News Digital. He said he put the flag around his shoulders like a superhero cape when his teacher, a veteran, scolded him.
“It was my turn to go take the flag down,” Janson said. “I brought the flag down off the pole and I wrapped it around my shoulders like a superhero. I didn’t think a thing of it. He was a veteran and he came out there and he scolded me hard and I did not understand what in the world I was in trouble for.”
Janson explained that his teacher told him the tips of the American flag should not touch the ground.
“‘Don’t you ever let that touch the ground again,” Janson said. “[A]nd I was like blown away. I didn’t understand this until I was an adult. Until I really understood what freedom meant,” he continued.
Having learned that lesson, Janson now wants to teach his children to have American pride. “I want my kids to respect the flag and honor our country and be proud of where you come from and be honest and be respectful,” he told Fox News Digital.
“I love this country. I’ve said it so many times, like, we have freedom here like no other place. It’s really amazing. So number one is you respect your flag,” he added. (RELATED: Trump Announces ‘Freedom 250 Grand Prix’ In DC)
In celebration of America’s 250th birthday on July 4, Janson teamed up with Steven Curtis Chapman to record a new version of the song, “America The Beautiful,” according to Fox News Digital. The pair performed the song with a children’s choir on June 12 at the Grand Ole Opry.
Freedom 250 is holding multiple events in celebration of America’s semiquincentennial, including the Great American State Fair and a July 4 fireworks display on the National Mall.