The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 17, the day before. It now has six pledges from Westerville 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 Westerville teachers included, "Students must learn about the present by studying the past. That learning must be as complete as possible. We cannot afford our future citizens to be partially educated. They must become critical thinkers to fully participate in America's democratic experiment. That will open happen if they learn history that is not sanitized and whitewashed" and "As a social studies education instructor my role is to support my students in becoming the best educators they can be and that includes being honest about history and addressing the critical issues that continue to face our nation and so many of our citizens who continue to be left out of who we are as a nation".
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 |
|---|---|
| Amber Duncan | My children deserve to learn the truth so they can be better citizens, allies, and voters in the future. |
| Bethany Vosburg-Bluem | As a social studies education instructor my role is to support my students in becoming the best educators they can be and that includes being honest about history and addressing the critical issues that continue to face our nation and so many of our citizens who continue to be left out of who we are as a nation. |
| Diane Ross | No comment |
| Geoff Mize | Students must learn about the present by studying the past. That learning must be as complete as possible. We cannot afford our future citizens to be partially educated. They must become critical thinkers to fully participate in America's democratic experiment. That will open happen if they learn history that is not sanitized and whitewashed. |
| Mary Klie | No comment |
| Mindy Hall | No comment |
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