Uncommon Descent Serving The Intelligent Design Community

Non-zero physics: Here’s an all-too-familiar science education story

Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Flipboard
Print
Email

From “Teacher who gave zeros won’t appeal suspension – Legal costs too high for failed appeal”(CBC News, Jun 8, 2012),  we learn,

The Edmonton [Alberta, Canada] physics teacher who broke school policy by giving zeros to his students has decided not to appeal his suspension.

Lynden Dorval, a 35-year teaching veteran, had until Friday to file an appeal. He consulted with a lawyer who told him that based on past cases, his odds of winning are slim — a position also taken by the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Dorval became a hero to many for refusing to comply with the so-called ‘no-zero’ policy for incomplete assignments and missed tests at Edmonton’s Ross Sheppard High School.

The thinking behind the policy, which was adopted by the school a year and a half ago, is that a failure to complete assignments is a behavourial issue, and marks should reflect ability, not behaviour.

The commenters currently visible on the page are appropriately blistering.

This is the sort of moral bankruptcy combined with educational incompetence that drives parents who care to private, voucher, or charter schools, extensive tutoring, or homeschooling in increasing numbers – all the while they are forced by law to fund the bankruptcy and incompetence aimed at other people’s kids.

Kids their own kids will have to live with, employ, or be employed by.

This is what the grand fight for free, compulsory public education has come to, 150 years later.

Just for the sake of responding: Ability and behaviour are not separate in the real world, which is what high school is supposed to prepare students for: = You can’t do a good job with a bad attitude. Change your attitude or find another job. Getting a zero in some high school assignment is not nearly as serious as getting fired. The traditional system was structured as a practice run for the real game of life.

See also: (World’s) Number One educational system dumps Darwinism. Inferior systems, like the ones in North America, are beset with groups like the Darwinists, using litigation to force their beliefs on the system while science findings are failing to support them – while other groups shelter students from needed life lessons.

Comments
Jerad, it has to do with ID because this is the atmosphere in which science education is now conducted. It’s difficult to talk to people intelligibly if they have not in fact received any science education.
All the science teachers I know would find that situation ludicrous. I quite agree: knowing science is essential.
By the way, don’t say “Oh, that’s just Canada.” Get ready to discover that, wherever you are, the same things are happening.
I know. I fight it whenever I can.
To the extent that the United States is lagging in science education, some of us are betting that it has nothing to do with doubts about Darwin and everything to do with this sort of thing being the norm. All that happened here was that the guy chose to take the bullet. Most don’t.
In my experience these kind of things come about 'cause someone in the academic counselling area went to some conference or bought into some new theory of learning. I was forced into making concessions to several students whom I felt did not have a real disability. If I had refused then I would have been in the same situation as Mr Dorval. I was hired to teach and then told how I should do it. Doesn't make sense and undercuts the confidence of the teacher to do their job.Jerad
June 10, 2012
June
06
Jun
10
10
2012
05:46 AM
5
05
46
AM
PDT
Jerad, it has to do with ID because this is the atmosphere in which science education is now conducted. It's difficult to talk to people intelligibly if they have not in fact received any science education. By the way, don't say "Oh, that's just Canada." Get ready to discover that, wherever you are, the same things are happening. To the extent that the United States is lagging in science education, some of us are betting that it has nothing to do with doubts about Darwin and everything to do with this sort of thing being the norm. All that happened here was that the guy chose to take the bullet. Most don't.News
June 10, 2012
June
06
Jun
10
10
2012
04:09 AM
4
04
09
AM
PDT
Hard to measure ability when they don't show up!! Really, really stupid. I'm sorry Mr Dorval chose not to fight this. I suppose, like in the Scopes trial, he would be found 'guilty' because he clearly violated a set policy. But the publicity from an appeal would have been good. I don't see what this story has to do with ID or evolution but it's clearly a problem I think most intelligent people would feel the same way about. Dumb, dumb, dumb.Jerad
June 9, 2012
June
06
Jun
9
09
2012
11:53 PM
11
11
53
PM
PDT

Leave a Reply