No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has two pledges from Battle Ground teachers by the end of the week ending Sept. 25.
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 |
|---|---|
| Sharice Lee | Education must be based on facts or it's no longer education, it's propaganda. |
| Jennifer Gwartney | hard truths don't break us, they build greater empathy and understanding of how the past has/is affecting the present. To deny the moments when we as a nation have not been "at our best" hobbles us and perhaps dooms us to repeat the past - or worse. We teach our children that lying is a sin; lying by omission is still lying. I won't lie to my students for some misguided narionalist pride. America is a melting pot and made better for it. America has flaws but so do many beautiful diamonds despite our knowledge of those flaws. Problems aren't solved by sweeping them under the rug but rather by dealing with them head on. THIS is the America I will teach. |
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