Concern in Texas

Texas Biology teachers, in fact all Texas science teachers should be banding together for the upcoming science curriculum review scheduled for next month. This follows the appointment of a fundamentalist Christian to the head of the school board who recently opposed science texts because they didn't teach creationism. This same School board head didn't oppose forcing out the director of the science curriculum a month before the review starts for sending out an email FYI people about a presentation by one of the key witnesses in the Dover PA Intelligent Design trial. You have to wonder that if the witness has been for Intelligent Design if Ms. Comer would have been forced out? The timing is quite interesting. Do you smell a rat? I certainly do!

I also learned something that makes me even more nervous. The size and population of Texas has an impact on textbook publishing I hadn't realized. If Texas succeeds in adding Creationism, or its subordinate concept Intelligent Design, to the science texts, other states may be impacted because it's possible the only texts some smaller states might be able to buy are the ones being printed because of the volume done for Texas! Apparently so goes Texas, when it comes to textbooks, so goes many other states.

Now is the time to make sure the science curriculum review stays the course and focuses on SCIENCE. Keep pseudo-science where it belongs, in circus side-shows and on those late night infomercials. While I do get a kick out of a sign on a building in a small town in Ohio which advertising the psychologist on the top floor and the Psychic on the bottom floor. I guess if one can't help you, the other might. There is a serious difference between science and pseudo-science and I hope the people of Texas know that to keep a world-class science education pseudo-science is not the right direction. Ask the people in Pennsylvania, Kansas, Ohio, and Georgia how well pseudo-science went over there.

Once again I am not saying don't teach Creationism/Intelligent Design, I am saying it doesn't belong in science class! I believe Texans will make me proud and decide to keep science in the science classroom and religion in church and home!