How to teach evolution in middle school – RichardDawkins.net

This is the initial message of a thread found on the Richard Dawkins web site…

I am a 6th grade science teacher, however I have my Bachelor’s degree in Biology with an emphasis on evolution and ecology. I live in a “Bible Belt” area and have had my supervisor inquire about how I intend to present evolution. She suggested bypassing it altogether or only talking about it briefly, along with an honorable mention for creation, and then moving on. I find this to be a “less than desirable” approach. I realize that if I wish to keep my job, I will be required to hold quite a bit back, but I am not sure how to do that.

We are currently discussing space, planets, galaxies, stars, etc.. I have found it impossible to properly discuss the topic without mentioning important subject matter that flies in the face of the teachings of the Bible Belt. My students have recently been asking some very good questions about the origins of the universe, black holes, how stars and planets are formed, and what my thoughts are on the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

The first complaint came on the heels of some subject matter that I considered fairly benign. I merely asked the students to “think about the fact that there are 8 planets that orbit the Sun (we are discussing the idea of dwarf planets, but for simplicity I am not including them). Think about the fact that the Sun is a star and there are hundreds of billions of stars in the Milky Way galaxy alone. Now think about the fact that there could be, and most likely are, planets orbiting most of those stars. Now think about the idea that scientists predict that there are more than one hundred billion galaxies in the universe. So you have trillions of stars, each with the potential of having planets orbiting it, now think about the idea that life only exists on Earth … I dont want an answer, but I want you to use your own brain to sort out the odds that there is not life on another planet.” This is much like the Bill Nye quote about a man standing on a speck, that is located in a speck, in a speck, etc..

The parent called and complained that I was teaching these kids that the Earth was billions of years old, and that the Universe was billions of years old. The parent also complained that they thought I would teach evolution when we turned our focus to Biology next semester and they did not approve.

I explained to my supervisor that I was “merely attempting to get the kids to think….”

I was told that “We do not want our kids thinking and going home and asking questions about the things that they are learning in church”.

How sad is the education system in the United States that we do not wish our children to learn to think. Perhaps this is why children in other countries seem to be doing better than those in the US.

I welcome questions, discussion, etc, but I am honestly looking for support, assistance, and suggestions.

Thank you

Follow the message thread here: How to teach evolution in middle school – RichardDawkins.net.

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