Evolution in Georgia: A job for the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science

[mr blur]

When Dr. Leslie Jones told friends ten years ago she would be moving to Georgia to teach evolution at Valdosta State University, she got ribbed. “You can’t teach evolution in Georgia,” they curtly announced. It turns out, her friends were largely correct.

“Ten years ago the kids were freaked out about learning evolution, “ Dr. Jones recalls. “They didn’t know the official position of their churches and were somehow led to believe that evolution will take you away from God. In Georgia, people wear their religion like a badge. Going to church is seen as a necessary credential to being a nice person.”

When she came across students, they would have their arms crossed in front of them and displayed a very loud and clear “just say no to evolution” attitude.

Then, in 2004, the state of Georgia revamped its teaching standards. The core curriculum required that evolution be taught across grade levels. Although certain groups tried to get evolution removed from the teaching standards, the standards stayed.

<snip>

https://richarddawkins.net/2016/03/evolution-in-georgia-a-job-for-the-teacher-institute-for-evolutionary-science/

Really, people aren't as ignorant as their religion tries to force them into being.

[progressoid]

1. Well, this is encouraging.

Over the course of her ten years of teaching in Georgia, Dr. Jones has encountered many curious students who immensely enjoy learning about evolution. In fact, she says they are dismayed and angry that they were denied access to the material in their younger years. “Why did teachers refuse to teach me about evolution? It’s fascinating and fantastic! Everything makes so much more sense with an understanding of evolution,” is a common comment she hears from her college students.