No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has 29 pledges from Silver Spring teachers by the end of the week ending Aug. 28.
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 Silver Spring teachers included “The most important skill we teach in high school is critical thinking. Students must learn to examine different points of view and express their own beliefs based on reasoning and evidence.” and “It is long past time for our children (and adults) to know the true history of our country!”.
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 |
|---|---|
| Kristin Justice | “no comment” |
| Sally Ingram | “no comment” |
| Carla McEachern | “no comment” |
| Rahman Culver | those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it. |
| Robert Mostow | Facts are facts! |
| Rebecca Funk | “no comment” |
| Jennifer Delorge McKeown | Our students deserve truthful history and honest discussions about race. |
| Katherine Towle | “no comment” |
| Mary Dent | Enough is Enough |
| Chas Foster | While this type of legislation has not yet been proposed in Maryland, an erosion of any teacher’s freedom to speak the truth is an assault of all our freedoms. |
| Charles Alexander | Because we must teach the whole of our history. Loving one country is a lot like loving one's family. WE should not avoid difficult discussions, we embrace them with the hope that our unit becomes stronger in the end. We need to understand our country's flaws and glows both. We must understand where we have fallen short of the ideal so we can better strive to reach the ideal as each generation transitions into positions of leading her. |
| Shel Dockery | It is my belief (religious)to not lie but speak the truth. |
| Yulisa Cruz | I am no longer standing with SHAME. I am no longer in service of its shenanigans. I want children to feel better about who they are and where they are. The truth is the only path to feeling better. We are worth more than racism, classism, sexism, and all the other -isms at play, when we exclude and marginalize groups. "Hatred is love that has lost its way." |
| Jordan Love | Teaching the truth is the only way to justice. |
| Arely De Leon Barrientos | “no comment” |
| Donna Sawyer | It's beyond time that the truth be told about the history of our country: the events that happened, the people who were negatively impacted, the struggles they endured, the contributions that they made. There is so much that has been omitted and it's time to change that. |
| Marla McLean | Black History is American History. Black History is World History. There is nothing more patriotic than teaching truth, even when it is devastating and racist. Because by doing this, we are bound to the action of making change and creating a more just and compassionate country. Working to make a country better begins with honesty. |
| Cassandra Heifetz | When our youth understand our past, no matter how painful, they will be better equipped to chart a better future. |
| Mary Hart | Our children deserve the truth. It is essential that my teachers feel supported and empowered to teach their students the truth about our history as well as present day. Honoring their ability to think critically is essential for our democracy. We cannot move towards true justice and democracy without teaching the truth. |
| Rahman Culver | “no comment” |
| Holly Stephens | Suppressing the truth maintains systems of oppression and enables White (and male, straight, Christian, etc.) comfort. |
| Janet Vasquez | “no comment” |
| Ellen Drakes | It is time for our history to be taught, and not sabotage, by people and systems that are not interested in being honest or have our best interest at heart. What are they afraid of??? History is supposed to be passed on not hidden. |
| Tiferet Ani | We can't create a just society if we are in denial about the legacies and ongoing dispossession and oppression that have created the present. |
| Eileen Kraus-Jakobsberg | Facts and truth have become negotiable based on political desires. |
| Mary Hart | Our children deserve the truth. |
| Eva Sullivan | The most important skill we teach in high school is critical thinking. Students must learn to examine different points of view and express their own beliefs based on reasoning and evidence. |
| Leslie Blaha | “no comment” |
| Donna Sawyer | It is long past time for our children (and adults) to know the true history of our country! |
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