'The Woke Teacher Oath' by Dr. Michael Flanagan

The Woke Teacher Oath:

I will stand in support of my fellow educators in the states where repressive policies are becoming law. States where teaching facts and history are now a crime. 

I will say “gay” in my classroom, because our children need to know they are loved for who they are. 

I will never out a LGBTQ student to anyone. Anytime. Ever. Because to hell with these governors and state legislatures who are attempting to victimize our most vulnerable children.

I will always be a safe place for my students. 

I will use the names and pronouns that my students want to be called by. And apologize if I make a mistake, it won’t happen again. 

I will recognize my white privilege, because it is an embarrassment that too many in this country value whiteness above humanity. 

I will call out that privilege in others, because they need to hear it until they understand, and accept it themselves. 

I will teach the facts of American history, including the topics of: systemic racism, slavery, misogyny, xenophobia, antisemitism, homophobia and the genocide of our native people. Because those who do not learn from the mistakes of history allow those atrocities to become law. 

I will call out the fascists who ban and burn books, because attempting to destroy evidence does not erase the crime. 

I will never use the phrase “illegals” when discussing immigration. Ever. In a nation of immigrants yearning to breathe free, education is oxygen. And no person is illegal. 

I will teach my students to conduct their own research–from credible sources–on issues like voter suppression and anti-women’s rights legislation. American citizens must be able to think for themselves, and distinguish between fact and propaganda. 

I will teach my students why some stand and salute the flag, while others kneel. Because they need to decide for themselves which they will do. 

I will continue to discuss examples of racist policing and brutality, and the need for reforms. Because if we do not educate our students about it, we will never stop it. And they may well fall victim to it. 

I will do everything in my power to teach students that being anti-racist and anti-fascist is not being woke. That it is being American.

So help me God.