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My Teachers Are All Creationists
- Thread starter Chirios
- Start date
stanley accrington
New Member
Chirios,
There is a problem here because the word 'college' can mean several things - not only are there differences in use in the UK, but the word is used differently in the US. I suspect that not everyone is using the same meaning. Can I just check what your meaning is?
I assume that because you say that the local state schools are crappy, then you are doing your A levels at a local college of further education?
Now, I could be wrong - I have little experience of US schools, although my niece is being educated in California - but in the US I think that teachers have a lot more ability to cause you problems by giving you 'bad grades'. Is there anyone who can confirm this?
In the UK, once you have finished the compulsory state ('public' in US) schooling at 16, you can either continue to do your Advanced (A) levels at school, or in a local college of further education. This is not university level, but you study for the same examinations as you would do at school - generally from 16 to 18.
The teachers can make life difficult for you if they don't agree with you - but your qualifications are a result of examinations which they have no control over - they may mark some sections of coursework, but this is subject to 'moderation' by the external examinations board.
Teachers at colleges of FE in the UK do not have to be qualified teachers. They have to have some appropriate qualification in their subject, but they do not need to have been trained to teach (although some are). Some are excellent teachers, but many are poor.
To your question of your teachers being creationists. You must currently be doing exams - is this AS or A2? If it is A2, then obviously it is too late to do anything about this. If it is AS, then you have another year and you may want to think about your options.
I'll assume that you are doing AS for the rest of this post.
If your physics and chemistry teachers are creationists, then that just shows that they are poor scientists, but it won't make a lot of difference to your qualifications. If your biology teacher is a creationist then I consider that is disgraceful, and it is possible that it may affect the teacher's ability to present the topic adequately. Only you can decide whether this is actually happening.
What are you planning to do when you have finished your A levels? University? If so, what subject? What results do you need to get? This may affect your decision.
Do you want to do anything about this? What difference is it likely to make in the long run? Yes, it is wrong that you have poor teachers - but there is a shortage of good, qualified teachers in the UK, anyone who is any good, and is qualified will be teaching in a good state school. Complaining about them won't get you better teachers, it's just going to make the teachers you do have unhappy with you. Yes, it is wrong that these teachers are such poor scientists that they are creationists (which may be why they are teaching where they are - sorry). However, complaining about their beliefs is unlikely to get them moved.
What are you left with? Are there no good state schools locally? Can you transfer into the sixth form of one? Yes, you will be subject to many more rules, but it might be worth it for a year to get the education.
Otherwise - I agree, it is tempting to hit them hard with their stupidity, but is it going to change their beliefs? Is it going to help you? Will it actually change things for other people? I suspect the answer is no.
What would I do? I'd try to transfer somewhere else, and if I couldn't do that I'd keep my head down, and work hard - I'd spend a lot of time reading up about the things that I thought I wasn't being properly educated about - especially evolution. I wouldn't go out of my way to make the teachers look stupid, but I would ask sensible questions where the teacher says things that don't make sense. I would be very polite about it, so that they don't think that you are attacking their beliefs, but that you are asking a valid question. This way, some of your ideas may make other people in the class think a bit, and maybe, just maybe, the teachers will have to start to think about the problems in their beliefs.
There is a problem here because the word 'college' can mean several things - not only are there differences in use in the UK, but the word is used differently in the US. I suspect that not everyone is using the same meaning. Can I just check what your meaning is?
I assume that because you say that the local state schools are crappy, then you are doing your A levels at a local college of further education?
Now, I could be wrong - I have little experience of US schools, although my niece is being educated in California - but in the US I think that teachers have a lot more ability to cause you problems by giving you 'bad grades'. Is there anyone who can confirm this?
In the UK, once you have finished the compulsory state ('public' in US) schooling at 16, you can either continue to do your Advanced (A) levels at school, or in a local college of further education. This is not university level, but you study for the same examinations as you would do at school - generally from 16 to 18.
