The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 19, the day before. It now has one pledge from Crystal Falls teacher.
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.
The Crystal Falls teacher wrote "Teaching an accurate and inclusive curriculum is vital to our children and the world they live in. This is long overdue in the general public school system. I am an autistic homeschool mother of autistic children and I am passionate about rethinking the way we teach and what they learn around here. We must raise critical thinking people who understand a true history and make pathways of access and inclusivity for all students if we want them to be healthy and educated citizens. I refuse to lie to my kids. As a veteran, I refuse to allow this country to continue lying to itself. It has no use but to uphold white supremacy for profit and I refuse to bow to that too. We need educators who are creatively engaged with this work and everyone is better for it. Thank you." when pledging to teach Critical Race Theory.
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 |
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Angela Heuvelmans | Teaching an accurate and inclusive curriculum is vital to our children and the world they live in. This is long overdue in the general public school system. I am an autistic homeschool mother of autistic children and I am passionate about rethinking the way we teach and what they learn around here. We must raise critical thinking people who understand a true history and make pathways of access and inclusivity for all students if we want them to be healthy and educated citizens. I refuse to lie to my kids. As a veteran, I refuse to allow this country to continue lying to itself. It has no use but to uphold white supremacy for profit and I refuse to bow to that too. We need educators who are creatively engaged with this work and everyone is better for it. Thank you. |