The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 25, the day before. It now has three pledges from Stamford 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 Stamford teachers included, "I believe in empowering my students through relating to their culture, identity, and experiences. My role as a teacher is not to only teach them music, but teach them about how to be a good person, develop relationship with others, and make good decisions. Critical race theory, if taught right, should be a way to empower students and help them think critically about situations they find themselves in" and "Having an 'educated citizenry' is a professed core value of our democracy. Our students deserve to know the facts, the truth: both positive, negative, and yet to be fully understood; not a whitewashed story of American exceptionality".
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 |
|---|---|
| Monica Lahiri-Hoherchak | Having an 'educated citizenry' is a professed core value of our democracy. Our students deserve to know the facts, the truth: both positive, negative, and yet to be fully understood; not a whitewashed story of American exceptionality. |
| Nan Frydland | Teachers need complete freedom to find materials that reflect the truth in order to help learners become good citizens. |
| Zoe Harris | I believe in empowering my students through relating to their culture, identity, and experiences. My role as a teacher is not to only teach them music, but teach them about how to be a good person, develop relationship with others, and make good decisions. Critical race theory, if taught right, should be a way to empower students and help them think critically about situations they find themselves in. |
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