In elementary & middle school, were there errors/myths in biology or other subje

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   Patty Inglish, MSposted 9 years ago

   In elementary & middle school, were there errors/myths in biology or other subjects you were taught?
   
   For instance, our local teachers instructed that the kiwi (bird) was extinct and that all men/boys are missing the lowest rib on the left side. Both were myths taught, even in the light of published evidence to the contrary. For instance, we had living kiwis in the zoo at the time. How about your experiences?
   
   

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   jlparkposted 9 years ago

   As a 'Kiwi' (person of New Zealand) living in New Zealand - the home of the NOT extinct but endangered Kiwi - I'm shocked!
   
   We have many endangered species in NZ, that are native ONLY to us - the Kiwi, the Tuatara, and several other birds, and a very endangered breed of Dolphin. But we have a few things that are THOUGHT to be extinct - like the Moa (HUGE flightless bird) - but we also entertain the possibility that they aren't extinct as there are huge areas of native bush in the South Island that have not been 'discovered' or ventured into ever by modern man - too deep to get the Dept of Conservation into even! So there may be some Moa in there!
   
   I remember the rib thing, but we were taught it at a religious thing, not school.
   
   I am not from the USA - but I did hear many years ago (and it could be one of those 'myths' we are talking about even) that history books are changed at times to reflect positively on the US's involvement in something, rather than accurate. This was MANY years ago - so it may have been accurate at the time, but no longer - or a complete myth a younger me was gullible to believe for a time!

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      Patty Inglish, MSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I was shocked as I visited the zoo later and saw kiwis walking about and eating food. Thanks for the info & I hope you all do see a Moa . The rib tale was in our 3rd/4th grade health book published 20 years before. Teachers need better help!

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   mkjohnston81posted 9 years ago

   I was taught in an elementary school science class that blood is blue until it touches the air.  A few years later in middle school another science teacher told me that this was incorrect, and basically reacted as though I was a total moron for believing such a thing, even though I had been taught this in school (I didn't have the internet back then to fact check my teachers!).
   Now that I'm an adult and work in an elementary school...I hear teachers make mistakes all the time.  It's crazy, but contrary to what all children tend to think, elementary school teachers just don't know everything...

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      Patty Inglish, MSposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      They need better training, I think, for teaching science. Thank you for the "blue blood" story! I'm sorry that the middle school teacher belittled you!

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      mkjohnston81posted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I agree about better training in science.  Come to think of it, the majority of the mistakes I hear teachers making in school now are in science class.

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