Subject: same big battle, different front Date: Thu, 12 May 2005 18:10:51 -0500 Message-ID: <B14120EE5C432443B21102F7925DAD020235F55B@COKE.uwec.edu> From: "Hale, C. Kate" <HALECL@uwec.edu>
Colleagues,
From next-door, via CommonDreams
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0512-08.htm
I see this as part of the same conflict we've been discussing, just from
a different angle/aimed at a different target. The last three
paragraphs of this piece will clarify what I mean.
Kate
Published on Thursday, May 12, 2005 by the Minneapolis Star Tribune
Kids' Book on Evolution Stirs Censorship Debate in Monticello
by Jill Burcum
With its lavish illustrations of colorful, cuddly critters, "Our Family
Tree" looks like the kind of book kids keep by their bedside to read
again and again.
But when its St. Paul author, Lisa Westberg Peters, planned to talk
about the book in classroom appearances today and Friday at a
Monticello, Minn., elementary school, educators got cold feet.
"Our Family Tree" focuses on evolution, the scientific explanation for
human origins that some believe contradicts biblical teachings. Peters'
appearances, which were to focus on helping kids learn how to write,
were canceled.
"It's a cute book. There's nothing wrong with it. We just don't need
that kind of debate," said Brad Sanderson, principal at Pinewood
Elementary.
Monticello's assistant superintendent, Jim Johnson, said school
officials made a reasonable request of Peters to talk about writing but
leave the discussion about evolution to teachers. When she refused, the
visit was scuttled.
Across the country, there has been increasing opposition to teaching
evolution. Peters said officials at two other Minnesota school districts
have asked her not to talk about the book in visits over the past year.
The author believes that she is being censored -- something the schools
deny.
"Once you start censoring, it's a slippery slope. Are geology and
physics next? You have to stop it right away," said Peters, who won a
Minnesota Book Award for "Our Family Tree," published in 2003.
In Kansas, the State Board of Education is expected to require that
teachers tell students that evolution is controversial. Bills have been
introduced in Georgia and Alabama to allow educators to question
evolution in the classroom and offer alternatives.
Last year, the Grantsburg, Wis., school district drew widespread
attention when a new policy urged teachers to explore alternative
theories to evolution.
Peters' book and her school visits have caught the attention of people
on both sides of the evolution issue, as well as those concerned about
academic freedom.
"I think the school can decide it is not going to introduce second- and
third-graders to the origins story and say we ... should not be teaching
origins at this age. I think that is an appropriate policy," said John
Calvert, managing director of the Intelligent Design Network. The Kansas
nonprofit has been active nationally in getting schools to implement
curriculum changes that challenge evolution.
Susan Spath, public information director for the National Center for
Science Education in Oakland, Calif., said she was troubled that
Minnesota school officials appeared to fear even talking about
evolution.
"This is a signal that school administrators may not be backing up good
science teachers, that good science teachers may not be teaching
evolution, teaching it correctly, or allowing religious beliefs to be
substituted in the classroom for fear of controversy," Spath said. "This
is a sign that should concern any parent who cares about good
education."
The American Library Association and the Minnesota Coalition Against
Censorship also have expressed concerns over the cancellation of Peters'
school visits.
A 53-year-old mother and former journalist, Peters is the author of
numerous children's titles and is typically paid between $1,000 and
$1,500 for school appearances, which she has made around the state for
years. Her books -- including "We're Rabbits!" and "Cold Little Duck,
Duck, Duck" -- are featured as she talks kids through the writing
process and serves up examples from her own work.
"Our Family Tree" was inspired by the geology of the western United
States and the works of Stephen Jay Gould, a well-known Harvard
University paleontologist. Peters gently walks kids through how
one-celled organisms morphed through the eons into more complex
creatures, including humans. She could easily leave "Our Family Tree"
out of her presentations; it's not a huge part of her material. But she
said that would imply she's ashamed of it.
There's also a broader concern. "This is about open discussion in public
schools. Censorship is wrong. It's OK in a repressive society, but
that's not what we have," Peters said.
In addition to Monticello, Peters said Emmet D. Williams Elementary in
Shoreview and Rutherford Elementary in Stillwater also have tried to
prevent discussion of her book.
Rutherford teacher Mary Ellison and the school's principal declined to
return phone calls. Kay Smith, the Shoreview school's principal, said
educators asked Peters not to talk about the evolution book because they
didn't have time to review it with students before she arrived --
something Peters disputed.
The Shoreview school staff relented and allowed Peters to do her full
presentation. "It was a beautiful job. Students and staff were very
appreciative," Smith said. "At no point did anybody feel she was pushing
the agenda of evolution."
Mary Ann Nelson, assistant commissioner for the Minnesota Department of
Education, said it's up to local schools to set policy for outside
speakers.
Nelson said that state science educational standards provide for
students to learn more about evolution as they grow older, and that the
standards allow for teachers to provide background on the limitations of
scientific theories. She declined to comment specifically about Peters,
saying she didn't have enough information.
Robert Zink, a University of Minnesota professor of ecology, evolution
and behavior, said Peters' experience should send a chill through
parents and anyone who cares about the free exchange of ideas.
"This is a form of censorship," Zink said. "I understand the schools'
perspective. It's easier to avoid hot-button topics than confront them
head-on, but they have no more basis backing away from this than someone
who would come in and discuss the laws of physics.
"As the parent who has children in elementary school, [Peters] is
exactly the type of person I would want to be there."
(c) Copyright 2005 Star Tribune
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