Pledge to Teach the Truth

I believe students deserve to learn all of history. The good, bad and down right ugly. Let them decide how it makes them feel, more importantly let’s hope teaching the truth inspires some action.

because there’s no way sacred dream in this Langston Hughes poem can ever find its way into real life if we don’t always teach the truth: Let America be America again.Let it be the dream it used to be.Let it be the pioneer on the plainSeeking a home where he himself is free.(America never was America to me.)Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed—Let it be that great strong land of loveWhere never kings connive nor tyrants schemeThat any man be crushed by one above.(It never was America to me.)O, let my land be a land where LibertyIs crowned with no false patriotic wreath,But opportunity is real, and life is free,Equality is in the air we breathe.(There’s never been equality for me,Nor freedom in this “homeland of the free.”)Say, who are you that mumbles in the dark?And who are you that draws your veil across the stars?I am the poor white, fooled and pushed apart,I am the Negro bearing slavery’s scars.I am the red man driven from the land,I am the immigrant clutching the hope I seek—And finding only the same old stupid planOf dog eat dog, of mighty crush the weak.I am the young man, full of strength and hope,Tangled in that ancient endless chainOf profit, power, gain, of grab the land!Of grab the gold! Of grab the ways of satisfying need!Of work the men! Of take the pay!Of owning everything for one’s own greed!I am the farmer, bondsman to the soil.I am the worker sold to the machine.I am the Negro, servant to you all.I am the people, humble, hungry, mean—Hungry yet today despite the dream.Beaten yet today—O, Pioneers!I am the man who never got ahead,The poorest worker bartered through the years.Yet I’m the one who dreamt our basic dreamIn the Old World while still a serf of kings,Who dreamt a dream so strong, so brave, so true,That even yet its mighty daring singsIn every brick and stone, in every furrow turnedThat’s made America the land it has become.O, I’m the man who sailed those early seasIn search of what I meant to be my home—For I’m the one who left dark Ireland’s shore,And Poland’s plain, and England’s grassy lea,And torn from Black Africa’s strand I cameTo build a “homeland of the free.”The free?Who said the free? Not me?Surely not me? The millions on relief today?The millions shot down when we strike?The millions who have nothing for our pay?For all the dreams we’ve dreamedAnd all the songs we’ve sungAnd all the hopes we’ve heldAnd all the flags we’ve hung,The millions who have nothing for our pay—Except the dream that’s almost dead today.O, let America be America again—The land that never has been yet—And yet must be—the land where every man is free.The land that’s mine—the poor man’s, Indian’s, Negro’s, ME—Who made America,Whose sweat and blood, whose faith and pain,Whose hand at the foundry, whose plow in the rain,Must bring back our mighty dream again.Sure, call me any ugly name you choose—The steel of freedom does not stain.From those who live like leeches on the people’s lives,We must take back our land again,America!O, yes,I say it plain,America never was America to me,And yet I swear this oath—America will be!Out of the rack and ruin of our gangster death,The rape and rot of graft, and stealth, and lies,We, the people, must redeemThe land, the mines, the plants, the rivers.The mountains and the endless plain—All, all the stretch of these great green states—And make America again!

I believe students deserve access to a truthful telling of history.

History is our best teacher

I am fully committed to teaching the truth as part of a broader school and BLM at NYC Schools network that is collectively committed as well.

I believe history should be taught as it was in its entirety, removing or eliminating anything.

I believe truth is integral to fostering autonomy, compassion, radical love, and radical care in students. Understanding one's place in the world sometimes comes with understanding the history of the place in which we currently live. Shifting the focus from individualized to community lead comes with having uncomfortable yet honest conversations with one another, rooted in love and care, where there is always a soft place to land, free from judgement, and there is always room for learning and growth. I refuse to censor history, I will not lie to my students, I will always teach the truth.

My state is eliminating SEL on the grounds that racial equity should not be taught. I refuse to hold back information, skills, and experiences that will empower my students to succeed in a world where so many oppressions exist against them.

My children and I deserve a better America. White Americans can't keep the truth hidden forever. This country was built on the backs of "stolen people from Africa".

We need to tell what really happened so future generations will know how to prevent genocide

I support equity and Justice.

banning books is a slippery slope. If this is allowed, burning books will be next.

The truth matters.

...“Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.” ~Bell Hooks

Critical thinking and a realistic, historically accurate view of the past is the only thing that will keep fascism at bay - and protect future generations from making the same mistakes their ancestors did. The role of the educator is to help students learn to think for themselves based on accurate representations of the world, not tell them what to believe. Truth doesn't change because it's banned or ignored - it will prevail, but we must stay vigilant.

My 4-year-old students deserve to live in a healthier society than what is currently available. It is my kuleana/responsibility to give them the tools to create that society. Knowledge of history, democracy, and communication skills are the core of those tools.

It is crazy wrong to ban DAP. I believe one must stand up for a just and fair world.

To ban books is to silence the voices of the people. Our nation claims it is the land of the free but continues to silence the voices of America's people. Our children deserve to hear the stories of the many instead of the filtered few.

I am a pre-service teacher who believes that youth should be given the truth and tools to make society better.