A little update on the beating evolution is taking in American
schools these days: Kentucky has deleted reference to the word
Evolution in cirriculum guidelines:
<She [a state offical] cited state "testing sensitivity" guidelines,
designed to keep children from taking a position on subjects such as
death, divorce and animal rights. The list also includes the theory of
evolution, which holds that humans evolved from more primitive species.
Deputy Commissioner Gene Wilhoit said he and other department
officials saw no need to keep the word evolution in the guidelines for
high school and middle school students.
"The word is a lightning rod that creates a diversion from what
we're teaching, and we did not want to advocate a particular doctrine
or a specific view," Wilhoit said.>
This case is different from the Kansas affair - seems to be a
manifestation of the "nanny state" syndrome, which seeks to protect
people from various forms of harm by limiting their choices (in the
case of seatbelts, a good idea, but is often taken to extremes!): in
this case, the state of Kentucky seems to be trying to prevent
children from having to deal with "sensitive" or controversial issues,
at least in an educational context (wouln't do to have the little
innocents to strain their brains by actually having to THINK in
school, would it??). I could add a lot of sarcastic and critcal
commentary, but basically this is a tragedy: the educational system is
becoming more and more bland- avoiding controversy at all costs,
keeping independant thinking to a minimum by concealing information
and ideas from curious young minds - and then everyone throws up their
hands in horror when some of them rebel or view education as
irrelevant to the Real World they live in!
-Ross.
--
Ross Mayhew: Schooner Specimen Shells:
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