Rabid Fun

John Cowart's Daily Journal: A befuddled ordinary Christian looks for spiritual realities in day to day living.


Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Evolution, Intelligent Design, and Reality

You’d think with all the day sleep I had Monday that I’d have been awake all night, but before the first quarter of the Falcon/Jets game was over I dozed off and slept straight through the night. Must have been tired.

I’ve been thinking recently about controversies in different school systems over teaching kids about evolution and intelligent design. The news on tv says a lot of people feel strongly about this.

I do too because the other day I bought a hamburger.

As I paid for my food I looked at the cash register. There were no numbers on the keys. Instead, little icons picturing a fish, a burger, a milk shake, a box of fries, etc. were printed on the keys. The manager said that the kids she had to hire did not know how to punch in complicated things like 69 cents, so the company bought these keyboards with pictures of the food items which figured up the prices.

How can kids get far enough along in school without knowing how to make change for a dollar?

Why would school systems want to teach speculative , nonessential subjects while neglecting basic education?

Why would teaching kids theory -- any theory -- of where they came from be of more importance than teaching them how to get where they want to go in life?

Once a kid learns how to read, then he can be taught peripheral subjects, but until he is able to read either Genesis or Darwin himself, then either theory of origin is a non essential and should be tabled.

The topics are inappropriate in the curriculum.

Education should focus on what is rather than on what might have been.

Let the kids dissect a cat to learn about the respiratory system, circulatory system digestive system, nervous system, lymphatic system, etc. There is no need to speculate on how all cats are descended from skunks (my personal belief).

Until the burger place can put real numbers back on the cash register keys, schools should stick to reality instead of speculation.

Anything less cheats the kids.

Unless something significant happens in my life today to blog about, tomorrow I think I’ll write about how the churches are as bad as the schools in speculative teaching on nonessential matters.


Please, visit my website for more www.cowart.info and feel free to look over and buy one of my books www.bluefishbooks.info
posted by John Cowart @ 5:47 AM

10 Comments:

At 7:54 AM, Blogger Karen said...

I like it! I'm with you on all aspects of school teaching, and we come to a crucial day in UK education systems where we could just be going back to basics...

Can only be a good thing!

 
At 9:49 AM, Blogger Idzeeboo said...

Hello, this is Idzeeboo - a good friend and co-worker of SlackV and Pooks!

I just wanted to stop by and say that I really enjoy your writing, and have added you to my list of blogger friends on my blog.
Idzeeboo

Have a great day!!

 
At 3:52 PM, Blogger Eric said...

I agree totally.

"Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser discusses this phenomenon.

The idea is a fast food job will require NO training, since training is expensive and not as productive as just plopping someone in front of a machine with pictures on it.

Also, fast food employees last about nine months on any one job. Get 'em in, get 'em out: customers and employees.

The book discusses so many interesting things about the way fast food and the like has changed society: we now have migrant fast food workers (as only one example).

But back to your point: yes, it's a sad day in America when the schools waste a lot of time or money on whether to teach certain completely theoretical subjects instead of pouring the effort into making sure Johnny and Jenny can read, 'rite, and perform some 'rithmatic.

 
At 3:58 PM, Blogger G~ said...

I couldn't have said it better myself!

Bravo.

 
At 6:11 PM, Blogger Heather said...

You rock! I agree completely!

 
At 8:01 PM, Blogger donna y said...

It's really sad that kids are becoming completely reliant on "shortcutting" their way through problems. I agree with your post completely. I can't even tell you how many people in the midwest I've talked to think that when I say I'm from New Mexico that I'm speaking of another country. I often ask them, "Do you know where Texas is located?" "Yep" "And Arizona?" "Yep" "Yeah, New Mexico is that large land mass right in between." Just sad.

 
At 8:15 PM, Blogger Jamie Dawn said...

Good post.
Kids these days do not know how to make change.
It is really sad to see.

 
At 8:46 PM, Blogger FunkyB said...

I wish you were our Secretary of Education. If you run, I'll vote for you.

 
At 10:55 AM, Blogger Darlene said...

I like the idea of disecting cats. I'd even join in the fun at home. But not puppies, I love them too much.

 
At 3:09 PM, Blogger atnihs said...

Yes, it's sad how we sacrifice learning just to make things more efficient.

It's my first time here...interesting blog!

Thanks for visiting mine!

 

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