No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has one pledge from Westbrook teachers by the end of the week ending Nov. 27.
They’re one of the thousands of US teachers pledging to continue educating students about the controversial Critical Race Theory, which explains racism is embedded in US culture and politics.
Though the concept was first suggested in the late 70’s, it has recently exploded as a contentious issue between the American right and left in the last two years.
Many who signed the pledge are defying state bans on the teachings. Arizona, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and South Dakota, have denounced the teachings without passing specific legislation.
In an interview with The Washington Free Beacon, Ashley Varner of the Freedom Foundation accused the Zinn Education Project of providing “left-leaning propaganda to teachers.”
| Teachers | Thoughts on Critical Race Theory |
|---|---|
| Cheryl Hart | We must hear all the voices of all the people who lived, or are living, as our country's story continues to unfold. Examining, questioning, and understanding our history as fully as possible - the noble and the shameful, the bitter arguments and hard-won agreements, the creativity and innovation, exclusion, racism, violence, courage, hate, peace, corruption, activism, fear, compassion - will help us learn, grow, and thrive as a people and mature as a society. This work can be at once messy and uplifting, hard, contentious, and exhilarating. But it can't be ignored because it's difficult or because facing hard truths is damned uncomfortable - not if we're serious about realizing the aspirations we claim to have about living in a a just and inclusive country. The proposed bans on what's been labeled "critical race theory" are yet another attempt to avoid the truth, and a search for the truth, about our history as a people, as a country. Why so much fear of truth-seeking? This isn't a zero-sum game. As challenging as it most definitely can be, we're all lifted by facing the truth and working honestly to understand care about one another. This is how we move forward, how we metabolize conflict and trauma and use that energy to help us grow. Shifting the study of history in schools to reflect a fuller telling of our country's story can be done with sensitivity and respect for students' developmental ages, stages, and readiness. Isn't it quintessentially "American" to ask questions and to seek the truth? When did this process become "indoctrination?" Quite simply, it isn't. It's our job, as educators, to help our students learn to think for themselves, not to tell them what to think. Their learning, their understanding, and their development as active, engaged, informed citizens, is supported when we look for truth - not when we settle for lies designed to keep us comfortable and to perpetuate a fragmented, underdeveloped, and incomplete narrative. |
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