Science classrooms should stick to science
I am writing in response to the Arizona SB 1213 law that could still be taken into Arizona's public science classrooms. SB 1213 is a legislation that recently “died” on the Senate floor but could still be considered in the state of Arizona in the future. It states that science teachers could teach controversies and give personal bias in the classroom. This bill seems innocent at first glance, but when taking a more in-depth look at it, it becomes clear that this bill would cripple the science education that is currently upheld in Arizona. If this bill were ever to become law, it would open the door for creationist ideas in classrooms where they don't belong.
According to the National Center for Science Education, this bill would undercut the teachers' discipline and allow the teacher to create their own agenda. SB 1213 singles out evolution and climate change among other things as “controversies” that in general have been accepted by scientists for decades now. These issues are nothing but political controversies rather than scientific controversy. Also another thing that needs clearing up is the issue of what a theory in science means. A theory is something that is always evolving, ever changing and always improving the basis of the theory. Gravity is technically theory but it is now known to be a fact. There have been similar bills proposed like the infamous “Intelligent Design” controversy in the Dover school district in 2005.
I am not saying that creationist ideals are wrong or untrue, but they do not belong in science classrooms. These ideas can be taught in places like churches or at home, but science classrooms should be taught by facts and proof by an unbiased professional and not opinions of that person. Science classrooms are where children should be able to explore ideas that don't seem possible like going to the moon or curing cancer, but science can make you believe and understand that these things are possible over measures of experiments, theories and cutting edge technologies.
Mindy Torres
Yuma
