Just What Are Our Kids Learning In Public Schools?
All this evolution vs. creation talk had me thinking about what exactly my kids are taking home with them learned as fact. Let me say that I am not against science in any way, and yes, many things are proved through science. But what about these other things? One that comes to mind is oil. My 12 year old daughter and I were having a discussion on world politics, taxes, government, etc. - you know, the typical conversation you would have with your 12 year old. When we were discussing the world's dependency to oil and what it all means with regard to the Middle East, she said, "Well Dad, we won't have to worry about that in another 60 years anyway." Simply amazed, I asked why she would say that. She said that's what her text book says and what she learned in class as fact. She also said that evolution is taught as fact. I was again, blown away.
For anyone, especially the teachers out here, what's the deal with this? Why teach kids things that can't be proved but are only projected and not fact? Why teach kids theories as facts?
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RE: Just What Are Our Kids Learning In Public Schools?
I just opened up my college biology text book to the chaper on "The Theory of Evolution".
It is also called "Evolutional Thought".
There are some hard facts given, regarding the fossil records and such. We know that animals change over time. There are several strains of bacteria now that are immune to anti-bacteria soaps. It is nothing more than an evolutionary process over several generations. Same thing in the south with mosquitos and flies that are not being killed by pesticides.
I am very religious, and I believe in every word in the Bible. I am just letting you know what they are teaching undergrad students taking required Biology classes. I am at the Citadel in Charleston, SC.
RE: Just What Are Our Kids Learning In Public Schools?
Some text books teach evolution as fact, others teach it as theory. I imagine those teaching it as theory are becoming less and less commonplace.
I have a big problem with schools teaching evolution as fact. We are still guaranteed a thing in this nation of ours that is called Freedom of Religion. My religion tells me that God took dust from the earth and created a man. It does not say that He took dust and made a piece of slime on a coral reef, which evolved into a multi-celled organism, which evolved into a fish, which evolved into a land-walking reptile, which evolved into a primate, which evolved into a man. I believe it as it is written. So do many others in this country. So many, in fact, that schools should teach the theory of man's evolution but should also teach the creation theory. When I spend the first nine years of my son's life trying to teach him what God's word says, only to have him go to school for his fifth grade science class and they tell him that daddy is wrong and that God had nothing to do with it and that man evolved from ape, that is a direct violation of my freedom of religion. I don't have a problem with evolution being taught, so long as it is taught as THEORY and equal time is given to other theories.
What I find laughable is the stink the ACLU raised in Florida last year when the school district tried to put disclaimers on the biology books saying that evolution is ONLY theory. So much for the ACLU looking out for ALL of our liberties, huh? But then we knew that allready...
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RE: Just What Are Our Kids Learning In Public Schools?
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I have been teaching at many levels for many years. The idea of evolution is taught as fact only in its mechanisms. Human evolution has Theory in its name. All the mechanisms have been proven fact, punctuated equilibrium, specization, natural selection, etc.. I hate to break it you people but it is a scientific law. Human evolution is a theory that will never become law. As for things like the oil dependency, well that is true based on todays knowledge of consumption rates and known reserves. It is subject to change. I would wager that text book states that in 60 years at the rate of consumption we will be out of oil. Or at least something to that effect.
I will also add that schools are trying to teach what its the most recent and
updated knowledge. Or are we suggesting with this post that we go back to old beliefs. Lets bring back divine appointment (we need a king), lets blood let and practice trepidation in attempt to release the evil spirits.
Personally I dont want to live in a world that ignors Gods gifts to better our selves.
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kaafir mushrik
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RE: Just What Are Our Kids Learning In Public Schools?
Quote:
There are some hard facts given, regarding the fossil records and such. We know that animals change over time. There are several strains of bacteria now that are immune to anti-bacteria soaps.
I have pointed that out many times with no response, I guess those "super bacteria" the doctors fear are figments of our imagination. Because there is no way an organims could ever evolve to a harsh environment.
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kaafir mushrik
Unintended consequences and God have one thing in common: Liberals don’t believe in either of them.
RE: Just What Are Our Kids Learning In Public Schools?
I hear what you're saying Burnie. The problem I'm seeing in what my kids bring home is that such things are being taught as fact. Take the oil for instance. No where in that book did it base that assumption on reserves not yet found, like MI for example. There is great reserves of oil under MI and its great lakes. Little to no exploration has been allowed for this though. Same with Alaska. Are the authors of these text books basing this on the entire world running out or are they calculating in facts such as tree huggers shutting down oil exploration leaving great reserves untapped? That's all I'm saying about this - things are taught as fact with no additional though on many different angles to it.
As a Christian, what do you tell your students regarding the theory of evolution for man? My mom retired from teaching fifth grade and couldn't wait to get out because of these things that so contradicted what she believed in. She wouldn't teach evolution. She also wouldn't say a thing about creation either. Which brings me to agreeing with what Ben wrote - teach it all. It it is still just theory, what's wrong with throwing in creation as another theory?
__________________
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a civilization, it expects what never was and what never will be.
RE: Just What Are Our Kids Learning In Public Schools?
Quote:
I have pointed that out many times with no response, I guess those "super bacteria" the doctors fear are figments of our imagination. Because there is no way an organims could ever evolve to a harsh environment.
Oh, you mean like the bacteria and other micro-organisms living next to deep-sea vents? If a bacterium can live in an enviroment without light, at tremendous pressure, and full of boiling sulfur, that fits the bill.
SIDE NOTE: Soap, by design, doesn't actually kill bacteria; it simply makes the surface of your skin slippery so that they slip off under running water. That's why anti-bacterial soap is a crock. It will kill some strains (some others are indeed resistant), but there's no need to when you're rinsing it away to begin with.
Just What Are Our Kids Learning In Public Schools?
