Should I raise this with HT?

[LizzieMint]

I don't trust my judgement on this issue!

I discovered my 7 yr old (yr3) had been taught in a science lesson about skeletons that girls have an additional rib. This is utter nonsense and only arose as a belief because of the biblical story of creation.

I'm fuming that this was taught to the class as a fact by the science coordinator at the school and I want to complain to the school about it one way or another.
Should I raise it with the HT? Or go to the teacher concerned and raise it with them? Or something else?

I don't trust my judgement because I'm already angry (permanently!) that we have no choice but to send our children to a C of E school where they are indoctrinated with a religion we don't believe in or agree with. I'm a fervent believer that state schools should ALL be secular so I'm aware that I'm probably more cross about this than I would be if it were something not linked to religion. Although I'd still be complaining if they were taught something false in a science class tbh.

I suspect the teacher genuinely thought it was true rather than being a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate your child into the c of e. Just let the teacher know- if you go in guns a blazing they'll think you're a loon.

I would speak directly to the teacher.

DD came home and seemed to think that girls have an additional rib. Obviously of course you know that's not true ..pause...

Could be followed up with:

Please can you make sure that you correct her because she's not listening to me even though we looked it up in a book to double check.

It may be that your young DD got the wrong end of the stick, so don't go in all guns blazing.

(We have had from a junior school aged DD1 that a large yoghurt pot holds less than a small one (confusing that a short fat container may hold more than a long thin one), and also that a heavy object falls faster than a light one (dropping items of the Tower of Pisa anyone?)).

tall thin one, not long thin one.

I'm sure they do think it's true, but they are the SCIENCE coordinator and it's quite a basic thing. And if you are not sure, surely you check your facts rather than just make it up?

I don't think that this was an attempt to indoctrinate (they already do that many other times during the school day ), I'm just shocked that a science teacher would think it's true.

It arose because less than 1% of the population (mainly found in females) do actually have an extra rib (cervical rib)

She was adamant that was what the teacher told them, and is in fact refusing to believe me that it's not true, because she was told by a teacher that it was true!

WRT a heavy object falling faster than a light one - that I can understand because there's a huge number of adults who believe that's true. And reality contradicts what would seem to be common sense. I still vividly remember my physics class at school where we demonstrated that they fall at the same speed - I loved my physics teacher.

My problem with the objects falling thing was they had done an experiment and drawn conclusions. Their experiment was flawed (as their objects weren't the same shape so air resistance came into play, plus they only dropped them a tiny distance so lots of errors in timing / judging there too. But the teacher let them move on from the topic without explaining the correct science .

Teen that's terrible!!

I think I'm going to go the route of saying to him 'DD's got this silly idea about female ribs, can you tell her it's not true..' And see what happens.

Terminal speed

When objects fall through the Earth's atmosphere they get faster and faster until they reach a speed where the upwards force (air resistance) and downwards force (weight) equal each other. At this point the object travels at its fastest speed called terminal speed.

What happens when you drop a coin and small feather at the same time?

They both have a similar surface area but the feather weighs less so has a smaller force of gravity pulling it down.

As the feather falls its upwards air resistance increases and soon equals its downwards weight, so it then travels at terminal speed. The coin is heavier and has to be travelling a lot faster before its air resistance is large enough to equal its weight.

mrz yes.

But they didn't cover any of that.

And I don't think the distance they were dropping over (~1m) would cover that.

And they didn't keep the physical shape of the object the same which they needed to do - you shouldn't change two variables at once (which I know you know).

I would correct. But, having been a victim myself of thinking something is true when it's not (eg. song lyrics etc), I would generally be firm with correcting, but forgiving.

The teacher being science coordinator really means nothing. I coordinate a subject which has nothing to do with my past experience and education, it's just what I got stuck with.

Please just have a quiet word with the teacher.

That's the problem with makng a statement TeenAndTween ... objects do fall at the same speed regardless of weight but in practice there are many variables in nature. There is a lovely video of David Scott carrying out Galileo's experiment www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/feather-and-hammer-drop-demonstration/1866.html

Very interesting - thank you.