Monday, April 27, 2015

St. George Parents Upset Science Education Proposal



During a recent forum for parents to input on proposed changes to science and engineering curriculum, parents argued over each other criticizing and rejecting the changes. Richard Scott (pictured), a science education specialist in Utah's State Education Office, had difficulty bringing the meeting to order.

The changes were to move away from memorized teaching and to include more engineering concepts, such as dissecting problems and using hands-on activities to problem solve. The parents believed the proposal was a mere copy from "Common Core Standards", which many parents believe to be a way for liberal political agendas to be pushed on their children. The Common Core simply restricts education to evidence based information, clarity, consistency, application knowledge, high-order thinking, and world and state-based standards to help kids compete in a global economy.

Parents feared that ideas such as:

1. Abortion and birth control would be taught as ways to control population.
2. Living green and reducing human footprint would cause kids to hate the human race.
3. Images of animals copulating would be used for sex education.
4. Climate Control and Evolution would be pushed when they don't believe these concepts.

Parents seem to be overly offended when their exact beliefs aren't the only ones presented in public schools. It's disheartening when they have no trust in their children to decide for themselves what to believe. Education must provide a non-biased and truth-based curriculum that challenges kids, exposes them to world perspectives, and includes the latest techniques used in the world to succeed.

Just as non-christians are abhorred at Christianity being taught in public schools, Christian parents are equally upset when other religious beliefs or religion-conflicting scientific principles are presented.

Teachers at the meeting argued with parents and didn't want to have to start from scratch with new curriculum, as some parents suggested.

http://www.thespectrum.com/story/news/local/2015/04/24/science-ed-meeting-turns-chaos/26285651/

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