The pledge was signed by five teachers the month before. It now has five pledges from Glenview teachers by June.
They are 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.
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. Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, New Hampshire, Florida, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee have passed legislation banning discussions about the US being inherently racist.
Other states, such as Montana and Georgia, have denounced the teachings and are discussing a ban on critical race theory teachings.
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 |
|---|---|
| Colin Bailey | We will not grow without the full understanding of a past. The future is unwritten and to avoid the problems of the past we need to understand and use the knowledge to build on. |
| Olivia Perlow | “no comment” |
| Colin Bailey | I commit to teaching history that tells the truth and educates and uplifts our young historians. We need to develop critical thinking and use our country, it’s history, as a way to understand problems and come to a collaborative solution to today’s problems. |
| Aimee Neumann | honest history is important. If students don’t know the bad parts of our history, they are at risk of repeating them. It is our responsibility as educators and responsible citizens to work to make our future more just, humane and equitable than our past. |
| Amy Moore | “no comment” |
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