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To: Fester Chugabrew
A good teacher does not stifle the inquiring mind with his/her own preconceived notions. That's not education. That's indoctrination.

A great deal of indoctrination is necessary to teach children what they need to know to become effective adults. Pure curiosity won't make a child memorize 30 spelling words every day, nor learn his multiplication tables. These attainments are a long-drawn out affair no child will pursue just to answer a few self-posed questions, modern educational theory to the contrary notwithstanding.

I know there is concern about the introduction of religion in public schools once creationism is given some thought. Frankly I'd rather have the camel's nose of religion under the tent of education than the horse's ass of evoultion sitting on education's face.

If you wish to abandon teaching science to pre-college kids, I can be pursuaded. I think it's largely a waste of time anyway. There time would be better spent on fundamentals. However, if you decide to teach science, than you should teach science as it stands--not some specially altered version that caters to some people's unscientific pre-dispositions. We keep religion out of secular, state-mandated schools for outstandingly good reasons. I don't wish to see my kids in a pitched battle with muslim kids over the use of the auditium for daily prayer.

1,966 posted on 01/01/2003 3:39:07 PM PST by donh
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To: donh
"A great deal of indoctrination is necessary to teach children what they need to know to become effective adults. Pure curiosity won't make a child memorize 30 spelling words every day, nor learn his multiplication tables."

Are you suggesting that "pure curiousity" is the antithesis of indoctrination?

1,981 posted on 01/01/2003 5:43:45 PM PST by Fester Chugabrew
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