Frustration

I haven't posted for a few days because I'm having trouble figuring out how to post numerous pictures as once. I learned about photobucket from Chelsea, so I've uploaded all my pictures there, but I'm allowed to post only five pics at a time and when I try to post the next five they are inserted ahead of the first set of pics and then I can't move them around. So, after several different attempts and some fruitless research, I threw up my hands and gave up. That was last Thursday.

Tomorrow my boss and someone from the personnel committee visit my classroom for a classroom evaluation. I'm not particularly nervous about this as I'm a veteran of these classroom observations. My main concern is making sure that I've upped my game. I think I have. I've found some funny, yet very relevant video clips on youtube and have embedded them in my powerpoint. I think the students will really enjoy and my evaluators will too. I've also planned a class activity, along with a topic for class discussion. Overall, I think it will be an engaging and effective class.

Dan and I saw the Ben Stein documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed yesterday. It was excellent. It explores the topic of intelligent design and how those in academia are punitive of anyone who wishes to explore questions associated with intelligent design. The detractors of ID erroneously (I think) associate ID with creationism. There is a paranoia regarding any inkling of religion being allowed within the classroom. Scientists who desire the freedom of inquiry stay quiet, go along, if they want to maintain and further their careers. Stein talked to a half dozen scientists, with the most impeccable credentials, who have lost their jobs because they dared to mention ID in their research. It is hard to believe that our academic institutions in this country have allowed such frank bias to seep into their research, but they have. I know from personal experience that there are certain topics that just aren't allowed to be researched. It took me two years to assemble a graduate committee for my master's degree, because I kept coming up with topics that no one was willing to sign on to. Finally, I was able to come up with a "safe" topic and complete my thesis.