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Faith and science: evolution and the Texas Board of Ed
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I am always eager to learn how my tax dollars are being spent on Texas public education. Perhaps the most beguiling use of them to date is the recent argument at the Board of Education over whether or not public school science teachers will teach the “strengths and weaknesses” of Darwin’s theory of evolution – a roundabout way to teach creationism theory without violating the federal court’s separation of church and state ruling.
According to both the New York Times and the Dallas Daily News, Tuesday the board voted down a 20-year mandate that required science teachers to include the “strengths and weaknesses” curriculum in their teachings. This turn was recommended by the group of science teachers assigned to write the curriculum, yet our board chairman, Dr. Don McLeroy, a dentist from College Station, and a “Darwin skeptic,” remains convinced that there is more than one way to teach how life on earth began. While the mandate was successfully overturned, Dr. McLeroy still succeeded in placing several amendments to the curriculum, which teachers say would “open a door” to teaching evolution as one of many theories.
I’m wondering about my tax money: do we not have bigger fish to fry than this? Is this a real argument, posed by a dentist, against a panel of actual science teachers – people who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of, well, science?
I am also concerned that we keep the public schools public, and that means no sneakiness allowed. No creeping in of Christian creationism – or, if it does creep in, then we must allow children of all faiths and gods who represent themselves in our techniculture public schools to get a chance to explain how their faith explains the creation of the earth. If that is not possible – perhaps in a very small piece of science curriculum called, simply, “Faith and Science” – then the subject should not be broached at all.
The fact remains that the overwhelming majority of biologists on earth concur that evolution in some form or another has occurred since life began. The panel of Texas science teachers, quoted in the New York Times, wishes for students to “analyze and evaluate scientific explanations using empirical data,” which is more than just a directive for teaching students science; it is the very definition of science itself, and isn’t that what we’re out to do for the kids?
Faith is for home, where parents can explain the cultures and traditions of a family’s religion, not public school. Public school is where children get a bedrock education to carry them forth in our modern world - the one where our test scores rank among the lowest of industrialized nations. Now who is keeping the faith here?
I have been to our schools, and I’ll tell you what we do not need: another polarizing argument over evolution. But, if any school board members are reading this right now, here are some things that we do need: arts programs, after-school tutoring and mentoring programs, new equipment and learning tools, technology for teachers and students, more teachers and aides.
Why don’t we leave faith to the parents, caregivers and church leaders - and how about the Board of Ed help us out with some real needs instead?
