QotD -- Tolerance goes both ways.

[acroyear]

It's all well and good to say that professors should be respectful of student's beliefs. The problem is that I never hear any imprecation for the student to reciprocate this respect. Is the student expected to respect the fact that his science professors are experts in the relevant branches of science? Shouldn't the student be expected to take seriously the idea that professional scientists have good reasons for accepting evolution and rejecting creationism, reasons their religious instructors probably never explained to them? Yes, of course, students should not be ridiculed or threatened for their beliefs and of course professors should avoid indoctrination. But students have to hold up their end of the bargain by recognizing that much of what they were told about science in their religious education was not correct. They have to understand that it is not the professor's job to coddle them when they claim to believe things that are patently untrue.

-- Jason Rosenhouse, JMU Math Dept.

Comments

[jocelyncs.livejournal.com]

Go Mr. Rosenhouse! Good points all around. My home state of Florida actually introduced a bill to respect "student academic freedom"--which would give students a cause of actions if teachers didn't "show proper respect" for student beliefs. I wrote a paper on how that concept was eroding the First Amendment, not to mention education.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

born in jax and lived around there (mostly clay county) for the better part of my first 14 years. i follow it as closely as i do VA's.

[acroyear70.livejournal.com]

oh, and its Dr. - he's got a Ph. D. in Mathematics. :)

[yndy.livejournal.com]

*applause*