As a science teacher in Miami-Dade, I am disheartened by Florida’s CS/HB 989. This law extends citizens’ right to challenge what’s taught in their local schools. It may sound very democratic, but it is written to disguise a non-scientific agenda.

It is a good thing that we are raised in this country thinking we should respect alternative points of view, but science is different.

Science is based on the scientific method. Scientists question, observe, experiment and share their results with other scientists, over and over and over again. After years, decades, and even centuries of arduous trial and error, an idea achieves scientific consensus and makes its way into our science textbooks.

This amazing process gives us modern medicine and iPhones and put a man on the Moon. It’s a beautiful, wonderful way of gaining and sharing knowledge, but it’s not easy and often messy.

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Somebody cannot just come and propose an idea be taught in a science classroom under the guise of academic freedom. All ideas must be put through the rigorous testing that is standard practice in science.

Intelligent design has repeatedly been shown to be incorrect. If creationists want to play on this playing field, they must play by the rules all scientists play by. If they want their ideas taught in my science classroom, they must hold them up to peer review.

This "debate" between evolution and creationism may be new to many people. Therefore, they do not realize how tiring it is to hear the same, over-used arguments against evolution: the laws of thermodynamics, the complexity of the eye, transitional fossils, etc. Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins likens it to a professor of Roman history who has to defend the existence of the Roman Empire every school year.

It’s clear the problem is partly due to the public’s misunderstanding of the term scientific theory. A scientific theory is not a hunch. I can say, "I have a theory that the Miami Dolphins will make it to the playoffs this season." That’s fine, but that is not a scientific theory. That’s more like a testable hypothesis.

In science, theories are broad explanations of natural phenomena based on thousands of repeatedly tested hypotheses, experiments, observations, etc. Over time, as more knowledge is gained, theories can be adjusted, but the "big ideas" — gravity, evolution, atomic theory — are not going anywhere.

It is ethically wrong to confuse children with supposed alternatives to evolution (and climate change, for that matter). We must equip our children with understanding and critical-thinking skills.

If parents want me to introduce intelligent design in my classroom, I will teach my students how to discern real science from pseudoscience. I will explain how intelligent design does not hold up to scientific rigor and why.

Please, let’s prepare our students for the future. Let’s not mire them down with misunderstanding.

Evolutionary biology opens our eyes to the wonders of life’s diversity and history. If taught properly, it can be an exciting subject for the young people of our state and for the future decision-making citizens of our country.

BERTHA VAZQUEZ, MIAMI

Editor’s note: The writer is a science teacher in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools and director of the Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science, which holds workshops around the nation for middle-school teachers.