Dear Biology Teacher,
I grew up believing in the creationist theory of evolution, my parents are very devout Catholics. I once subscribed to the idea that I was a decedent of Adam and Eve. Frankly, most of my friends and extended family still believe in this antiquated story as well. Somehow, if you dig deep inside this belief, we are all genetically related to one another. This acceptance grossly makes my parents kissing cousins of some degree.
I never really put much thought into any of this, until I recently took a Human Evolution course at my current university. While learning this very fascinating and detailed material, I began to question why we were never taught any of this good stuff in high school. My college level course is geared toward explaining the Scientific Theory of Evolution, which Charles Darwin promoted many years ago. Yes, I’ve heard of Charles Darwin, natural selection, and that great book he wrote, yet that was about as far as it ever went. Darwin’s great idea was certainly a question on one of my past biology tests, however all the evidence backing up his claim was never a part of my curriculum. Basically, I graduated high school, never once hearing about the proof and evidence, which firmly supports scientific evolution.
Are you afraid to teach about the “e” word? Do you lie awake at night wondering how to approach this controversial subject? Are you afraid of the many questions your students might ask? Are you terrified of unraveling the Adam and Eve fairytale? Perhaps you believe this story yourself? Do you wake up drenched in sweat from a nightmare, involving an angry religious parent? As a biology teacher, you must have been taught about scientific evolution and all the cool evidence that backs up this theory. Are you afraid to make the case? Are you not worthy of the challenge? While in college, you must have seen the fossils and artifacts of our past ancestors. Did you touch and feel the evidence? Was the DNA convincing enough? Actually, I did a quick google search, “biology curriculum” and among the topics you are supposed to teach is evolution. Are you passionate about it? Do you believe it? Do your religious and cultural beliefs cause mixed emotions? My curiosity is piqued; why do so many biology teachers avoid teaching scientific evolution?
I, personally, was never taught the lineage of the human species. Yes, I know I am a member of the species Homo Sapiens, this term is embedded in my mind from earlier science classes. However, Homo Erectus and Homo Habilis speak like a foreign language in need of a dictionary translation. I have done a lot of extensive research and the evidence is there. I realize that many years ago this was a very controversial subject and teachers were taken to court for teaching their philosophies, however this is the year 2020. Times are different now, we have Google and Twitter to broaden our horizons. I think it’s finally time that you, especially as a biology teacher, improve your game and teach this established subject matter, which is fundamental to our very own existence.
With a permission slip and an uncomfortable smirk, a 10 year old, 5th grader is taught sex education by an enthusiastic health teacher. It is common knowledge that the merger of a sperm and an egg can create life in merely 9 months. Young students can easily conceptualize a human baby growing in the tightly, cramped, space of a women’s abdomen. If we can teach this widely acceptable concept, we should be able to teach children how we evolved from a tree-swinging, banana-eating monkey, a very long time ago.
Teaching evolution shouldn’t be a controversial subject anymore. It is your responsibility, as an educator, as a biology teacher, to teach the facts and present the evidence to support this origin. If you choose to propagate the story of Adam and Eve or ignore the true science behind evolution, you are doing our future generation a huge disservice. Educators, specifically biology teachers, need to help our nation become scientifically literate and this starts with advancing good science, which includes teaching scientific evolution!
Yours Truly,
A Concerned Former Student
