Hemant Mehta is the founder and editor of FriendlyAtheist.com, a YouTube creator, and podcast co-host. He is a former National Board Certified math teacher in the suburbs of Chicago. He has appeared on CNN and FOX News and served on the board of directors for Foundation Beyond Belief and the Secular Student Alliance. He has written multiple books, including I Sold My Soul on eBay and The Young Atheist's Survival Guide. He also edited the book Queer Disbelief.
Remember learning FOIL in Algebra? Ask any post-Algebra math teacher what they think about FOIL and they’ll begin foaming at the mouth. It’s an annoying-at-best mnemonic because it only works for one specific kind of problem… and when the problems get more challenging, FOIL no longer applies (and students don’t know what to do). The lesson here is simple: Catch phrases or clever sayings can be helpful, but they don’t replace actual, conceptual understanding. (I use them as infrequently as possible in my own teaching now.) Ken Ham hasn’t figured that out yet. In fact, he’s proud of himself for indoctrinating children using Creation-specific catch phrases: Read more
Alix Jules is one of those atheists whose resume of leadership positions is long. He’s the director of the Fellowship of Freethought in Dallas, Chair of the Dallas–Fort Worth Coalition of Reason Diversity Council, and President of the Black Nonbelievers of Dallas. At a recent gathering for Houston Oasis, Jules spoke about “religion in the black community and the history of black freethinkers in the secular movement.” Incredibly important topic and he’s an ideal person to deliver a talk on it: Read more
I’ve said on this site and in public talks that my job as a math teacher is relatively easy compared to science teachers. No parent ever calls me up to complain about the truth of the Quadratic Formula. No students are challenging me on the Pythagorean Theorem. But science teachers who actually know what they’re doing have to put up with arguments from the ignorant. They deal with students and parents who are, simply put, anti-science — people who oppose science because they see it conflicting with their religious beliefs… Read more