Anyone have a child who refused to dissect something in biology class?

[meandtheguys2]

I don't know, sometimes you just have to do things you don't like to in life. I didn't like geometry assignments, but if I didn't do them I would have failed. I see this in the same way. Hopefully her high grades will get her through.

 

[chrissyk]

My sister dissected a cat, but it was in an AP bio class. She and her best friend named the cat and everything. I was disgusted

I couldn't even dissect a squid in 7th grade biology without getting nauseous. I had to have my teacher help me I quit my 2nd masters degree halfway through because I couldn't handle the practicum (it involved some surgery/dissection). I don't blame your DD one bit for feeling like she does.

Is bio a requirement? At my high school, we had to take 2 yearlong sciences and 1 semester of another science. I took a year of chem, a year of physics, and then 1 semester of "animal behavior". That satisfied the requirement w/o putting me in a situation where I'd have to dissect anything.

 

[Mimi Q]

I couldn't bring myself to dissect a frog in biology. I had a lab partner who did the whole thing. I didn't look.

 

[Imzadi]

Has anyone had any experience with a child not wanting to do this in Biology?

Yeah, ME! We were supposed to disect a fetal pig. I made my lab partner do all the work. The teacher knew I objected to this assignment in class, so he pretty much looked the other way.

I STILL think it is ridiculous to include this in Biology. It is bad enough we need Biology as a requirement for college, and yes, in the long run, I know more about how bodies work. But to include an actual disection is ridiculous in a "generalized" course.

If, in college, students know this is the line of study they want to pursue, sure, of course, require it. But I knew, back in 9th grade, I would never be going into a scientific or medical field. I was right - I never did. Learning to disect, didn't advance my life in any significant way.

 

[danacara]

When I found out about it, I came home and asked my mother what her thoughts were on my conscientious objection.

She told me to get a life.

I decided, OK, I'll dissect.

Glad I did. I never forgot most of what I learned through that. An actual dissection teaches you way more than a book or a computer program. Would you allow a doctor who learned how to operate online to take a scalpel to you? And biology is important.

 

[SnoWhite]

I opted not to do it in both 7th grade and High School. I told my teacher that I would do whatever extra credit was needed to make up the points for the assignment.

 

[aprilgail2]

We had to do this in 7th grade and no way in heck would I do it...my mom wrote a note stating that I would not be taking part in that and I was excused from it....I would not have done it even faced with a failing grade. I don't eat meat, I don't disect dead animals.....heck its hard for me to even cook meat for my daughter (luckily she doesn't eat to much of it!)

 

[luvflorida]

When I found out about it, I came home and asked my mother what her thoughts were on my conscientious objection.

She told me to get a life.

I decided, OK, I'll dissect.

Glad I did. I never forgot most of what I learned through that. An actual dissection teaches you way more than a book or a computer program. Would you allow a doctor who learned how to operate online to take a scalpel to you? And biology is important.

Yes, I agree, biology is important, but I think my daughter can learn plenty without having to disect an animal. She has no interest in pursuing a career that would involve using a scalpel for any reason. And, yes, I would hope that someone who is planning to go into the medical field would certainly not learn to operate through an online program.

 

[danacara]

Yes, I agree, biology is important, but I think my daughter can learn plenty without having to disect an animal. She has no interest in pursuing a career that would involve using a scalpel for any reason. And, yes, I would hope that someone who is planning to go into the medical field would certainly not learn to operate through an online program.

What does your daughter want to do with her life? Because there is a ton of money in science, I think girls can really make names for themselves there, I don't think most of the doctors, nurses, vet techs, laboratory scientists, chefs and butchers in the world necessarily knew that was the career path for them all the way back in ninth grade. I assume that with "She has no interest in pursuing a career that would involve using a scalpel for any reason," your daughter doesn't like science. That's too bad. I find that most girls who say that they don't like science were never encouraged in it by their mothers and teachers, were never told that they were good at it. English, communications, the more "feminine" pursuits - they go that way instead - and the career opportunities there are much narrower and less lucrative. A girl who likes science and math and can simultaneously communicate and write can name her price in the professional world. Perhaps "get a life" was a little harsh on the part of my mother. But this was the gist of what she was trying to tell me.

 

[danacara]

Last thought on that point: anyone notice that it isn't usually the sons who are protesting the dissection?

 

[BuckNaked]

Last thought on that point: anyone notice that it isn't usually the sons who are protesting the dissection?

Yes, I noticed the same thing.

I wouldn't tell my daughter not to do it, but I wouldn't ask the teacher to allow her to make it up in some way. Mark it up to a lesson learned about the responsibility of individual actions.

