No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has four pledges from Pflugerville teachers by the end of the week ending March 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.
Comments from new Pflugerville teachers included “Hiding the truth from children will not make them responsible, critical thinking adults. Teaching a variety of perpectives is necessary for students to take in the entire picture of events and make decisions based on all the information available with consideration for all stakeholders involved. Give students the truth and teach them to think critically about their history and the world.” and “The truth matters and our students deserve it!”.
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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.
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 |
---|---|
Walter Miske | “no comment” |
Lisa Bonilla | The truth matters and our students deserve it! |
Elizabeth Waldrop | Hiding the truth from children will not make them responsible, critical thinking adults. Teaching a variety of perpectives is necessary for students to take in the entire picture of events and make decisions based on all the information available with consideration for all stakeholders involved. Give students the truth and teach them to think critically about their history and the world. |
Mindy Smith | “no comment” |