Critical Race Theory (CRT) in US K-12 Schools

[SharkmanthaC 115,045]

This is a super hot topic in the United States right now. Many states are making legislation to ban the teaching of critical race theory in K-12 schools. The big concern is that teachers will become so censored by vague laws that they will not be able to teach anything about racism or an accurate portrayal of history (Trail of Tears, Civil War, etc.). This has become such a hot topic that Tucker Carlson has said teachers need to wear body cams (to which many teachers are like, yes please, great idea, we'd love to show you what happens in classrooms).

As this professor says, I think we are getting CRT and just teaching about racism. For the most part, many of the ideas about CRT aren't even developmentally appropriate for most K-12 students.

 

Some more articles if you'd like to read:

What is Critical Race Theory and Why is it Under Attack?

Map: Where Critical Race Theory is Under Attack

Conservatives actually love critical race theory -- when they turn the subject to 'oppressed' White people

 

I would like to know opinions and have a discussion about this but please keep it civil so no warm potatoes or bans are given. 

 

[Jill 31,812]

Please Samantha don't make us argue over this  I can assure you there will be bannable opinions here  The ideas behind CRT aren't developmentally appropriate for K-12 children because those ideas aren't even being taught to K-12 children. CRT is a college-level theory targeted at sociology students, and other related disciplines. This whole fiasco is another attempt by the right to create a controversy out of nothing and it makes me so indescribably mad.

That being said, however, there's nothing wrong with teaching about America's racist past and present, and how to best avoid it and learn from it. But make no mistake, that is not CRT.

[SharkmanthaC 115,045]

2 minutes ago, Jill said:

Please Samantha don't make us argue over this  I can assure you there will be bannable opinions here  The ideas behind CRT aren't developmentally appropriate for K-12 children because those ideas aren't even being taught to K-12 children. CRT is a college-level theory targeted at sociology students, and other related disciplines. This whole fiasco is another attempt by the right to create a controversy out of nothing and it makes me so indescribably mad.

That being said, however, there's nothing wrong with teaching about America's racist past and present, and how to best avoid it and learn from it. But make no mistake, that is not CRT.

I agree with you. From what I've been able to research most people that are for CRT say the same thing. This isn't even appropriate for K-12 students. I'm concerned about politicians making laws about teaching that know nothing about teaching and it keeping teachers from being able to teach our true history. I mean how do you even teach about the civil rights movement and slavery without talking about racism?? I've done many lessons on racism and the civil rights movement with elementary students. It concerns me that this may be a grey area teachers won't feel comfortable teaching about for fear of losing their jobs.

[JohnWayne92 2,359]

I think the entire school system should be reevaluated. I don’t think topics should be kept from children either, as a society we have fought to protect our children to the point that when they are finally 18 and have to live on their own, they are basically incompetent. 
 

I think that the EXACT truth should be taught about our history in classrooms, and I think that all religions should be taught in a thematic sense so that everyone can understand them, and the people that follow them. 
 

USA is incredibly ridiculous with its views, opinions, and censorship. 

[BUtterfield 8 41,818]

Do schools still teach that Christopher Columbus found  America?

[PartySick 172,518]

The debate is kinda bogus tbh. It's just the latest culture war that the right wing media is trying to use to trigger their fragile and brainless viewers.

I don't really have an opinion about teaching it in grave school vs keeping it in college but it needs to be taught, that's for sure.

[SharkmanthaC 115,045]

3 minutes ago, BUtterfield 8 said:

Do schools still teach that Christopher Columbus found  America?

I’ve never taught this (and haven’t seen another teacher doing so either). I’m going to go with no but it’s possible someone somewhere is teaching it. 

[SharkmanthaC 115,045]

5 minutes ago, JohnWayne92 said:

I think the entire school system should be reevaluated. I don’t think topics should be kept from children either, as a society we have fought to protect our children to the point that when they are finally 18 and have to live on their own, they are basically incompetent. 
 

I think that the EXACT truth should be taught about our history in classrooms, and I think that all religions should be taught in a thematic sense so that everyone can understand them, and the people that follow them. 
 

USA is incredibly ridiculous with its views, opinions, and censorship. 

I was taught about many different religions in my world history class. 

[PartySick 172,518]

5 minutes ago, BUtterfield 8 said:

Do schools still teach that Christopher Columbus found  America?

 

1 minute ago, SamanthaC said:

I’ve never taught this (and haven’t seen another teacher doing so either). I’m going to go with no but it’s possible someone somewhere is teaching it. 

I was taught that in school

"In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue" or some sh*t was the rhyme they used to beat it into our heads

[BUtterfield 8 41,818]

1 minute ago, PartySick said:

 

I was taught that in school

"In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue" or some sh*t was the rhyme they used to beat it into our heads

Yeah it was in my textbook 

[Luc 4,776]

Unbelievable that these people have the time and temperament to be angry over a university subject in a few specific courses (which is probably optional even for sociology students?)

[Future Lovers 7,541]

1 hour ago, BUtterfield 8 said:

Do schools still teach that Christopher Columbus found  America?

Today? Not…exactly. Not like it was, anyway (for the most part, there are still very fundamentalist communities dotted around the country that teach all sorts of lies but that's a conversation for another time). 

In the last 10 or so years it has changed to be delivered more as he accidentally landed here and that brought interest of the continent to where he came from. When I was elementary school they still taught the sanitized version, but by the time I was in high school things were more honest. Today in most K-8 classrooms they indicate that Columbus was not the first to land here and that he did some less than heroic things but they don’t go into detail which I can somewhat (not fully) agree with as kids that young I don’t think will totally grasp the whole idea (they’ll understand it absolutely but I think they need to be a little older and be taught a little more about other parts of history to see the bigger picture as a whole and make more precise connections if that makes sense). But in high school, it’s different. I went to high school down here in the south so I expected it to be sanitized but our curriculum was very candid about Columbus’ racism, raping, and pillaging. But oddly and sadly, the Trail of Tears is still very sanitized which is counter intuitive imo. 

[SharkmanthaC 115,045]

44 minutes ago, PartySick said:

 

I was taught that in school

"In 1492 Christopher Columbus sailed the ocean blue" or some sh*t was the rhyme they used to beat it into our heads

Well yeah I think I was in college when I learned the truth (about how horrible he was, not about discovering America). I think you’re younger than me, but not by a lot? So that would make sense. 

[Meruk Holland 2,358]

I think it'd be appropriate in a high school US history class.

[JohnWayne92 2,359]

1 hour ago, SamanthaC said:

I was taught about many different religions in my world history class. 

I was taught that they existed, never anything about them or the culture. Growing up in the South, it was basically risky to teach anything other than Christianity and that’s STUPID.