What Next - He Couldn’t Teach ‘Slavery Was Wrong.’ So He Quit.
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3.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 17 April 2023
⏱️ 28 minutes
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Summary
Iowa was one of the first states in the country to pass legislation against teaching that the United States is systemically racist — an idea some equate with “critical race theory.” But when one social studies teacher asked how he could teach U.S. history without running afoul of the new law, he didn’t get any clarity — or help.
What happens when legislation targets teachers? And as America’s teacher shortage grows — what will this mean for the country’s kids?
Guest: Greg Wickenkamp, former eighth grade social studies teacher in Fairfield, Iowa.
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Transcript
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| 1:05.6 | I called up Greg Wickencamp to ask him to walk me through a very awkward zoom call. |
| 1:11.2 | Hi, Dr. Nell. |
| 1:14.2 | Well, you might be muted there, I think. Greg was working as an eighth grade social studies |
| 1:19.0 | teacher in Fairfield, Iowa, when he recorded this conversation. And the zoom was with his boss, |
| 1:25.4 | the superintendent, who had been trying to speak with for months. |
| 1:30.0 | But I was hoping to kind of run through some things that have been concerning me for some time, |
| 1:36.2 | and hopefully get some insights if that works for you. |
| 1:43.3 | Greg was hoping to talk about this new law that he was struggling to comply with. |
| 1:47.9 | One of those bills that bans the discussion of quote unquote divisive content. Greg wanted |
| 1:53.8 | the district to be clear about what divisive content was. He tried emailing the district that |
| 2:01.0 | had not worked. He thought that fit a pattern at his school. To similarly flippance and seemingly |
... |
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