The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 21, the day before. It now has three pledges from Johnstown 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 Johnstown teachers included, "the most patriotic thing we can do is learn as much as we can about our country, the good with the bad, and use our knowledge to keep making improvements so our systems work well for everyone, not just for some" and "Our students need to discuss current events and the truth and realities of our history, and if they can’t do it in our classrooms - designated learning spaces with trained professional teachers - then I don’t know where they can safely have these conversations. Their brains will fill in those blanks either way. It's important that professional teachers create spaces to learn and ask questions and seek answers together".
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 |
|---|---|
| Christian Wrabley | Our students need to discuss current events and the truth and realities of our history, and if they can’t do it in our classrooms - designated learning spaces with trained professional teachers - then I don’t know where they can safely have these conversations. Their brains will fill in those blanks either way. It's important that professional teachers create spaces to learn and ask questions and seek answers together. |
| Christian Wrabley | the most patriotic thing we can do is learn as much as we can about our country, the good with the bad, and use our knowledge to keep making improvements so our systems work well for everyone, not just for some. |
| Sean Black | No comment |
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