No new teachers sign the pledge the week before. It now has two pledges from Oberlin teachers by the end of the week ending Jan. 15.
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 new Oberlin teacher wrote “Any education must include facts and critical thought. To legislate that educators should not be allow to teach our students and challenge them is to deny them a proper education that will able them to be future leaders who will learn from the past. I refuse to teach inaccuracies. I refuse to have yet another part of my profession undermined by people who have no training and no expertise.” 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 |
|---|---|
| Anita Lock | “no comment” |
| Audrey Melzer | Any education must include facts and critical thought. To legislate that educators should not be allow to teach our students and challenge them is to deny them a proper education that will able them to be future leaders who will learn from the past. I refuse to teach inaccuracies. I refuse to have yet another part of my profession undermined by people who have no training and no expertise. |
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