It's going to take a lot more than faith to get our education system on track, especially with partisan nonsense like this occuring:After 27 years as a science teacher and 9 years as the Texas Education Agency’s director of science, Christine Castillo Comer said she did not think she had to remain “neutral” about teaching the theory of evolution.
“It’s not just a good idea; it’s the law,” said Ms. Comer, citing the state’s science curriculum.
But now Ms. Comer, 56, of Austin, is out of a job, after forwarding an e-mail message on a talk about evolution and creationism — “a subject on which the agency must remain neutral,” according to a dismissal letter last month that accused her of various instances of “misconduct and insubordination” and of siding against creationism and the doctrine that life is the product of “intelligent design.”
Her departure, which has stirred dismay among science professionals since it became public last week, is a prelude to an expected battle early next year over rewriting the state’s science education standards, which include the teaching of evolution.
Look, I don't have an issue if some folks want to hang their hat on intelligent design as our reason for being here, but to teach it as science is ridiculous. It is theology.Why?
For one it hasn't been subjected to the Scientific Method. Remember that? Basically it states that if you have a theory regarding why something is, like intelligent design, you're forced to test it against various hypothesis until it is proven or disproved. For a step by step guide, refer to the diagram above or go here.
How exactly can you do that with intelligent design? It's either you believe or you don't.
Which means it's not science.
Which means it shouldn't be taught as science.
Which means science teachers with 27 years of classroom and 9 years of administrative experience, shouldn't be getting fired for forwarding...
...to a local online community an e-mail message from the National Center for Science Education, a pro-evolution group, about a talk in Austin on Nov. 2 by Barbara Forrest, a professor of philosophy at Southeastern Louisiana University, a co-author of “Inside Creationism’s Trojan Horse” and an expert witness in the landmark 2005 case that ruled against the teaching of intelligent design in the Dover, Pa., schools.
With faith-based foolishness like this going on, we have the nerve to wonder why our students aren't competing with everyone else in science and technology.
4 comments:
Conservatives are doing just that: holding us back.
Jose, thanks for coming through. I agree that our young minds are being held back. For what purpose is the question. This kind of thing hurts the country as a whole and decreases our ability to compete.
Agree, strongly. I live in Brazil. Here, there are crosses hanging in Government offices and most of the populace is Catholic. But they still don't teach "intelligent design" as science in the school systems. They teach science as science in the school systems.
Francis - It's pretty simple when you look at it like that isn't it? Teach science as science and theology as theology. Too bad the agenda here is political rather than educational. We have to do better by our kids.
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