Carl%20Sagan%20-%20The%20Demon%20Haunted%20World

THE DEMON-HAUNTED WORLD
homework; of peer pressure not to do well in school because 'it
makes the other kids look bad'.
Here's a sampling - not an opinion poll, but representative
commentary - of other responses by parents:
• Do parents understand that you can't be a full human being if
you're ignorant? Are there books at home? How about a
magnifying glass? Encyclopedia? Do they encourage children
to learn?
• Parents have to teach patience and perseverance. The most
important gift they can give their children is the ethos of hard
work, but they can't just talk about it. The kids who learn to
work hard are the ones who see their parents work hard and
never give up.
• My child is fascinated by science, but she doesn't get any in
school or on TV.
• My child is identified as gifted, but the school has no program
for science enrichment. The guidance counselor told me to send
her to a private school, but we can't afford a private school.
• There's enormous peer pressure; shy children don't want to
'stand out' by doing well in science. When my daughter reached
13 and 14, her life-long interest in science seemed to disappear.
Parents also had much to say about teachers, and some of the
comments by teachers echoed the parents. For example, people
complained that teachers are trained how to teach but not what to
teach: that a large number of physics and chemistry teachers have
no degree in physics or chemistry and are 'uncomfortable and
incompetent' in teaching science; that teachers themselves have
too much science and maths anxiety; that they resist being asked
questions, or they answer, 'It's in the book. Look it up.' Some
complained that the biology teacher was a 'Creationist'; some
complained that he wasn't. Among other comments by or about
teachers:
• We are breeding a collection of half-wits.
• It's easier to memorize than to think. Kids have to be taught to
think.
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