The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 6, the day before. It now has one pledge from Leavenworth 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 Leavenworth teacher wrote "My students deserve the opportunity to learn about issues from a variety of perspectives; to examine statistics and draw conclusions; to think critically even if occasionally it is uncomfortable. Attempts to legislate what teachers teach are harmful. They will slow our country's progress toward empathy toward one another and true equality. These laws insult the teaching profession and disrespect teachers and administrators who have worked hard to earn their degrees and licenses. Legislators are not education experts and should leave the teaching to teachers." 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 |
|---|---|
| Ginger Riddle | My students deserve the opportunity to learn about issues from a variety of perspectives; to examine statistics and draw conclusions; to think critically even if occasionally it is uncomfortable. Attempts to legislate what teachers teach are harmful. They will slow our country's progress toward empathy toward one another and true equality. These laws insult the teaching profession and disrespect teachers and administrators who have worked hard to earn their degrees and licenses. Legislators are not education experts and should leave the teaching to teachers. |
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