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UPDATE: My wife and I visited the school in order to observe science class and the oral presentations which were to give the students' opinions on the "laws and principles" in the book.

We checked in at the office. Signed in and got a nametag to visit the classroom. The Principal said he would escort us to the classroom. On the way, he said that he had discussed the matter with the teacher this morning.

Another class was in session (we got there a minute early). We waited outside at a table and the Principal returned to his office. Class ended and the teacher came out and sat down. He said he had to be frank with us. He said we must get permission from him to visit his class (not true). He said not to presume to interfere in class, with his curriculum, or to "upset the equilibrium". He was angry, his hands were shaking, and he was very confrontational. We had not said a word at this point. We simply sat at the table while flipping through our notes and holding the well-tagged textbook.

We told him that the Principal had escorted us and that the Director was also aware that we were there to observe. The teacher angrily got up and said "we'll talk to him" and walked toward the administration office.

We followed. He said a few things to us on the way. We expressed that a real science book should be used instead of the one he was using.

We stepped into the office but the Principal was busy with someone else. A few things were said in the office. He said to step outside.

Outside he was angry, we were calm. He said to not presume that we can exert control on curriculum or his classroom. He said "I won't let you do this" and if we continue on this course, there would be "consequences". I asked if this was a threat and to what consequences was he referring. My wife asked if he intended to punish our daughter or give here a bad grade. He backed off a bit.

He said that textbook was science, a holistic approach. That he used multiple sources.

He said idealogy has no place in classroom, Christian or otherwise. I said, then that book has no place in your classroom as it is full of idealogy and opinions. I said that he is a science teacher and that he should know the difference between science and opinion.

He said he hasn't had any other parents complain. I said, "not yet. But you may see more."
I mentioned that we were keeping this situation at the school level now but more people may become aware of it. He said, "so now you're threatening me." I said no, that there are others becoming aware of the issue and they may show more interest in the days to come. He said to "go for it."

Discussion turned to the "principles" in the book. I turned to the page and told him that the division of them into scientific principles and opinion was not something I made up. That all future editions of the book correctly divided them into 2 categories under the headings "scientific principles" and "value statements". That the author and publisher admit it was mostly opinion. He said he does not allow opinion or ideaology to be taught in classroom, but would not censure opinion from the students. I said the book was full of opinion. As an example, I mentioned the paragraph promoting "redistribution of wealth" was opinion and didn't belong in a science book.

He defended the textbook again as a good science book. I showed him that the previous and only other school that used it only used for one year, had to cut out 10 pages, and then they dumped it.

I said there were real science books purchased. My wife said that he should be using the approved curriculum. We've looked at the new science books and they're real science. My wife said she's never seen anything like this, especially in a science book. He started yelling at her. I said that he does not need to yell. He immediately stopped and commanded, "stay here!"

He angrily walked into the office, straight to the Principal, interrupting whatever meeting he was having.

We walked in and waited by the secretary's desk.

He started yelling in the Principal's office. He said we were going to disrupt. He said we obviously had an agenda. Said we can't do this. That it goes both ways now and his "dander was up". We could not hear what the Principal told him, but we were told later that he had to allow us into the classroom.

He came back out and he said we could attend today. We walked quietly to class. He mentioned an upcoming "diversity and tolerance" assembly on Thursday that discusses this issue. He said that he though that we should attend. I thanked him for letting us know and stated that we may, in fact, attend.

After class was over, he immediately got up and said he would accompany us to the office.

As we walked he said that he believed that we could not communicate. I said that it was not a personal issue, but an issue with the specific book. He said that he would not tolerate an attack on his professionalism and curriculum from us. That he would not tolerate us exerting control over his classroom. That he would not allow us to upset the equilibrium in the classroom.

He said that he thought I was transcribing everything in the classroom so that I could launch another attack. He was upset that I had borrowed the textbook and not given it back (I had said a few days when I borrowed it and I was bringing it back today which was a few days) and that I had put tabs all over it. That I did not tell him that I was going to use it to "attack" him was unacceptable. He was visibly angry at this time. He said that he knew we were going to attack

He insisted that he should not have been the last to know that we were coming into his classroom. He said that Americans are confrontational and legalistic and that, at this point, anything we discuss may become a legal issue and that he was not sure that he could even talk to us anymore. We assured him that was not our intent.

He said that when we come into his classroom, that it sends a message. That when we question the curriculum, we're questioning his professionalism. He then said that I was the one who brought up the issue of threats.

I corrected him and quoted precisely what he had said in our previous conversation. That he had first said to me that if we continued on our current course, "that there would be consequences." He is the one who made threats, not me.

I reasserted that our argument was not with him, his credentials, or his teaching methods. I said that he should not take everything so personally, that the issue was not directly with him. I said that we had heard good things about what a good and intelligent teacher he was and that he worked hard and was a great contributor to the school. I said our issue was with the specific book, not with him.

