A new Florida Education Commissioner has been selected: Tony Bennett. Mr. Bennett started his career in education as a coach and a biology teacher before moving up the career ladder. From our perspective, that’s a good thing. The man should value science education.
However, now that he’s all but hired, I need to refer you folks back to a post I wrote last month that highlighted a couple of worrying items from Bennett’s past. He agreed to be a featured speaker at a creationist event, but then canceled his appearance after claiming he had not known what the event was about when he was first invited. In a separate incident, he was asked about private schools getting voucher money, specifically if he has any worries about what might be taught in the science classroom:
When asked by a member of the audience what Bennett thought about using tax dollars to send children to schools that do not teach evolution and use an ideological standpoint to teach history, Bennett said, “Honestly, I’m agnostic about the type of schools our children attend.â€
Clearly, some people are happy with the selection of Bennett for the Commissioner job and others are upset. Personally, I’m leaning toward the “upset” end of the spectrum because of his strong advocacy for vouchers coupled with an apparent nonchalant attitude toward what that voucher money could potentially pay for. That’s especially important because we already know what is being taught in some of those private schools.
How important is a good science education to this former biology teacher? I guess it’s just a matter of time until we find out.
I know that Brandon has mentioned this before, but:
Dr. Tony Bennett is listed as the featured speaker for the “Creation Evidence Expo 2009″ which makes the claim that only God the Creator, and not Natural Selection, can be proved scientifically. After doing a little research on this, I found out that Bennett (under advice/ergo Rubio) decided to cancel his talk at the last moment.It does seem that he has strong creationist leanings.This is not good news !!!
How can a biology teacher be a creationist? It boggles my mind!
Stacy,
It’s known as “Cognitive Dissonance”
But he sings so purty…
At least one of the biology teachers at my school is a staunch creationist and home-schooler of his four kids. My theory, which is mine and is my theory, is that creationists are drawn to teaching biology by much the same mechanism that drives crazy people to become psychologists.
Cope
Being a teacher and home schooling sounds tough, your teacher must be a trooper. I’t not uncommon for a biology teacher to be a creationist, around 13 % from our early discussion. According to a Gallup poll only 15% of Americans believe humans evolved without the assistance of God, wile 16% believe Obama is a Muslim and 21% believe in witches.
Looking a the numbers, I’d have to say the attempt to indoctrinate the masses with evolution isn’t going well.