Teacher goes viral for lamenting she can't teach critical race theory but is required to say Pledge of Allegiance
An Iowa teacher has gone viral after posting a series of TikTok videos where she slammed the state’s recent ban on teaching critical race theory.
An Iowa teacher has gone viral after posting a series of TikTok videos where she slammed the state’s recent ban on teaching critical race theory.
“My governor has put into place some ridiculous legislation that many governors across the country have put into place, such as I can’t teach anything divisive, I can’t teach critical race theory, and I can’t teach about racial equity,” Megan Geha, a special education teacher at Des Moines East High School, said in one of the videos.
In subsequent videos, Geha complained that she, as a teacher, can no longer be an activist like she could “in the past.”
“So, teachers, in the past, we’ve been activists, and after this s***show of last year, we really need to stand up and do what’s right for our kids right now,” she said. “This is a call to action, teachers. We really need to stand up and fight for our kids.”
“This is bulls***,” Geha added.
The special education teacher also said she was particularly bothered that she would have to continue reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, a component of the newly signed legislation.
“The other thing that my governor has mandated for next year is that every classroom, it’s mandatory that we all have an American flag, and it is mandatory that we all do the Pledge of Allegiance every morning,” Geha said. “You’re going to be hearing from me a lot next year.”
Geha told her followers that politics has been a major component of her teaching style and she is not bashful about advertising her political ideologies.
“Fifty-one percent of my students are Latinx, and many of them are undocumented, and many more have parents who are undocumented,” she said. “When they come into my classroom and see signs that say, ‘No human is illegal,’ they don’t need to know who I voted for. … When my black students come into my classroom and see my Black Lives Matter posters, I don’t need to tell them. When my LGBTQ+ students come in and see my pride flag, I don’t need to tell them.”
Earlier in the month, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed 28 bills in a single day, which included a bill banning government agencies and public educational facilities from teaching critical race theory.
“Critical race theory is about labels and stereotypes, not education. It teaches kids that we should judge others based on race, gender, or sexual identity, rather than the content of someone’s character,” Reynolds said at the time. “I am proud to have worked with the legislature to promote learning, not discriminatory indoctrination.”
Reynolds, a Republican, also recently signed legislation that makes rioting a felony and establishes qualified immunity, protecting police officers and state employees from being held responsible for monetary damages.
The principal of Des Moines East High School did not immediately return the Washington Examiner's request for comment.
