Teacher Reprimanded for Teaching Creationism

[Oceanbreeze]

Teacher Told to Stop Teaching Creationism

By BOB LOWRY, AP

ROANOKE, Va. (June 10) - For 15 years, in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling, Larry Booher taught creationism in his high school biology class. He even compiled a textbook of sorts and passed out copies in three-ring binders.

The school superintendent didn't know what was going on. Neither did the school board president. Then, they got an anonymous tip.

Booher has agreed to revise his lesson plan, though he maintained that he handed out the book, titled "Creation Battles Evolution," to his Biology 2 students only as a voluntary, extra-credit option.

"He told the students, 'You may read this. You don't have to. It has some Bible references in it,"' said Alan Lee, superintendent of Washington County schools. "This teacher felt like he wasn't doing anything wrong."

The Supreme Court ruled in 1987 that creationism, the belief that God created the universe as explained in the Bible, is a religious belief - not science - and may not be taught in public schools along with evolution.

"Creationism is not biology and has no place in a biology class," said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia. "What makes it wrong is not the theory of creationism, but the teaching of creationism as part of a science class."

Lee said Booher's compilation drew on sources ranging from the Internet to scholarly papers and quotations from scientists and scholars critical of evolution or evidence supporting it.

Lee said the material was never presented to the school board or to his office for approval. He declined to say what punishment - if any - Booher would face, calling it a personnel matter.

Elizabeth Lowe, chairwoman of the school board, said she had heard "not a word" about Booher's book in her 11 years in office.

Lee described Booher, 48, as "one of the finest science teachers I've ever been around" and said Booher would return to the classroom in the fall since he agreed to stop distributing the creationism materials.

"He must teach evolution exclusively - observable scientific fact, not beliefs or religion," Lee said. "I fully believe he will comply. He just stepped over the line."

Calls to Booher's home were met with hang-ups Thursday. He told The Roanoke Times he regretted handing out the material.

"I can't change my classroom into a Sunday school class," he told the newspaper. "It's not like I tried to make it a secret. If administrators knew, fine. If they didn't, I didn't make an issue of it."

Booher's source book, which he distributed at his own expense to classes ranging from 25 to 40 students, included nine chapters with titles such as "In the beginning" and "Evidence for a young Earth."

As news of Booher's source book surfaced this week, Lee said he has had no complaints from parents.

"I'm not surprised," he said. "People in this area tend to be very religious. They likely didn't see it as anything that wasn't appropriate."


06/10/05 09:49 EDT

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[Vance]

If teacher wants to teach the non-science *cough* creationism, then apply for position at Church schools. That's what Church schools for. Voila, problem solved! It is not hard... it is quite simple, actually.

 

[deafdyke]

AMEN!!!! This type of thing really violates church and state.....when's the last time you heard of Aborignoines or Native Americans or other groups with differing earth orgin theories pushing their interpretations of how the earth was created? I'm not anti-Christian.....I just think that if Creatism is taught in schools, then other alternaive relgious teachings should be taught!

 

[Taylor]

AMEN!!!! This type of thing really violates church and state.....when's the last time you heard of Aborignoines or Native Americans or other groups with differing earth orgin theories pushing their interpretations of how the earth was created? I'm not anti-Christian.....I just think that if Creatism is taught in schools, then other alternaive relgious teachings should be taught!

Nobody is telling the students they are required to practice a certain religion, therefore there is no church and state to seperate. I do agree that a little bit of everything should be taught. I grew up in a public school where 'Indians' were savages who murdered whites for no reason at all. I later learned that was so far from the truth of what had really occured (nobody ever told me about the 'Trail Of Tears' when I was in school). I have no problem with them saying that some believe a higher power was behind the creation of the universe while others believe that it started with a single cell in a hot spring somewhere.

If you will abolish any sort of opinion, why is the war being discussed in school as a bad thing (shouldn't it be factual that 'we are there for........). I also hear of teachers trashing George W Bush. Why would only opinions of politics be allowed and opinions of religion not?

 

[apathrev]

Taylor, you might want to consider reading Howard Zinn's "The People's History of the United States." It sounds right up your alley.

Deafdyke, you are right. There should not be exclusivity in what is taught as science. Creationism and evolution are both stated as theories. They should be taught as that. And there needs to be more diversity in what is taught. Fundamentalist Christians think that Creationism includes every religion's teachings. But each religion has a different story, myth, theory, or whatever you would like to think of it is. I personally believe that nothing should be taught. Maybe a quick discourse on the variety of different explanations.

 

[saxxykitty78]

If teacher wants to teach the non-science *cough* creationism, then apply for position at Church schools. That's what Church schools for. Voila, problem solved! It is not hard... it is quite simple, actually.

I agree with you cuz some teachers wud bend rules to teach that isn't proper sometimes in a while.