"In the Beginning..." So Kety will be happy to see that, yes, I figured out how to blog. And I was inspired by Stu's recent post regarding the Bible and creation.
When I first began teaching in the States, after returning from Micronesia, I found myself at a very conservative religious high school in Southern California. One of the many courses I taught at this quite small school was Art History. As I proceeded to introduce the course on day one to my students, referring momentarily to the human evolution of the opposable thumb and its connection to the genesis of cave painting, I quickly found myself in the principals office. (One strange development within my teaching career is that I have found myself over the past 10 or so years to be in the principals office far more as a teacher than I ever was as a student. What this means, I have not yet discovered.) "Jeff," the principal began, "you cannot teach that here." I was utterly confused, wondering to myself why a student could choose to take Art History if I, as the teacher, couldn't teach art. Or was it history that I couldn't teach? I had no idea what my transgression was, so I asked him what I had done that was wrong. It was the mention of evolution.
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