The teachers can make life difficult for you if they don't agree with you - but your qualifications are a result of examinations which they have no control over - they may mark some sections of coursework, but this is subject to 'moderation' by the external examinations board.
Teachers at colleges of FE in the UK do not have to be qualified teachers. They have to have some appropriate qualification in their subject, but they do not need to have been trained to teach (although some are). Some are excellent teachers, but many are poor.
To your question of your teachers being creationists. You must currently be doing exams - is this AS or A2? If it is A2, then obviously it is too late to do anything about this. If it is AS, then you have another year and you may want to think about your options.
I'll assume that you are doing AS for the rest of this post.
If your physics and chemistry teachers are creationists, then that just shows that they are poor scientists, but it won't make a lot of difference to your qualifications. If your biology teacher is a creationist then I consider that is disgraceful, and it is possible that it may affect the teacher's ability to present the topic adequately. Only you can decide whether this is actually happening.
What are you planning to do when you have finished your A levels? University? If so, what subject? What results do you need to get? This may affect your decision.
Do you want to do anything about this? What difference is it likely to make in the long run? Yes, it is wrong that you have poor teachers - but there is a shortage of good, qualified teachers in the UK, anyone who is any good, and is qualified will be teaching in a good state school. Complaining about them won't get you better teachers, it's just going to make the teachers you do have unhappy with you. Yes, it is wrong that these teachers are such poor scientists that they are creationists (which may be why they are teaching where they are - sorry). However, complaining about their beliefs is unlikely to get them moved.
What are you left with? Are there no good state schools locally? Can you transfer into the sixth form of one? Yes, you will be subject to many more rules, but it might be worth it for a year to get the education.
Otherwise - I agree, it is tempting to hit them hard with their stupidity, but is it going to change their beliefs? Is it going to help you? Will it actually change things for other people? I suspect the answer is no.
What would I do? I'd try to transfer somewhere else, and if I couldn't do that I'd keep my head down, and work hard - I'd spend a lot of time reading up about the things that I thought I wasn't being properly educated about - especially evolution. I wouldn't go out of my way to make the teachers look stupid, but I would ask sensible questions where the teacher says things that don't make sense. I would be very polite about it, so that they don't think that you are attacking their beliefs, but that you are asking a valid question. This way, some of your ideas may make other people in the class think a bit, and maybe, just maybe, the teachers will have to start to think about the problems in their beliefs.
ThetaOmega
New Member
Oh dear.ImprobableJoe said:Obviously, especially reading standards, and/or geography... this thread is about a school in London.:lol: :lol: :lol:
Whereabouts in London?
We shall go on to the end, we shall fight* in school, we shall fight on the internets and IRL, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the classrooms, we shall defend our reason, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the radio, we shall fight on the TV, we shall fight in the papers and in the streets, we shall fight in the churches; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this theory or a large part of it were disproven and dying, then our science, armed and guarded by logic and reason, would carry on the struggle, until, in Darwin's good time, the new theories, with all its power and might, step forth to the rescue of the people and the liberation from religion.
/plagiarism
*by fight I obviously mean debate, don't go throwing punches now!
/plagiarism
*by fight I obviously mean debate, don't go throwing punches now!
ThetaOmega
New Member
Intelligent design doesn't mix both arguments, it's just a foot-in-the door for creationism. Anyone who promotes "Expelled" deserves to be tied to a chair and made to watch all of AronRas, Potholer54's and Thunderf00t's videos, and the "Flunked: No Intelligence Applied"Elypsis said:
Creationist teachers in the UK? That's really terrible. I am confident that none of the teachers in my school are creationist (with the exception of a Hindu fundamentalist in the RS department) -although my biology teacher did say that taxonomy is an inaccurate science. Is this true, or might he actually be creationist as well?
Interestingly, our Biology classroom is where the Christian Union hold their meetings. Someone should make a Freethinker Union. There are easily twice the number of atheist students as there are Christians.
Interestingly, our Biology classroom is where the Christian Union hold their meetings. Someone should make a Freethinker Union. There are easily twice the number of atheist students as there are Christians.