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August 10, 2005
VodkaPundit writes about 3 things you should write about in High School...
I liked this essay by Stephen Green of VodkaPundit.
- The best English teacher I ever had was David "Don't Call Me 'Dave'" Cantwell, my first semester at Mizzou. David was "merely" a Teaching Assistant, getting his Master's in part by teaching well-meaning freshmen how to write decent essays. One semester, one journal, five essays. Two of them even now don't make me sick to re-read – quite an accomplishment for a frosh who thought it sounded smart to use the word "rather" rather too often.
David's gone on to bigger and better things, like getting a book published. But his most important lesson has stayed with me, nearly 20 years later. First day of class, he told us, "Write about anything you want, as long as it isn't abortion, gun control, or evolution. You did all those to death in high school." ...
Abortion. I support a woman's right to choose, for whatever reason, right up until the natural viability of the fetus. That's a variable, but generally around the start of the third trimester. After that point, I am still pro-choice, but only if the mother's life or health is endangered. End of rant, end of debate. You will not change my mind, so don't even try.
Gun Control. "Gun control" means having the skill required to put steel on target. The Founders wanted an armed populous, and they got one. Cool. My position, naturally, extends to issues like must-issue laws for concealed weapons permits. End of rant, end of debate. You will not change my mind, so don't even try.
Evolution. Evolution is a fact – species change over time. The fossil record demonstrates this beyond debate. Evolutionary theories attempt to explain how the fact of evolution occurs. Like all theories, they are subject to scrutiny, falsification, and peer review. No "theory" requiring a god or invisible intelligence or burning sage or nineteen-teated mythical bear can be falsified – and is therefore not science. It also therefore has no place in a science class. End of rant, end of debate. You will not change my mind, so don't even try.
I agree with Mr. Green on all three points. Still, good idea to get the High School students to write about these issues. Likely to get them to actually express an opinion.
Posted by rakhier at August 10, 2005 08:23 PM