Controversy?

[Bill]

I have taught the theory of evolution unabashedly for 27 years. I have never once had a parent complaint. I have had a number of students ask me over the years what my personal views were. I have never had a problem telling them. I am quite willing to approach the controversy with my students. Despite victories for science in the courts time and again, the creationists continue to hammer away at the perceived evil of Darwin and evolutionary theory. What have you encountered in your experience? What questions do you have? Have you been asked? The purpose of this forum is to investigate the issues!

[Stephanie Olson]

Although I have a Social Studies background, I have not personally taught the creation vs. evolution debate. However as a recent college graduate, it was definitely a topic we discussed in a couple of my classes. I think how you approach this topic in your classroom is highly dependent on the location in which you teach. Some communities are more accepting of debating and studying multiple views on a controversial subject such as this one. Other communities might not want this debate to be brought up at all.

In my opinion, we have a responsibility as teachers to bring both sides of this debate to the table to allow students to make their own decisions on which side they support. I also think teaching varying perspectives fosters acceptance of other's opinions even if a student has strong views one way or the other. As a student teacher in a rural community, I struggled with how I could bring both sides of many issues to the table without upsetting my students, parents, and other teachers in the building. Any thoughts on that?

Being open to your students about your personal views can be extremely difficult for some teachers. I definitely applaud your honesty in the classroom. Students know that you have opinions on the topics you teach. I think it makes you more 'human' in their eyes if you are honest just as long as it is clear that your opinion is not the 'right' opinion and they have the freedom to evaluate the information you have given them to make their own decisions. Did you ever feel that you influenced their opinions by telling them yours?

As a new teacher I am still apprehensive about making my personal views known, mostly because I still haven't fully experienced how it can impact my students. This is definitely an interesting debate and I can't wait to hear what teachers with more experience have to say!

[Bill]

Thanks for your comments Stephanie. I agree in broad terms with your contentions. We are fortunate to work in a district that supports a strong curriculum and is willing to have their students enter into debate about controversial issues. With regards to the evolution/creationism debate however, the two sides you allude to are more political than scientific. In the scientific community there really is no debate about evolution vs. creation. Creationism has been ruled to be a religious or philosophical view repeatedly in court decisions. I am quite willing to discuss the controversy as such in class and have. I have also answered students who professed that they didn't "believe" what I taught them about evolution. I have said that didn't ask them to "believe" the theory. I want them to understand what a theory is and what its significance is for scientists. I also want them to understand that evolution is the theory that scientists use to explain biological processes on the planet. It is not a hypothesis, or a guess. It is an explanation. A very thoroughly tested, explored and confirmed explanation. I am perfectly willing to discuss wide ranging viewpoints and beliefs as well as to answer questions about challenges to accepted scientific theory. I do not believe I have ever presented this material in dogmatic fashion, nor have I ever asked any student to alter his or her beliefs to accommodate my views. But where science has provided us with sound, well tested explanations for natural phemomena, I do not offer alternative views as if they are valid alternative scientific explanations. We no longer, for example, offer the flat earth theory as a valid alternative scientific explanation, although there are still people who profess to accept it.
Once again, I thank you for your comments. I hope that this forum will engender exactly this type of discussion. Keep it coming.