grr
In times of distress, I prefer to write. I am a little bit angry and my injustice meter is letting off a resounding wail… so here it goes.
It is my personal opinion that a teacher’s opinions should be kept out of the classroom. (Yes, I get the irony.) I don’t care if you think teaching grammar is a waste of time, it is still important for students to learn it. I don’t care if you find WWII a snooze-fest, kids still need to learn it. Hate foreign languages? Don’t care. Kids should be bilingual if possible – learning a new language challenges their brains in ways they otherwise wouldn’t. Could care less that 2x + 1 = 5, what is x? It’s a valuable exercise for students.
Normally, it is not a huge issue for most teachers. But then, very few teachers I know are science teachers, particularly life science teachers. I am fairly certain that my biology course contains some of the most controversial topics that a student can learn in school – particularly evolution and global warming.
Here is the thing: I absolutely do not care if you are a born again fire and brimstone my buddy Jesus evangelizing Christian. Yay for you, that is wonderful, really, and I would never deny anyone their right to faith and believing whatever they want to believe… but if you are a science teacher, set it aside.
I strongly feel that the job of a science teacher is to present science. Allow kids to think for themselves. It is not for us to make up their minds. Present them with the scientific perspective. That is what you have been trained to do, that is what you are paid to do.
Now, a lot of evangelical Christians might say that being a life science teacher is the perfect opportunity to get kids thinking about God. And yes, it is. I will not argue with you there. And I think it is very important for them to consider all sides of the story… but in my role as a science teacher, it is NOT up to me to make sure that happens.
There is no problem bringing up the controversy. Tell kids WHY there is controversy. Explain to them what other people say about it, why they get into such an uproar over evolution. Be careful to tell them why some people disagree with the idea of global warming. Do these things, show them that there is more than one side, but do not give them your opinion. Encourage them to come up with their own opinion. Encourage them to research on their own and to really question what they think and believe. Do these things, but sheesh, leave your own agenda out of it.
Kids are so impressionable. And every year, I get kids who want to know what I think about it. I refuse each time. Why? Because I know that they look up to me. When I say something, it has stock. I do not want MY opinion swaying theirs. I desperately want them to use their critical thinking skills and figure things out for themselves. They need to weigh scientific evidence AND they need to engage with their parents / churches / friends over this information.
A lot of parents at my school would have no issue if I just said, Well, I think God did it all. Truthfully, I do think God did it all, but that does not mean I think evolution does not happen, and it does not mean I don’t think global warming is a pressing and important issue. I think the earth IS billions of years old. I think we really DO need to curb our carbon dioxide emissions. And I do think God is the root of all of it. Many people would have little problem if I said this to my students.
But what if I said that the earth is on the back of a giant turtle (Native American creation story) or that I thought in my next earthly life, I would probably be a cat (reincarnation) or that the Holocaust did not happen. Most would take issue, right? Well I take huge issue when science teachers start saying that evolution is a bunch of scientific myth (because it’s “just a theory”) or that global warming is just a money making government scam that is really just a natural earthly pattern of warming and cooling. That REALLY bothers me. A lot. A lot a lot. What if that was happening to your kid?
Sure, bring up the controversy. Again, nothing wrong with telling students the reasons that people take issue with it. There is nothing wrong with saying that some people feel that global warming is an over-reaction and exploring why people might feel that way. But when a teacher goes over the line and blatantly says their own opinion on this stuff, I really want to crack some skulls.
In short, students are impressionable, even if they think that they aren’t. As a science teacher, it is our duty to present the scientific side of things, and, at times, explore why there is controversy. It is NOT our position to state our opinions. Teachers can think what they want to think, but ultimately we are actors on a stage and even if you do not believe in what you are saying, you still need to explain that perspective. Attempt to work without bias. It will creep in, no doubt, but try not to let it. Let the kids make up their own minds. I know it is what I want for my own future kids – to weigh the ideas presented to them and have the courage and conviction to decide for themselves what to agree with and what to believe.
Honestly, I could go on for hours because I feel so passionate about this topic. The reason I am so uppity about it today is because one of our teachers blatantly said to students in a lesson that global warming is a money-making scam for the government. If we all just agreed that this warming period is merely a natural warming phase that the earth goes through, then everything would be fine. Literally. This particular teacher stated that developing nations cannot develop because of the restrictions on non-renewable resources and thus the people are going hungry, etc. (Note: this particular teacher is of the “young earth” philosophy, yet, somehow, global warming is a natural phase that happens every few tens of thousands of years… I guess that contradiction in personal philosophy has not been pointed out yet?) It drives me insane that this teacher has been getting away with it and our administration has, so far, not cared. There are now about 100 students who think it is all a hoax.
The thing is… if they want to think it is a hoax, and that is what their parents believe, and that is what their pastors believe, that is FINE. But science teachers are not the parents, not the pastors… so to “teach” something so directly against what science is saying…. I cannot explain how angry it makes me.
