The pledge was signed by no teachers on Dec. 25, the day before. It now has two pledges from Clermont 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 Clermont teachers included, "Teaching “American Exceptionalism “ and ignoring race in U. S. History is indoctrination" and "I was fired on January 11th for having a discussion about the attack on the capitol. My students wondered why the attackers weren’t stopped sooner when protesters in the summer were shot with rubber bullets and tear gassed. It’s racist they said. I agreed with them but assured them it would be sorted out. That was showing bias according to my principal. I had previously come under attack for opening a lesson by telling the students of all the interesting things we would be discussing like the amazing things George Washington and Thomas Jefferson did and also that they were slave holders".
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 |
|---|---|
| Amie Ostmann | I was fired on January 11th for having a discussion about the attack on the capitol. My students wondered why the attackers weren’t stopped sooner when protesters in the summer were shot with rubber bullets and tear gassed. It’s racist they said. I agreed with them but assured them it would be sorted out. That was showing bias according to my principal. I had previously come under attack for opening a lesson by telling the students of all the interesting things we would be discussing like the amazing things George Washington and Thomas Jefferson did and also that they were slave holders. |
| Paul Scott | Teaching “American Exceptionalism “ and ignoring race in U. S. History is indoctrination. |
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