And one that will not go away so long as there is a Fundamentalist (Fill in the blank) that demands that his/her religion be forced upon all the other students.

I like you was educated in Catholic schools. And while I don't recall encountering the types of bias that you did (the bias I encountered was there, but much more subdued), I do remember that there were frequent discussions of other religious perspectives. I attended a school where all but the religion teachers were secular, most were Catholic, but were not members of the clergy in any way...So maybe they just didn't see the world from a purely Cathocentric (Is that a word?) perspective.

I do recall that our science curriculum was lacking until I got to high school. Science was taught, but not always taught well...

I think that it is important to teach children from the earliest possible age that they will encounter conflicting theories on just about everything. They must know that even their secondary school teacher has bias that affects his/her perspective. I started to pick this up on my own in 5th or 6th grade, and it was grossly apparent to me by high school where I would even use the teacher bias to my advantage. But then in hind sight, maybe I was an exception to the norm because I was always more interested in current events and politics than in the ancient history, mathematics, and science as it was taught to me in school. I almost certainly had ADD.

Today I would probably be the student tripping on Riddelin at the back of the class. I'm sure it would have helped my grades and my ability to conform in class, but would I be the same person I am today? But then my ADD makes me digress...

Scott ;)