Political grandstanding attempts to inject rhetoric into classrooms

Fox News has mentioned critical race theory a total of 1300 times in only four months, and 130 times on Tucker Carlson’s show since May-November 2021 alone. “They’re teaching that some races are morally superior to others,” and “that some are inherently sinful, and that’s immoral to teach that because it’s wrong,” have been some of his thoughts regarding CRT. Despite his own admission that he has “never figured out what ‘critical race theory’ is, to be totally honest, even after a year of talking about it,” Carlson has been more than happy to demonize the movement.  

Thanks to Carlson and similar media ilk, Americans now share this erroneous level of understanding of CRT. In order to formulate an opinion, it is important to know exactly what it is. CRT is a loosely organized framework of analysis based on the idea that race is not a natural, biological factor of distinct groups, but it is a socially constructed idea to oppress people of color. Critical race theorists believe that legal racism is embedded in the Constitution and laws of the United States to sustain an economic, social, and political distinction between white people and people of color. It also puts emphasis on a more accurate, non “white-washed”, version of history. To be absolutely clear, the OASD has not implemented CRT in any of its classrooms.

While his department does not utilize CRT, social studies department chair Paul Stellpflug has an understanding of the theory and how it became so controversial.

“I’ve seen people define it as a perspective or particular approach to race […] but it’s also been defined by some as teaching white kids that they’ve benefited from racism,” Stellpflug said. “But academically, it’s just a theory, just a perspective […] it’s an issue that’s been drummed up [by the media] for no real reason.”

The ‘controversial’ aspect of CRT appeared during protests for the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. The concept of CRT was officially organized in 1989, but the ideologies have developed since the 60s and 70s with the Civil Rights Movement. According to experts, much of the resistance to the theories, resistance that truly took flight with the publishing of the New York Times ‘1619 Project’, arises from the guilt triggered in students and communities by transparent views of history.

Simply having a conversation about the possibility of examining CRT theories in classrooms has triggered political furor. In fact, Senate Republicans in Wisconsin have passed a bill that bans CRT from schools across the state. However, this will most likely get vetoed by democratic governor Tony Evers. Senator Andre Jaque, one of the bill’s co-authors, went as far as to say CRT went against the ideas of Martin Luther King Jr.

Teachers at the local level are left trying to do what is best for their students, not politicians.

“When you have politicians trying to control the curriculum […] you should be cautious,” Stellpflug said. “You should really be asking, for what intent is it? Is it really for the good of the children, or just for the good of their party?”

As a staunch critic of censorship in any form, Stellpflug feels that these politicians and their ideals should not have an effect on what is taught in the school.

“I don’t think those politicians are telling doctors how to do their job, but they think they can reach into my classroom and censor me?” he said. “They’ve created a controversy where there was none. [...] The moment you try to censor academics, that is a concerning trend, historically.”

For several years, West has been able to partner with UW Madison through their Great World Text program, which offers students the opportunity to create projects to share at a symposium with other scholars from around the state. This year, students read a text  about a mixed-race protagonist who needs to decide whether he will consciously benefit from being partially white.

“We did a text called the Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, and essentially the novel focuses on an unnamed protagonist that is of a mixed heritage; he is both white and black,” Global English teacher William Brydon said. “Due to that mixed heritage, he can pass, which is a historical term for passing as white, so it is a novel that kind of tracks his life from youth into adulthood as he struggles with the concept of passing and whether he should or should not, and his feelings of either connectedness or disconnectedness from the different kind of culture and ethnic communities he is a part of.”

Despite the historical lessons to be gleaned from a century-old book, some districts pulled away from the program this year due to fear of reprisal..

“I think Great World Text has about 20 to 30 schools across the state that are doing it, and we are able to do the unit to completion and I would say that three schools had to drop out due to really misunderstandings,” Brydon said. “CRT isn’t in this book, it’s not how any school approached teaching this book, but I feel like this term is a buzzword now in society, and not only for the good reasons. I think some schools fell victim to some of the more polarizing aspects of our society that just exist at this time.”

Even though the book handles tough situations based on race, the program has received positive reactions from both parents and students, according to Brydon.

“We heard a lot of positive feedback of what was coming out of it because partially the unit is a project based, so we are really creating some personal meaning and you can bring your passions into the classroom so people are usually on board with that, but also because the idea of this book resonating in 2022,” he said. “The great thing about literature is that you can step into other people’s lives for a while that you might not have had access to otherwise. We’re passing through a character as he struggles with his own versions of passing throughout, so it was really productive and we didn’t hear anything negative the whole time, which is what we thought would happen.”

Examining these heavy topics within class benefits all students, allowing them to expand their thinking and create new opinions from a different perspective.

“I know it’s kind of a cliche, but those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it, like I have heard it a lot in history classes growing up, and we’re not a history class,” Brydon said. “But for some novels and units, the two are intertwined to a level where you can’t divorce them. It’s truly the ripple effect idea as to why history feeds our novel so we can become more informed citizens, and people have a chance to stretch their critical thinking ability. We really want to press those connections so they could have more meaning out of the unit than if we just talked about the text and never talked about the history in the text-- it wouldn’t make much sense that way.”

West Principal Erin Kohl embraces an instructional approach that trains critical thinkers.

“The social studies department encourages students to be knowledgeable, critical thinkers, and collaborative learners who are aware of changing cultural and physical environments; understand varied perspectives; know the past; read, write, and think deeply; and are civically engaged to promote the common good,” she said. “We are working to ensure that our curriculum gives all students the skills needed to learn about themselves and others and to put their learning to action.” 

As for the disputes behind CRT, Kohl believes that it comes from a lack of understanding what it’s really about.

“I think part of the controversy is simply because there is so much disagreement or misunderstanding around what CRT really is. Another reason why I believe it is controversial is because people are concerned that the teaching of CRT will shame and blame students,” she said. “We need to focus on understanding various topics and use what they learn for the betterment of our society […] The most important goal for me is that all students feel safe and supported at school, and their voices matter because they belong.”

By Anika Flores and Ruby Pluchinsky

Oshkosh West Index Volume 118 Issue V

February 22, 2022