My daughter is in a required Biology class and is a sophomore in H.S. Her teacher who is new this year had them bring in a live insect...or something without a backbone. Someone brought in a crawdad and the teacher held it up and said, let's see what its tolerance for pain is, and pulled one of its legs off while it was still alive! He was having them poke and prod things while they were alive. This made her heartsick, and her father and I as well. Called principal this morn, and he informed me that all he could do was make sure she was assigned a different assignment, but that he didn't see anything wrong with it. He talked like it was out of his hands and he informed me.."Well, we disect animals" I said, not when they are alive! Hubby talked to Superint. and he says he will look into it. What is your view? Do you think he is encouraging cruelty to living things( the teacher)? Do you think the principal handled this right? I think they are cruel. B4 disecting, they should be dead.
2007-09-05 08:43:19 · 22 answers · asked by ShineOn 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
Just wanted everyone here to know that The superintendent had the school board talk with him...so I don't think that will be happening anymore. Thanks so much for all of the support. Many of you were great in your responses...only a few rude people. Take care.
2007-09-08 19:17:54 · update #1
crawdad is not a bug. I would say PETA report them, http://www.peta.com/ they will be all over that and maybe e-mail some of the news groups in the area. File a complant with the city and write a letter to the Mayor, things of that nature. It will take a lot for something to be done. Got to go to the next person over that person until you get something.
2007-09-05 08:53:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 1⤋
When I was in biology we had to bring in dead insects. Its cruel to see what the tolerance for pain is on an insect or anything for that fact. If the principal doesn't do anything, then you should go to the board of ed. If my daughter came home to tell me that, there would be some heads rolling by my phone call or a trip to the school. I agree, disecting if for dead animals, not alive ones.
2007-09-05 08:51:31 · answer #2 · answered by scvice 2 · 3⤊ 1⤋
Wow! Makes me wonder where it was that you only got two answers.
I am in the majority opinion that what was done by that teacher was way out of line. I can only encourage you to continue protesting. Go to the school board if the principal won't do anything.
Some say this is not painful to an insect because it doesn't have the same type of nervous system other animals have. That doesn't (to me) mean it doesn't feel pain in some other way.
We need teachers teaching understanding of our entire ecological system and not teachers demonstrating that it is OK to rip living creatures apart.
2007-09-05 09:55:55 · answer #3 · answered by Joan H 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I just wanted to say that I understand why the thought of it bothers you but insects do not feel pain as we know it. Pain is based on the nervous system in verebral species. There are special nerve cells called "nociceptors" whose sole purpose is to create the sensation of pain. Without those special cells, we wouldn't feel pain. Insects and other arthropods (no vertebra) don't have nociceptors. They can feel sensations, but PAIN is definitely NOT one of them. Things like hunger, thirst, fatigue, and sex drive are physical sensations.
Consider this: if you gently grab an insect's leg and hold it, it will struggle violently because it is trying to get away. If you snap the leg off, it stops struggling and calmly limps away. If they felt pain, it would be the exact opposite. Those poor little bugs are not agonizing in pain like you might think. Heck most of them will regenerate and whole new leg. Maybe the bio teacher is trying to teach the kids about these differences in mammals and insects as part of science not cruelty. You did say he asked for them to bring in insects or something with no backbone. If he was ripping the leg off a live cat then there are some serious issues that need addressed. So I hope this helps ease your mind a bit.
2007-09-05 09:09:39 · answer #4 · answered by Victoria B 1 · 2⤊ 1⤋
I agree with you. I guess my question would be, what was the purpose of the assignment? What was it going to prove, and what was the kids going to learn from it?
Yes, if you're going to disect animals, they should already be dead................I hope this is actually looked into.
I don't even think that disecting a dead animal should be done either.......we did that when I was in high school, and that was something that I could have looked at on the computer, or even a book.
2007-09-05 08:58:33 · answer #5 · answered by CW1967 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I think the point they are trying to get across is that these invertebrates do not exhibit any reaction that would indicate their nervous systems carry a pain stimulus. In other words, science leads us to believe that they don't feel pain.
At all.
None.
So if they don't feel pain, and they are going to be dissected for the purpose of understanding how they function, the school system obviously feels that it makes sense to examine them while they are still functioning.
Personally, I find this to be irresponsible. Earthworms are much harder to disect when they are alive and moving, and a child could be injured while trying to cut one open. But that is the only real problem I have with it.
2007-09-05 08:56:53 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
The principal handled this wrong. That sadistic teacher should be fired immediately. Needless cruelty to animals = someone who should not be working with children.
Go over the principal's head. Get both the teacher and the principal fired.
2007-09-05 09:41:41 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
I agree this is animal cruelty and should not be done, especially in front of students. The principal sounds like a dope. Before an animal is dissected, it should be dead, or at least brain-dead. I've had to do college level biology things on recenly dead or "pithed" (brain-dead) animals. To rip a limb off a live animal in a classroom is totally unethical.
2007-09-05 08:51:04 · answer #8 · answered by biogirl 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
certainly, I even have seen diverse human beings of diverse nationalities answer questions, and no person seems to innovations. additionally, i'm Greek, and that i've got responded questions, and that i often have a thumb down or 2. i do no longer think of it has to do with the actuality which you're no longer Greek. there is a few negativity in this section, and that i'm not sure why. Too many thumbs down on each answer. I even have in basic terms seen that in the time of this section. i in my opinion like your solutions. do no longer permit it get you down. purely forget with regard to the thumbs down.
2016-10-04 01:12:44 · answer #9 · answered by shenk 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you really feel that strongly about it you could always appeal your local school board. I don't think the teacher was trying to promote cruelty, but I will concede that it was probably insensitive. As a last resort, you could contact PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, but getting those quacks involved should be a last resort as they can be considered hypocritical at times as well as fanatical.
2007-09-05 08:53:20 · answer #10 · answered by James H 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