The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 10, the day before. It now has one pledge from Van Wert 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 Van Wert teacher wrote "it is my duty to teach student the accurate history of our world - without bias and without altering the facts. I try to help them understand the point of view of the time and help them understand that some people still hold those view points. I also try to instill in my students that you don't have to agree but you do need to acknowledge facts and understand that good and bad exists every where - it's what we do with the facts and how we improve the world around us that makes us a great nation." 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 |
---|---|
Paula Johnson | it is my duty to teach student the accurate history of our world - without bias and without altering the facts. I try to help them understand the point of view of the time and help them understand that some people still hold those view points. I also try to instill in my students that you don't have to agree but you do need to acknowledge facts and understand that good and bad exists every where - it's what we do with the facts and how we improve the world around us that makes us a great nation. |