He said that he has had a hard time even staying at the school. That before last month they didn't even have textbooks. (They were using a computer-based curriculum with all textbook available only on the computers in the classrooms and all assignments submitted on the computers)

I said that I was aware that he had to purchase the textbooks out of his own money and that he got them at a used textbook store. And that the entire school had recently gone through massive changes after the firing of their incompetent director. That I understood and appreciated what was going on in the school at this time.

He said that he didn't like the books that had been purchased for his science classes. He said that "they" had "sent over" only one of each of the books (they have more than enough in the room where they store the textbooks). He said he uses several books and draws on all of them for his science class and that after the upcoming winter break, that they would "probably" be moving into another book. He just liked chapter 1 for its information about tectonic plates and global changes. I reminded him that it was also chapter 1 that contained the "laws and principles" that were mostly opinion.

He said that he had had to put up with alot at the school and that this situation today was probably the "straw that broke the camel's back." He mentioned that my wife was an experienced teacher as a homeschooler and that since we have so much knowledge about this issue, that we should tell him how to run his classroom. That we should just take over his science class and pick his curriculum for him. He was quite angry at this point, at times yelling in my face from 6 inches away. I remained absolutely non-confrontational and continued to apply what little "verbal judo" I knew, which was to grow quieter and assume a meeker posture the more angry or threatening that someone else became while the content of my statements came from a position of strength.

He stormed into the Principal's office at this point and we followed.

We sat down with the Principal as the teacher went off to find an additional chair. We whispered a few things to the principal that despite the teacher's angry confrontation with us, that we were fine and that he had no need to fear us getting angry. The intent was to display that the teacher as out of control and unable to contain his anger which was irrational in the first place. I think that we succeeded at that.

We rehashed a number of issues that we'd already gone over and over. The teacher did not want us in the classroom again, the principal reminded him that it was a public school and that we could go into whatever classroom we wanted and observe. The teacher finally grew angry about the textbook and said that he didn't want to see my well-tagged copy of the textbook ever again and that I could keep it and do with it hatever I wanted. I said that I had brought it to the school to give to the Principal so that he could review the pages I had marked and give it back to the teacher. The teacher then said that while he recognized the Principal in his chain of command, he did not recognize us. We reminded him that we were parents of one of his students, that we were also taxpayers and that the school was a public school. Therefore, we are, in fact, in his chain of command. He then said that he felt that this was turning into a legal issue and that he felt that he could no longer have a direct conversation with us as parents. The Principal said that he felt that we were not looking for a legal battle (he was right) and that the teacher should not worry about that.

The teacher then reminded us about the "tolerance and diversity" assembly on Thursday and again recommended that we attend. The teacher then told us to talk to the Principal and that he would return for a private discussion with the Principal later.

We had a long and very friendly conversation with the Principal. He tried too hard to please us, but I could not get any solid guarantees of action concerning the book. The Principal is also a science teacher and he said he has no qualms, if it comes to it, to take over the science classes for the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades and that he would use the approved and purchased curriculum. He said on Friday that the book would be out of the classroom this week. Now, he revised that to say that the correct science book would be "in the classroom" on Thursday. However, he did not say that the teacher would even use the book or if he would stop using the offensive book in question.

We asked to see a copy of the teacher's approved lesson plan. The Principal said that the teacher had submitted one, but that he was in the process of having the teacher make a number of significant changes. So, we didn't get a copy.

He spent most of his time agreeing with us, but I think he was just trying to appease us just like he's probably working now to appease the teacher. I don't think he wants to make a decision and unrealistically wants to make everyone happy - which is not achievable. He gave us some bad information about the policies at the local mega-middle school. My wife checked right after (called the administrator) and found that his information was wrong.

We had a copy of the state standards for science and showed him that little of the information in the offending science book meets any of the state testing requirements.

He told us that the teacher has had a hard life and that he's spent much of his teaching career teaching in China. That he's come a long way since the beginning of the year and that his teaching style has changed considerably in order to accomodate American students. He was accustomed to the style of China where he had nearly total control of his classroom and no one, especially not a parent, questioned him. I mentioned that he likely picked up on China's false belief that children were property of the state. I stated that in America we believe the exact opposite.

The Principal wants us to believe that he's working on the issue within his limitations. We've verified these limitations and they do exist. We are willing to work with the Principal as long as we see results. First, the textbook must not be used for 8th grade science anymore. Second, it should be removed from 9th and 10th grade as soon as alternate textbooks are available which are appropriate for those grades. Since the teacher has so many other textbooks in the classroom, he has more than enough to choose from to replace the offensive textbook. (We haven't reviewed them yet, but we plan to.)

We're going to wait and see what happens next. My wife will be attending the science class again tomorrow when my daughter will probably give her oral presentation. They know that we are not going away and we know how much pain it caused the teacher to have us all over him today. Good. If he wants that pain to ever go away, he's going to have to admit to the problems with the book and get rid of it.

I later emailed the Principal the links to the objective reviews of the textbook which were done by The Textbook League. I excerpted portions which explained that the books were garbage and why. He wrote back and said that he appreciated the information.