We are living in some rather testy times, and nothing has become more front and center than the concept of Critical Race Theory which is now being taught in schools as part of a ‘woke’ curriculum not entirely embraced by all teachers. One such educator in the pristine community of Englewood, New Jersey has resigned her position over being forced to teach her classroom about this newfound trend that she believes has become a “hostile culture of conformity and fear.” Dana Stangel-Plowe has been instructing her students at the prestigious school of Dwight-Englewood, a learning environment that commands over $50,000 for students to receive a private education. However, as a result of the new rules around teaching the children about Critical Race TheoryStangel-Plowe has resigned, and other teachers are beginning to follow suit.
For the record, critical race theory has been around for decades and is an old framework that traditional conservatives have embraced as a method that yearns to understand how gender and race have shaped laws and policies in America, most notably at the college or university level. But what’s got the parents of K-12 classrooms up in arms is how the teachers are being asked to provide critical race theory policy to the younger children, according to strong conservatives. These same educators who are being indoctrinated–as the staunch conservative groups believe–are leaving their positions en masse to avoid the backlash and threats by parents of the students. It’s become an incredibly toxic environment, so much so that four administrators in Southlake, Texas left their jobs and more are following suit. One such teacher in Missouri was so fearful for her life that she had to hire a private security agent to guard her home due to potential violence. What has merged to the forefront of all this debate over critical race theory and those who are teaching it has boiled down to being true to their consciences as educators of children in both public and private school settings.
Some teachers who are resigning have shared examples to their administration officials about how segregation has infiltrated the system based on race. Unfortunately, for the educators who are bound to specific ideologies, what they are being asked to teach under the critical race theory protocol undermines the student’s ability to consider alternative perspectives. Instead, the teachers have to abide by the principle that it’s the melanin in society’s skin that separates them as oppressors and those who are oppressed. As teachers are being threatened with violence from parents and possible termination from their school’s administration, most are simply walking away from their jobs with their dignity intact. It’s a tricky situation, yet one that provides a great deal of discomfort to the teacher who has to educate on the basis of white privilege. Given that, more than a handful have decided it’s not worth it and are bowing out.
