John Stuart Mill's "freedom

of ideas" theory basically holds that through open discussion of

all sides of an issue, and only through this avenue, will society as a

whole come to "Truth."

Mill points out that we cannot

know the truth of any idea until we have considered all alternatives.

He also claims that defending our position is an essential part of knowing

our position.

Whether or not evolution or

creationism is true is not the issue in this case. I personally believe

they are not mutually exclusive, but I came to that personal belief by

knowing about both of these theories.

When I was at McIntosh High

School in the 1980s, we were taught about evolution. One boy in my science

class brought in a plastic monkey and a jar of algae and asked the science

teacher point blank, "Are you saying these are my relatives?"

Good for him and his parents:

THAT is the way to open up a valid discussion. He was a bright kid, the

teacher did not mock him and the whole situation made us all think and

talk about all aspects of the issue.

Kids (especially high school

kids) should have true Platonic dialogs, verbal debates among minds. Hegel

would call this a dialectic, whereby you have a thesis and an antithesis

and then form a synthesis.

I could go on for days about

the great thinkers who felt that this is the necessary ingredient in the

learning process.

Our whole society, the government,

the legal system, this very editorial page is based on the fundamental

premises of presenting opposing ideas. Why is education not more like

this?

There are fewer concrete facts

in this world than we think. In college, I knew a Harvard graduate who

was convinced that the Earth was the center of the universe. He claimed,

very seriously, that the math was just as incomplete on both sides; who

knows?

Please don't tell a teacher

not to teach something; rather give them gentle reminders that there are

two sides to every story. Do you really want our kids asking a college

professor about the "2,000-year-old bug"? Rather, let him intelligently

point out to his professors that there are some inaccuracies in the scientific

dating systems.

Insofar as the history issue

is concerned, it is important to consider how and when kids learn best.

Kathy Cox is claiming that a more detailed study over time is a better

way to learn than a repetition of facts over several years.

Joseph Jarrell claims that

high school minds are more developed and that certain key events in history

should not be skipped.

It seems to me that the school

board is trying to make grammar school, middle school and high school

more like college. Are kids ready to learn that way? I am afraid in most

cases they do not seem to be.

Here again, do we want to send

kids to college with such a limited knowledge of early Rome, whereby all

they remember is the Colosseum made of sugar cubes and the toga party

(although this knowledge may be useful to fraternity brothers)?

As a philosophy major who concentrated

mainly on Platonic thought, I cringe to think that Socrates will be skipped

for high school kids. Many of the Greek concepts that are central to our

western thought process are not something that middle school children

are ready to grasp (I am assuming that is when kids will learn pre-1500

A.D. history). I can only hope that the school board did their research

before proposing this new curriculum and that it is not only so that kids

will pass some tests.

And remember, if kids are brought

up with a strong foundation in the home, they will not waver. This holds

true for both a religious and an intellectual foundation.

It is our job to teach our

religious beliefs to our children: that is what the Bible tells us. It

is our job to let them know when and how you think the world began and

give them backup or strong faith to support it.

Parents, it is also our job

to intellectually supplement our children. Now that you know what history

may be left out of high school, take a summer to learn about ancient history

with your teenager; you both might learn something!

Bridget Lambert, mother

Fayetteville, Ga.