Can Teachers Teach Creation Legally? by Charles Jackson, Ed.D., Sci.Ed.

Can Teachers ...

... Teach Creation Legally?

Darwinists promote the myth that the U.S. Supreme Court has banned the teaching of creation. Yet the National Center for Science Education, the leading advocate of teaching evolution in government schools, admits that the courts have established only five basic standards:

  1. Supervisors may forbid teaching creation.
  2. Supervisors may not forbid teaching evolution.
  3. Supervisors may require teaching evolution.
  4. Supervisors may not require teaching creation.
  5. Whatever is done, it may not be done dogmatically.

The take-home lesson is this: “If your supervisor says it’s okay for you to teach creation, then it’s okay.” In government schools I taught creation/evolution as a two-sided issue in biology and earth science (from middle school through college level) without incident for 14 years; but surprisingly when I taught that creation is a viable alternative to evolution at a “Christian” college, I was denied tenure.

... Make Creation Lesson Plans?

Many teachers say they want to teach creation but aren’t sure how. Consider these ideas:

  1. Pick a topic and cover both the creation and evolution side. My favorite is “fossils.” The compare-contrast method is easy to do, and all grade levels get the concept. Other topics include mutation, inheritance, dinosaurs, extinction, continental drift, glaciers, origin of the earth, and origin of the universe. Pick an area in which you feel confident.
  2. Find a magazine or newspaper article about the creation/evolution debate that seems fair, make copies for your class, assign it for reading, and then conduct class discussions. They’ll be the best you’ve ever had, but only if you prepare students to open their minds and to sharpen their critical thinking, while respecting each other’s opinions.
  3. One teacher had students write “evolution” on a paper. Their homework was to record their parents’ opinions. In discussion the next day, students could offer their parents’ thoughts, their own thoughts, or remain silent. Students had input, parents had input, and the teacher only moderated. Only a teacher could be so creative!

Don’t think you can’t make creation lesson plans. You can!

Dr. G. Charles Jackson, who earned his doctorate in science education from the University of Virginia, has been speaking to school groups and churches about biblical creation for over 30 years.

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v2/n3/can-teachers-teach-creation-legally