No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has nine pledges from Greensboro teachers by the end of the week ending Aug. 28.
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 new Greensboro teacher wrote “"Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong" by Loewen, J. was published in 1995 and yet the cycle of miseducation continues. If a learner is old enough to experience the oppression, the only folks protected by NOT teaching accurate histories are learners situated in a position privileged enough not to perceive the issues impacting their peers. Yet here we are in 2021 debating Critical Race Theory as a subject as if our students of color do not experience the impact. How interesting to live in a country that shames another for their historical atrocities, i.e. Germany, without accepting not only the accountability for our own nation's atrocities, as well as our participation in those of the countries we shame. Also, education is not about learning lies, right?” 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 |
|---|---|
| Eliza MacDonald | “no comment” |
| Hollie Blake | “no comment” |
| Jess Barselow | The only way to make the world a better place for everyone is understand the ways in which it is not equitable for all, which includes learning the history of how we got here. |
| Deb Greene | When I became an educator, I did so to make the future better. Telling lies won't do that. |
| Jasmine Getrouw-Moore | “no comment” |
| Tinisha Shaw | I am an educator. My role as an educator is to teach the truth and in truth; encourage and support the agency of my students and colleagues; to develop and support a space of teaching and learning; recognize, respect, and honor the full identities of my students and colleagues- that is their historical, present, and future identities. |
| Eric Wrencher | Remembering rightly is the only way to move forward in the right way. |
| Lindsay Stephenson | “no comment” |
| Genevieve Smith | "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong" by Loewen, J. was published in 1995 and yet the cycle of miseducation continues. If a learner is old enough to experience the oppression, the only folks protected by NOT teaching accurate histories are learners situated in a position privileged enough not to perceive the issues impacting their peers. Yet here we are in 2021 debating Critical Race Theory as a subject as if our students of color do not experience the impact. How interesting to live in a country that shames another for their historical atrocities, i.e. Germany, without accepting not only the accountability for our own nation's atrocities, as well as our participation in those of the countries we shame. Also, education is not about learning lies, right? |
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