by Thomas Kling

Created on: November 09, 2008

The purpose of a public school education is to give students a well-rounded, comprehensive curriculum and teach them skills that will help them adapt to an ever-changing job market when they eventually leave school. Students should be exposed to many differing points of view and be taught to be aware of the danger of settling on any one viewpoint presented as truth or fact. After all, it was once a "fact" that the Earth was the center of the universe. Nevertheless, creationism should not be taught alongside evolution.

That is not to say that students should not be taught that people believe in creationism as an explanation for where we come from. I would not be a worthwhile social studies teacher if I didn't allow my students to make comparisons between world religions. They should not be taught in depth about any one religion or belief, but be able to contrast what they have already been taught with what other people believe and keep an open mind. I tell my students to not be afraid of having their viewpoint changed by an alternate explanation. More often than not, their own convictions will be strengthened by better understanding opposing views. So creationism, along with any other religious conviction, should be taught in the context of cultural beliefs, not in the realm of scientific conjecture based on observable data.

As part of a well-rounded curriculum, elements of the core subjects should be integrated into each other.
Math has obvious applications in science, social studies skills like reading maps are useful in science and math, reading is important in all subjects, and it is worth discussing, as a side-note, that there are scientists who are trying to find evidence that would help prove or disprove creationism. What is interesting is that some of the very people who want creationism taught alongside evolution make the argument that it's wrong to test or try to prove what is in the Bible because that truth is based on faith. However, science isn't based on faith; it is based on observation, so any teachings dealing with creationism belong primarily in the social studies class.

Since creationism is based on beliefs, parents who want their children to know more than the basics should look to their church, the Bible, or their own knowledge to educate their children. With the amount of diversity in schools today, we need to steer away from promoting one religious point of view as a scientific theory.

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