16% of US Science Teachers are Creationists

[Smellyoldgit]

This article should cause some concern.

Despite a court-ordered ban on the teaching of creationism in US schools, about one in eight high-school biology teachers still teach it as valid science, a survey reveals....

....However, a quarter of the teachers also reported spending at least some time teaching about creationism or intelligent design. Of these, 48% – about 12.5% of the total survey – said they taught it as a "valid, scientific alternative to Darwinian explanations for the origin of species".

If the courts have banned the teaching of such obvious nonesense, what mechanisms are in place to enforce the rulings?

Looks to me like teachers have a free run at interpretting and implementing the curriculum.

[ubs]

Am I the only one that feels like the religious hijacking of the education system is more about class divide than sky fairies? ...kind of a "well if my kids can't earn six figures, I'll make sure yours can't either."

[nkb]

Are you saying that only parents of stupid kids are pushing religion in the classrooms? And how many parents admit to themselves that their kids won't amount to anything.

I don't see that. I think it's just people who want to reinforce their own fantasy world, by trying to force everyone else to believe it too. What better time to indoctrinate other people than during their early years?

[ubs]

nkb wrote

Are you saying that only parents of stupid kids are pushing religion in the classrooms?

No, the people who feel that getting their kids into college is completely out of reach.

It doesn't take a genius to see that our education system renders our children less and less viable in the world market place.

Have you ever heard the phrase "ancestor stupidity" - an arrogance that history majors have to be on the look out for, in which they ascribe the unexplained reasons for our ancestors behavior to stupidity.

I think, sometimes that atheists commit a kind of ancestor stupidity when considering the motives behind theist behavior - behavior that is in fact class based.

"My kids can't make millions? Well neither the fuck can yours. Take that college girl/boy."

[nkb]

OK, so that would imply that only poor parents push religion in schools, wouldn't it? I'm not sure that's accurate either, although I admit that I don't have the demographics of these people.

[ubs]

nkb wrote

OK, so that would imply that only poor parents push religion in schools, wouldn't it?

Yes, but poor and hopeless is not the same as stupid.

[nkb]

I never said it was. I just misunderstood your original post.

So, what evidence do you have to suggest that poor parents are the ones pushing religion in schools?

[ubs]

I have nothing but gut...and the observation that politicians favor the word "elitist" more than any other to sell their agenda.

But if that hypothesis is correct then the fastest track to ridding ourselves of the ID drivel would be to offer more university scholarships and financial aid counseling to students whose parents did not attend college.

[Philboid Studge]

I've argued in the past that Christy historians -- or rather, historians who happen to be Christian -- are suspect. I doubt that they can be objective when researching or writing about historical events that might disturb their paradigm. This isn't to say that all Xst-loving historians are lying sacks of crap, but the proportion of LSoC is probably about the same as with the teachers: 16%.

I can't say I actually blame them. What are they supposed to do? They either believe in the fairy tale or they don't. If they do, then it stands to reason their gibberish would surface in their professional life -- sadly, at the expense of others' education in this case. I don't know what to do about it. You can't have a religiosity litmus test for teachers, but there's got to be a way to keep their hocus-pocus out of the classroom.

Smellyoldgit wrote

This article should cause some concern.



If the courts have banned the teaching of such obvious nonesense, what mechanisms are in place to enforce the rulings?

Looks to me like teachers have a free run at interpretting and implementing the curriculum.

..and Alaska is one of the least religious states, so I am going there.

[Choobus]

Philboid Studge wrote

I've argued in the past that Christy historians -- or rather, historians who happen to be Christian -- are suspect.

well durr! Just like dieticians who eat McDonalds every day should be considered to be less than intellectually honest, so too should those who purport to be rational, but at the same time don't mind admitting that they believe in absurd fairy tails sky virgin zombie thre in one mangodghosts.

[JU Mike]

Only 16%? Well, that's better than what I expected.

[Smellyoldgit]

The UK curriculum guidelines couldn't be clearer.

Creationism and intelligent design are not part of the science National Curriculum programmes of study and should not be taught as science.

Further emphasis here

Apart from a minority of Northern Irish schools, I can't find any suggestion of UK teachers going their own way and pushing creationism into science.

[nkb]

You don't have to rub it in, Smelly.

[Choobus]

Smellyoldgit wrote

....I can't find any suggestion of UK teachers going their own way and pushing creationism into science.

That's like pushing a 15 lb salami into an arsehole so tight you could lose a finger wiping it. It just doesn't fit.