Refusing to dissect in biology...help?!
i honestly think its horrible....im refusing to do it
but how shuld i tell it to my teacher?? i cant just say im not gunna do it, get over it! which is what i want to do of course...
can anyone help me on how i should tell him??
Answers: we're sposed to be dissecting frogs, rabbits and some other animal in biology next week...
i honestly think its horrible....im refusing to do it
but how shuld i tell it to my teacher?? i cant just say im not gunna do it, get over it! which is what i want to do of course...
can anyone help me on how i should tell him??
Well, I would do a walk out.
Say what you have to say, even plan it out ahead of time, then walk out of the classroom.
I would explain to him your beliefs, and ask about an alternate assignment that you can do instead.
If you are a vegetarian, then you have a good case. Have a serious, non-confrontational talk with your teacher. Do it in private rather than making a scene in front of the class.
Good luck!
I ran into the same thing, many moons ago when I was in the 7th grade. I simply told my teacher that it went against my beliefs, and offered to do an essay instead. At first, she was angry, but the fact that I was reasonable about it made her change her mind. I submitted my request to her in a note, rather than in front of the class-that gave me a chance to compose my thoughts carefully, and to show some responsibility. I ended up with an A in the class-by the way, I did the essay on animal cruelty and disregard for lives other than humans. Stick to your guns, or take it directly to a counselor or the principal if the teacher refuses-be mature in your approach-they should respect you for that, at least. My daughter is facing this soon as well, and we are prepared to stick with our ground, regardless of what the teacher says. My daughter will simply sit at her table, and write a report anyway, even if she does not have permission. She is plannin on doing a photo essay, where she shows pictures of frogs, rabbits, etc., in their natural habitat. Good luck!
OMG.. I had that exact thing happen to me in 8th grade. I just wouldnt do it because it physically disgusted me. I called in sick the days we were doing disection!!
Check out this guide to refusing to dissect:
http://www.peta2.com/TAKECHARGE/t-fight....
You can say something like "I won't be able to participate in the dissection because of my moral [or religious] beliefs about the sanctity of all life." Then, request a non-animal alternative like a computer dissection.
Remember that you can't be forced to participate in something that goes against your sincerely held ethical or religious beliefs. If your teacher isn't cooperative, go to the principal, the superintendent, and even the whole school board if it becomes necessary.
Good luck.
You don't say why you are refusing. If you are a vegan or Buddhist, I sympathise, but if you are going home tonight to eat a bucket of chicken wings, I do not.
If you can eat them at a restaurant, you can cut them up in biology.
Have a chat with teacher and explain your situation.
Write a letter to your teacher and if you could get a signature and phone number from your mum all the better - saying that you are philosophicallically opposed to the killing and cruelty of animals and that is why you are a vegan/vegetarian and that you are formally requesting a written word assignment in its place.
I wrote this letter out years ago and I was given an assignment to do in the library - it is not necessary to disect small animals there are plant of dvds etc avilable to tell you about the functions of the body etc good luck.
There are some great point in this letter from Peta
Dear Editor:
Animal dissection, which was first used in classrooms in the early part of the last century, is still being used in some [Name of School] classes. In recent years, dissection has been increasingly scrutinized. Experts have reevaluated the educational worth and morality of cutting up animals just to “see how they work.”
Compassionate students want to study biology without dissecting animals. Sophisticated computer simulations, videodiscs, and models have been developed to meet the needs of these students. All the studies of this issue show that students who use alternatives perform as well or better than students who use dissection.
Biology is the study of life and should teach respect for life, not devalue it by treating living beings as disposable objects. By using humane teaching methods, instructors can teach science and ethics simultaneously.
I respectfully asked to be excused from the dissection. I told my teacher that I did not agree with dissection and would prefer to write a research paper if she would agree to it.
The key is to be mature and responsible when asking him. Offer up the idea of a research paper, they have at least 1 student every semester, so he might already have a plan in place.
My teacher let me chose my topic, but yours might assign one to you. In case he doesn't, have a topic related to biology in mind.
You certainly can say that. You can say you are morally opposed to dissecting animals which have been killed for the purposes of education when there are perfectly good computer and video models available. If you do not intend to become a biotechnologist, veterinarian or animal surgeon you do not need to perform dissections to aid you in your career, and hence could actually be learning less by being forced to perform a dissection.
I have had to perform dissections as part of my course, but drew the line on experiments on live animals. I wanted to major in reproductive biology but you have to kill the animal you dissect in the final year course! They don't seem to consider that some people want to help animals...
Instead I majored in behavioural ecology and now doing environmental science. Nobody gets hurt...