James said:
MooseFET said:
[...]they use the new ridiculous line of "teach the controversy"
to suggest that the opinions of a few loons
should be given equal weight
to that of the great bulk of the scientific community.
....or, more importantly, given equal weight to the Scientific Method
which quickly disassembles "the controversy".
James said:
That problem arises because
they're compelled to send their kids to government schools.
The reason for public schools
is to produce useful members of society.
If you don't want to be a member of *this* society, find another.
Alternatively, teach your own kids
--of course, you will have to demonstrate competency
to produce the same kind of useful educated adults
that our post-industrial society needs,
as the public schools are intended to do.
....and to go to the heart of your argumentative point,
just because a parent believes that 2 + 2 does NOT equal 4,
does NOT give his kid the privilege to put an incorrect answer
on his test and expect to have it graded as correct.
He doesn't get to skip math class either
--even if his parent thinks it's the Devil's tool.
Now, if anti-mathematics is obviously not acceptable,
explain how the anti-science hocus-pocus is acceptable.
The answer to things you disagree with is NOT *less* discussion.
State your arguments against the points you think are bogus
--to your kid and to the world at large.
If he finds more truth in that than what he gets elsewhere,
so be it--but Fahrenheit 451 is NOT the answer.
(Again: Reference the Sleeping Beauty story.)
[...]the "abstinence only education"
is about as effective at reducing the rates of having sex
as the movie "reefer madness" was at reducing the rate of drug use.
I don't know why schools are involved in this.
It's about teaching future members of society how their bodies work
such that they know what their hearts do and livers do
--but you're saying they shouldn't know the function of ALL parts.
The process of producing offspring is part of the life sciences.
How NOT to produce offspring at the wrong time
(and how not to get a disease in the process)
is useful knowledge for members of society.
This goes back to my Sleeping Beauty analogy.
There is NO circumstance where ignorance is better than knowledge.
It also goes to my 2 + 2 point:
Do we assure that no quotients will work out to 666?
It gets pretty silly really quickly.
It's a parent's job, not the schools'.
Getting back to my point about certifying parents as teachers,
I saw a demonstration where they gave parents the sex-ed test
--and most FLUNKED. Few would have made good tutors.
we learned the basics in health class
[...]concerned parents' kids could opt out
We're seeing what the opt-out nonsense gets us
with the idiots who won't vaccinate their kids.
Choose to be a member of this society or find another.
Being a member comes with obligations.