The pledge was signed by no teachers on Jan. 20, the day before. It now has one pledge from Lake Elsinore teacher.
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.
The Lake Elsinore teacher wrote "If I wanted to teach mythology, I would have become an English teacher. I can’t believe we have to defend the importance of telling the truth. I respect and trust my students enough to not feed them lies, misinformation, or oversimplified narratives." when pledging to teach Critical Race Theory.
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 |
|---|---|
| Matt Dale | If I wanted to teach mythology, I would have become an English teacher. I can’t believe we have to defend the importance of telling the truth. I respect and trust my students enough to not feed them lies, misinformation, or oversimplified narratives. |
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