The pledge was signed by no teachers on Oct. 25, the day before. It now has five pledges from Rockville teachers.
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.
Comments from Rockville teachers included, "I am originally from Missouri and was not taught about so many of the things that I have now discovered to be true. When I left the state of Missouri for the military and to live in other communities I was generally uninformed and in some cases misinformed about the history of our country. I was not a good example of a great education despite the fact that I decided to become a teacher and I intend to prevent that from happening to as many children as possible. It is time to ensure that students are presented with "hard" topics and the opportunity to wrestle with them from the time they are in preschool on. This will be how the rest of their lives are, why should you shelter them in a "safe" place and then send them out into the world to encounter all of this information without support and guidance? This is not what educators have ever wanted for their students!" and "The foundation of democracy is truthful education. We will not improve if our society is built on lies".
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 |
|---|---|
| Marcia Balkin | I am originally from Missouri and was not taught about so many of the things that I have now discovered to be true. When I left the state of Missouri for the military and to live in other communities I was generally uninformed and in some cases misinformed about the history of our country. I was not a good example of a great education despite the fact that I decided to become a teacher and I intend to prevent that from happening to as many children as possible. It is time to ensure that students are presented with "hard" topics and the opportunity to wrestle with them from the time they are in preschool on. This will be how the rest of their lives are, why should you shelter them in a "safe" place and then send them out into the world to encounter all of this information without support and guidance? This is not what educators have ever wanted for their students! |
| Martin Bergoffen | The foundation of democracy is truthful education. We will not improve if our society is built on lies. |
| Martin Bergoffen | The truth matters. |
| Sarada Devi Jasti Currie | I also refuse to lie to my students. |
| Wendy Root | I am committed to ending the gaslighting of young minds. Truth is the only path toward empathy, reconciliation and change. |
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