No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has one pledge from Staunton teachers by the end of the week ending Feb. 12.
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 Staunton teacher wrote “I feel that, as a person of privilege, I need to commit myself to teaching our students about the complete truth about our country’s and world’s history, both the good and the bad. This isn’t to get students to feel ashamed about who they are, or even who their ancestors were, or to single out students who unfairly face marginalization, but rather for all of us to commit to learning and teaching about the sins of our past and present. By learning (both students and teachers) and teaching about these things, we can mitigate the injustice faced by so many people, especially BIPOC and other minority groups facing marginalization, in our past and present day. In this way, we can teach about how we can achieve a world with “Liberty and Justice for All!”” 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 |
|---|---|
| Joseph Capuano | I feel that, as a person of privilege, I need to commit myself to teaching our students about the complete truth about our country’s and world’s history, both the good and the bad. This isn’t to get students to feel ashamed about who they are, or even who their ancestors were, or to single out students who unfairly face marginalization, but rather for all of us to commit to learning and teaching about the sins of our past and present. By learning (both students and teachers) and teaching about these things, we can mitigate the injustice faced by so many people, especially BIPOC and other minority groups facing marginalization, in our past and present day. In this way, we can teach about how we can achieve a world with “Liberty and Justice for All!” |
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