 

[MrsG]

I refused in sophmore year to disect a frog. I have this animal thing, too. Now I am a science teacher and we disect sheep parts in 7th grade. I explain to the students that the hearts, eyes, etc. are byproducts of the meat industry. They are not killing them just so we can disect them (like frogs). The parts would be in the trash or animal food it we didn't use them. When I took over, I stopped the frog disection and went to parts. I think they learn more because the parts are very similar to humans. If my students don't want to disect, I give them another assignment. In NY, students do not have to disect if they don't want to, but they will be given an alternative assignment.

Check with the school ahead of time.

 

[DMickey28]

Sometimes people get so personal!

Anyway, there have been many different outcomes of the same circumstance at different schools. The only way you will get the answer is to discuss this with the school and teacher. I think standing by your daughter's principles will be a strong method. The no interest in anything to do with a scalpel is true at this point, but with her love of animals it may not be that odd for her to eventually want to be a vet to help animals.

In my high school I was petrified that we would have to do that. Most classes had to do the frog thing, however my class for whatever reason did a chicken wing. Like the one you buy in the grocery store... odd, I know that hey it was easier!!!

Good Luck to your daughter!

 

[luvflorida]

danacara- She's only 14, and right now she would like to pursue something in the performing arts field. She is also interested in, and very skilled in, language/communications, (journalism perhaps). You are right about females making a good living in the sciences, but I know that isn't her interest.

DMickey28- A chicken wing! That's different! However, my daughter won't even walk past the meat/poultry section of the supermarket. I've thought the same thing about her maybe wanting to become a vet. I think I'll run that by her and see what she says about that and how it would conflict with her opposition to disecting animals.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

The only problem with the dissection for me, was the smell of the formaldehyde. Just an awful stench that is.

Me too. It does stink. I like science and enjoyed the dissections.

DD wants to be a VET (or something in science-animal field) and she knows she will HAVE TO dissect.

 

[Angelrose]

My son refused to dissect a frog. He got all his information on the computer and books and passed the test just fine. Unless you are going into the medical field I see no need for dissecting anything.

 

[becka]

My mom went up to the school, raised heck and the teacher got called on the carpet for not being sympathetic to the fact that youngsters, especially girls may not be able to do this and a 20 page report was not the answer.

Dana, you expressed my thoughts very well. I was actually saddened to see cinderellaIam's above post stating that "especially girls" may not be able to dissect. I know so many bright intelligent women who were discouraged from studying math and science. These women were told or had it implied that they just couldn't handle it. I know that obviously not all women will be skilled or interested in the sciences but I fear that so many are never given the chance.

I can also certainly understand the feelings behind not wanting to participate in a dissection. I certainly did not really enjoy the ones I participated in but the dissections are part of the learning process. I feel that if a student does not want to participate for some reason then they should be prepared to accept a lower grade for that portion of the class. I can't imagine that a high school level biology class would place such importance on the dissection that getting a zero would mean the student would fail the entire course. I think offering alternative assignments or just letting student's sit out for that portion of the class does a disservice to those students who are willing to meet the course requirements.

 

[christineann]

My daughter was horrified last year when her 10th grade biology class was split into groups to dissect a fetal pig (I would have a hard time with it myself) She was chosen to be the group member who would direct the other two how to cut since she was the brainy one in the group. The other two were being silly and making lots of mistakes which would be reflected in the grades for each member, so she took the scalpel and discovered that it was fascinating! She now wants to pursue a career in the medical and/or scientific research field. I am glad she was exposed to this even though she didn't think she could do it.

BTW, we are animal lovers. When we lost our lab to cancer a year ago, she said she would like to do something that might save another animal from the same fate.

 

[chell]

If we didn't do it we would get an F. It's been 14 years since I had to disect the cat and to this day there are still smells that remind me of that. It was horrible. What made it worse for me was that I had just lost my cat and the one we were working on looked a lot like mine and was pregnant. Very sad. Wishing your daughter the best. Hopefully her teacher will have a heart and let her work on another project.

 

[robinb]

I don't eat meat, I don't disect dead animals.....heck its hard for me to even cook meat for my daughter (luckily she doesn't eat to much of it!)

This is really OT, but why are you cooking meat for your DD when you are a vegetarian? We're meat eaters (Atkins is a great diet for us ), but my DD is a vegitarian. Since we eat meat, we tried to get her to also eat meat. I just can't see doing that if I didn't eat meat already!

When it comes to disecting animals, I'll let her do what she wants. Personally, I really liked disecting the worm and frog.