Class Reaction: 2.17.09

I feel that tonight’s class was pretty interesting in seeing the different views and experiences depending on what part of the country you were raised in. During the lecture, the question was raised about whether or not a teacher’s opinion should be included while teaching their students. I think that generally we all agreed that a teacher’s opinion should not come in to play when teaching their students, especially when it involves a subject such as Evolution where many people may view it differently. I also agreed with the idea that it is a teacher’s responsibility to present the different ideas and beliefs about those subjects and it is up to the student to form their own opinion, without the persuasion of their teacher. I do not feel that the Theory of Evolution should be taken out of the curriculum, but that it should be taught as what it is, a theory. It should not be viewed as the correct answer to how humans were developed/created. Who honestly knows what the correct answer to that question is? When I was in school I learned about several different theories including Evolution and Creationism. I feel that if it is taught correctly, meaning in an unbiased way, students should learn all of the theories that are available and form their own opinion.

This also coincides with learning about different cultures. We are taught about all of the different cultures in the world and their history. That does not mean that we have to agree with what they do or what they believe in. We learn about them and respect the idea that culture is relative. What is considered right or good in our own culture may not be accepted in theirs, and vice versa. It is still important to know how the rest of the world lives and understand the reasons for our differences.