Ultimately, leave your agenda at home. Teach science. That is what I would want for my kids, and I want to give every parent the right to educate their student as they see fit. If what I explain as science’s perspective does not jive with their personal philosophy, then the parent should set the kid straight.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
It is my personal opinion that a teacher’s opinions should be kept out of the classroom. (Yes, I get the irony.) I don’t care if you think teaching grammar is a waste of time, it is still important for students to learn it. I don’t care if you find WWII a snooze-fest, kids still need to learn it. Hate foreign languages? Don’t care. Kids should be bilingual if possible – learning a new language challenges their brains in ways they otherwise wouldn’t. Could care less that 2x + 1 = 5, what is x? It’s a valuable exercise for students.
Normally, it is not a huge issue for most teachers. But then, very few teachers I know are science teachers, particularly life science teachers. I am fairly certain that my biology course contains some of the most controversial topics that a student can learn in school – particularly evolution and global warming.
Here is the thing: I absolutely do not care if you are a born again fire and brimstone my buddy Jesus evangelizing Christian. Yay for you, that is wonderful, really, and I would never deny anyone their right to faith and believing whatever they want to believe… but if you are a science teacher, set it aside.
I strongly feel that the job of a science teacher is to present science. Allow kids to think for themselves. It is not for us to make up their minds. Present them with the scientific perspective. That is what you have been trained to do, that is what you are paid to do.
Now, a lot of evangelical Christians might say that being a life science teacher is the perfect opportunity to get kids thinking about God. And yes, it is. I will not argue with you there. And I think it is very important for them to consider all sides of the story… but in my role as a science teacher, it is NOT up to me to make sure that happens.
There is no problem bringing up the controversy. Tell kids WHY there is controversy. Explain to them what other people say about it, why they get into such an uproar over evolution. Be careful to tell them why some people disagree with the idea of global warming. Do these things, show them that there is more than one side, but do not give them your opinion. Encourage them to come up with their own opinion. Encourage them to research on their own and to really question what they think and believe. Do these things, but sheesh, leave your own agenda out of it.
Kids are so impressionable. And every year, I get kids who want to know what I think about it. I refuse each time. Why? Because I know that they look up to me. When I say something, it has stock. I do not want MY opinion swaying theirs. I desperately want them to use their critical thinking skills and figure things out for themselves. They need to weigh scientific evidence AND they need to engage with their parents / churches / friends over this information.
A lot of parents at my school would have no issue if I just said, Well, I think God did it all. Truthfully, I do think God did it all, but that does not mean I think evolution does not happen, and it does not mean I don’t think global warming is a pressing and important issue. I think the earth IS billions of years old. I think we really DO need to curb our carbon dioxide emissions. And I do think God is the root of all of it. Many people would have little problem if I said this to my students.
But what if I said that the earth is on the back of a giant turtle (Native American creation story) or that I thought in my next earthly life, I would probably be a cat (reincarnation) or that the Holocaust did not happen. Most would take issue, right? Well I take huge issue when science teachers start saying that evolution is a bunch of scientific myth (because it’s “just a theory”) or that global warming is just a money making government scam that is really just a natural earthly pattern of warming and cooling. That REALLY bothers me. A lot. A lot a lot. What if that was happening to your kid?
Sure, bring up the controversy. Again, nothing wrong with telling students the reasons that people take issue with it. There is nothing wrong with saying that some people feel that global warming is an over-reaction and exploring why people might feel that way. But when a teacher goes over the line and blatantly says their own opinion on this stuff, I really want to crack some skulls.
In short, students are impressionable, even if they think that they aren’t. As a science teacher, it is our duty to present the scientific side of things, and, at times, explore why there is controversy. It is NOT our position to state our opinions. Teachers can think what they want to think, but ultimately we are actors on a stage and even if you do not believe in what you are saying, you still need to explain that perspective. Attempt to work without bias. It will creep in, no doubt, but try not to let it. Let the kids make up their own minds. I know it is what I want for my own future kids – to weigh the ideas presented to them and have the courage and conviction to decide for themselves what to agree with and what to believe.
Honestly, I could go on for hours because I feel so passionate about this topic. The reason I am so uppity about it today is because one of our teachers blatantly said to students in a lesson that global warming is a money-making scam for the government. If we all just agreed that this warming period is merely a natural warming phase that the earth goes through, then everything would be fine. Literally. This particular teacher stated that developing nations cannot develop because of the restrictions on non-renewable resources and thus the people are going hungry, etc. (Note: this particular teacher is of the “young earth” philosophy, yet, somehow, global warming is a natural phase that happens every few tens of thousands of years… I guess that contradiction in personal philosophy has not been pointed out yet?) It drives me insane that this teacher has been getting away with it and our administration has, so far, not cared. There are now about 100 students who think it is all a hoax.
The thing is… if they want to think it is a hoax, and that is what their parents believe, and that is what their pastors believe, that is FINE. But science teachers are not the parents, not the pastors… so to “teach” something so directly against what science is saying…. I cannot explain how angry it makes me.
Ultimately, leave your agenda at home. Teach science. That is what I would want for my kids, and I want to give every parent the right to educate their student as they see fit. If what I explain as science’s perspective does not jive with their personal philosophy, then the parent should set the kid straight.
GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
posted by FireWithin at 1:25 PM
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