The pledge was signed by no teachers on Feb. 25, the day before. It now has two pledges from Surprise 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 Surprise teachers included, "We cannot teach students only the history that we like. We have to look at how America has and hasn’t lived up to its ideals and let students think critically about what else we need to do in order to form a more perfect Union. Gagging teachers is not the answer here" and "Students of History deserve to be exposed to various views, not just those deemed "safe". Students are intelligent and independent scholars who can make decisions on their own. They can decide for themselves about views presented to them by their teacher, peers, and the community at large. Only with a rigorous investigation of multiple points of view can they do so. Attempts to stifle history by rejecting certain views are authoritarian and against the founding principles of this nation and the Enlightenment".
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 |
|---|---|
| Jon Alfred | Students of History deserve to be exposed to various views, not just those deemed "safe". Students are intelligent and independent scholars who can make decisions on their own. They can decide for themselves about views presented to them by their teacher, peers, and the community at large. Only with a rigorous investigation of multiple points of view can they do so. Attempts to stifle history by rejecting certain views are authoritarian and against the founding principles of this nation and the Enlightenment. |
| Paula Auble | We cannot teach students only the history that we like. We have to look at how America has and hasn’t lived up to its ideals and let students think critically about what else we need to do in order to form a more perfect Union. Gagging teachers is not the answer here. |
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