https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories We're an education seminar collecting K16 teaching stories to learn what NH's "Right to Freedom from Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education" law (HB2) means for local teachers. If you teach in another state with "anti-CRT" laws, we'd love to hear from you — please add which state you're from. For readers curious about HB2, the yellow "About this Padlet" post includes links & info. en-us 2021-12-08 20:13:50 UTC 2021-12-11 19:21:58 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f469-1f3eb.png anothercassandra https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1937065499 On this Padlet, we want to learn what other New Hampshire teachers' (K12 and college faculty) and pre-service teachers' experiences with HB2 have been. Has your curriculum been limited? Have books been removed from your classroom library? Are the conversations contentious or draining? Please share your stories and help us build understanding of what's happening to teachers and teaching in our state. Thanks!

If you want to learn about the HB2 law itself (NH's "Right to Freedom from Discrimination in Public Workplaces and Education") and how it applies to teachers, you might start with the text of the law or the Dept of Education FAQ for teachers.

This law is widely understood as part of a national push to limit educational conversations about how racism, sexism, homophobia (and, in general, discrimination and marginalization) have played out in American history and literature. Many teachers, including our seminar, are deeply concerned about how this law manufactures fear and chills teaching and academic conversation.

You might be interested in this form, wherein the Dept of Education has made it possible for the public to inform (anonymously!) on educators. Carl Ladd of the NH School Administrators Association wrote a powerful editorial pushing back on this move. And, finally, apparently the NH legislature isn't done yet. Representatives plan to introduce a new expansion of a Cold War "teacher loyalty" law that initially was adopted as an anti-communist measure. These specifics are not yet available.

FYI: this site is moderated to prevent spam submissions. Hit the pink + button to post or comment anonymously. If you want to sign it, add your name in the text or join Padlet!]]> 2021-12-09 00:50:59 UTC https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1937065499 https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1939061215 HB2 has my department split into two groups. 

One group is afraid. They don’t want to lose their jobs, so they are in favor of taking books out of the curriculum and limiting new purchases. 

The other group is angered.  They don’t feel it’s possible to teach subjects like American Lit without discussing these issues. They’re willing to take the risks. 

It’s led to some interesting department meetings…]]> 2021-12-09 20:00:30 UTC https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1939061215 https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1939227309 2021-12-09 22:14:10 UTC https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1939227309 https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1941181662 I was called in before HB2 after we decide to discuss Black Lives Matter after we finished teaching slavery. I have been very cautious since that time and it has certainly impacted what I teach and how I teach it. 20 years and all I want to do is make it to retirement. I teach HS Social Studies and we are all in shock about this law and the attempt to revive the Cold War law. ]]> 2021-12-10 22:47:44 UTC https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1941181662 https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1941204868 I have a high risk tolerance, as do my elementary colleagues, so we have not removed anything from our classroom libraries. However, a parent has required the school library to keep his child away from 50 books in our library. (Imagine being that librarian and having to tell a child they can't take out a book, but the next child can do so.) 

Our district is very supportive of teachers, but there are a small number of parents, six or so, who are very loud.

Will update as I get into more and more controversial text with my fifth graders.]]> 2021-12-10 23:22:54 UTC https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1941204868 https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1941294243 I teach social studies. This past summer, prominent community members in our small town accused our district of teaching CRT. They held an anti-CRT rally in which they accused our teachers, from elementary to high school, of promoting Marxist-Leninism and anti-white ideology. They had no proof to back up their allegations beyond broad speculation and vague concepts of some sort of systemic far left agenda taking root, but were enraged regardless. School board members were shouted over and threatened in public session and vague threats made against teachers. These events have been severely damaging to our community, pitting neighbors against neighbors and teachers against parents. We even have some teachers, subs, and support staff in our district who actually support HB2. It can make interactions with colleagues tense and has sown distrust among the faculty.]]> 2021-12-11 01:40:18 UTC https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1941294243 https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1941638736 In our first professional day this year (which was the very first day of formal teaching for many of our new faculty), one of our assistant principals stood up and announced that we had to be very careful of what we taught from here on out, because it affected us and we could very likely lose our teaching license over it.  We then requested a full faculty meeting with one of our district lawyers so that we could read the law and understand it all together.  The request was granted for the Social Studies and the English departments, because that was where they feared teachers would be in danger of overstepping the law.  

We prepared.  We researched.  We made the decision not to be silent participants in this meeting.  After two hours of discussion with our lawyer, the conclusion that we arrived at was that the lawmakers who wrote this law had a tenuous grasp of English and tied themselves up in knots of double and triple negatives.  Our lawyers were convinced that in a legitimate court of law, the most "terrifying" aspects of the law (the final portion) would contradict themselves and therefore hold no real threat. 

However, the real threat comes from what this bill does to public opinion and trust in schools.  Its true threat lies outside of the courtroom.  It lurks in the threats school board members and teachers have received.  It lurks in the fear that teachers have to teach certain topics (particularly after spending all summer ordering new texts about diversity).  It lurks in how this is just one more way to make teachers feel unsafe.  

I teach an interdisciplinary human movement unit every year alongside our grade's social studies teacher.  After pandemic disruptions, we finally have the classroom structure and funds this year to teach Alan Gratz's Refugee as part of that unit. After over a year of interrupted planning, we can't wait.  When I placed the order for the books, other teachers in our school asked if I realized that this might toe the line. I hate that this law makes me fear something I have been looking forward to for so many years.  I hate that this law has the power to take away an experience that I know my students will enjoy and benefit from.  I am teaching it anyway.  We will just have to see what happens.]]> 2021-12-11 11:14:40 UTC https://padlet.com/anothercassandra/HB2_TeacherStories/wish/1941638736