Students are always free to make up their own minds - that’s a given. But there is little benefit in presenting facts that have been concluded as if they haven’t.

If you had to mention ideas alternative to the mainstream, it would be best to place them under historical discussions. Just my two cents.

But people who think that evolution is global or somehow above cultural expression are wrong. The history of evolution shows that it was birthed in Britain, disseminated by Europeans who were eager to prove their racial superiority, and is now currently defended to the death by the Western Academy. While our multicultural ears want to hear that there is affiliation between evolution and ancient Eastern cultures, the reality is that the affiliation is slight… any affinity is based more on atheism and naturalism than it is to real modern Western science, especially the hyper-institutionalized Neo-Darwinist theory.

This past summer, I saw an interview with Michael J. Behe, a biochemist at Lehigh University who has done some interesting research to see if there is evidence of design in nature. I think that to completely ignore the idea - even from a non-religious standpoint - would be irresponsible. As a social studies teacher, I can’t imagine shying away from such a juicy debate. Parents never complained to me because I always allow my students to make up their own minds.