Posted on 03/31/2006 7:18:12 PM PST by Virginia-American
LIBERTY, Mo. — Monday morning, Room 207: First day of a unit on the origins of life. Veteran biology teacher Al Frisby switches on the overhead projector and braces himself.
As his students rummage for their notebooks, Frisby introduces his central theme: Every creature on Earth has been shaped by random mutation and natural selection — in a word, by evolution.
The challenges begin at once.
"Isn't it true that mutations only make an animal weaker?" sophomore Chris Willett
....
Frisby tries to explain that evolution takes millions of years, but Willett isn't listening. "I feel a tail growing!" he calls to his friends, drawing laughter.
.....
He's about to start on the fossil evidence when sophomore Jeff Paul interrupts: "How are you 100% sure that those bones belong to those animals? It could just be some deformed raccoon."
From the back of the room, sophomore Melissa Brooks chimes in: "Those are real bones that someone actually found? You're not just making this up?"
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
As ignorance marches on.
The problem with this country is lax parents are bringing up kids with no idea of respect for their elders. It seems fundamentalist Christians are the worst offenders. You'd think it would be the hippies.
Another hopeful virgin. Not this time, I don't think, sweetie.
...Frisby tried a new approach this year: He strapped a leather tool belt around his waist. Life, he told the class, required a variety of tools. Sometimes they would find it helpful to use art or music to help them make sense of their world. Sometimes they would use religion.
"We're in science class now, so we're going to use our science tools," he told them. "I don't want to be in a debate about religion or literature or art. My job is to explain evolution so you can understand it. Whether you accept it or not, that's your business."
On the wall behind him, a poster read: "Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen."
Later the same teacher was confronted by a student who said "dinosaurs lived 6000 years ago, not millions of years ago".
Mr. Frisby responded "Thats' wrong. You can't believe everything you read". The student made another remark, but Mr. Frisby just continued with the lesson.
That sounds like the right approach. Show the student respect, but don't get sidetracked, and make sure the lesson material is covered.
As he said in the first quote above, the students are there to learn biology, whether they accept it or not.
I really don't understand a veteran teacher putting up with this stuff. Disrespect should get you one warning, followed by expulsion. And if you can't answer a smart ass question from a 17 year old with withering sarcasm, maybe you should be in another job.
So he wasn't even teaching history. Sheesh
If you really look at the ID theory, it has a major biforcation between neo-creationism and intelligent design. It is easy to see how they get lumped together but there is are differences between ID (Johnson) and ID (Behe).
What I find sad is that naturalism evolutionists and creationist ID'ers are not open to the ideas that the other side presents. If both sides worked from different angles at the same target there would be much more advancement for the common knowledge, but each side starts with a blanket refutation of the other side a priori
IMO
I suppose if ID guys did any actual research there might be some room for cooperation.
When My kids were in grade school I checked out their science books, and I found the implied epistemological basis of atomic theory quite interesting. At the level of molecules, there was no hesitation at presenting them as real objects - "tinker toy molecules". When the explanation moved on to atoms, it was a different story. A heuristic description of the electron cloud was given ( fuzzy ball ) and it was implied that everything about it was cast in doubt. There was no statement of unequivocal fact, just "scientists think", so the impression was that we're pretty sure there are electrons in there, but we're not sure what they're doing.
I could say something like, "they are too busy correcting the existing research that is already out there" but that would not do anyone any good. :o) If there really was conclusive proof either way, it would be readily available. Too many people miss the journey, while only focusing on the destination.
The kids should have been strapped to their desks and forced to learn quantum mechanics before their potty break.
I think these kids ought to save the smart-ass remarks for the geography teacher.
Two hundred years is a long time on the pot without producing anything. It would be nice if ID at least suggested a research topic.
Classic demagoguery. Textbook example. Wow!
Well done.
The late Henry Morris' son (president of ICR since 1995).
I think just one tool will do the job.
Must hurt like heck. No wonder they're so cranky .
I was thinking the same thing while reviewing the fossil record for transitional macro-evolutionary forms. :o)
For an up to date status (2004) on ID I would recommend Doubts About Darwin: A History of Intelligent Design by Thomas Woodward.
Well, they might conceivably be informed of the existence of QM. "Scientists can calculate the properties of atoms using the laws of Quantum Mechanics, which describes the behavior of electrons and atomic nuclei, and enables us to understand how the atoms join together to make molecules" - something along those lines.
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