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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
 Posted - 02/04/2008 : 02:40:24
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Florida's fundies are having a chilling effect on science education. How much of an effect? Nobody's done a survey.
I picked this link up at Fark. Here's a taste:
Sometimes, Allyn Sue Baylor doesn't teach evolution in her science class, even though the state requires it. She knows of other teachers who duck the issue, too.
They fear a backlash.
"There are cases when parents have gotten really upset," said Baylor, who teaches at Palm Harbor Middle School in Pinellas County. "It's scary. You can lose your job."
Meanwhile, David Campbell, a science teacher at Ridgeview High in Clay County, near Jacksonville, heads off conflict by telling students what may seem obvious: There's a big difference between science and faith.
"The student needs to know, 'I'm not asking you to believe this. I'm just asking you to understand it,'" said Campbell, a 14-year veteran.
Which teacher is more representative of what happens in Florida classrooms?
Nobody knows.
. . .
Officials at the Department of Education, the Florida Association of Science Teachers, the Florida Coalition for Science Literacy and the Florida Citizens for Science said as far as they know, no one has surveyed Florida science teachers on their concerns about teaching evolution.
But a suite of surveys outside Florida offer a nagging counterpoint, suggesting that many teachers avoid the subject.
"In short, there are too many biology teachers who won't, or don't, or can't teach evolution properly," according to an editorial in the January edition of the American Biology Teacher. |
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
Edited by - HalfMooner on 02/04/2008 02:44:28
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2008 : 04:21:32 [Permalink]
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Just more stupidity from AiG. Pretty symbolic, isn't it?
Really, what it amounts to is a back-door, political power grab; one that has been around for some years, particulary in the south. It is very easy to intimidate teachers and remain anonymous while doing it. The preacher maintains a facade of innocence because it is his congregation that does the dirty work.
Which shows what a pack of snivvling cowards these assholes are.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
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HalfMooner
Dingaling
Philippines
15831 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2008 : 04:49:55 [Permalink]
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Looks like AiG inadvertently showed a simplified version of the evolution of the whale.
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“Biology is just physics that has begun to smell bad.” —HalfMooner
Here's a link to Moonscape News, and one to its Archive. |
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filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
 Posted - 02/04/2008 : 05:27:06 [Permalink]
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Originally posted by HalfMooner
Looks like AiG inadvertently showed a simplified version of the evolution of the whale.
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Indeed, or, as I saw it, the evolution of the YEC freak from a reasonable organism to one jumping it's evolutionary progression and floundering back to the good ol' Cambrian days, smirking like a Down's victim all the way.
If ignorance is bliss, these guys live in Nirvana.
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"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
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marfknox
SFN Die Hard
USA
3739 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2008 : 10:25:29 [Permalink]
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filthy wrote: Indeed, or, as I saw it, the evolution of the YEC freak from a reasonable organism to one jumping it's evolutionary progression and floundering back to the good ol' Cambrian days, smirking like a Down's victim all the way.
If ignorance is bliss, these guys live in Nirvana. |
Yeah, I thought it was an anti-creationism cartoon at first and interpreted it exactly this way. |
"Too much certainty and clarity could lead to cruel intolerance" -Karen Armstrong
Check out my art store: http://www.marfknox.etsy.com
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Maverick
Skeptic Friend
Sweden
385 Posts |
Posted - 02/04/2008 : 10:31:58 [Permalink]
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| Since personal beliefs based on absolutely nothing and that are contradicted by evidence are more important than real science to these parents, I think they should be honest about their desire to make as many as possible ignorant. They should remove all science and replace it with religion instead. They can't oppose the teaching of just one or a few disciplines. Are they, or are they not opposed to science? |
"Life is but a momentary glimpse of the wonder of this astonishing universe, and it is sad to see so many dreaming it away on spiritual fantasy." -- Carl Sagan |
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Some Florida teachers fear to teach evolution
