Oh boy. Starting my first class with a bunch of eighth-grade boys screaming at me “THE EARTH IS FLAT” was not on my agenda for the day. Squashing every quippy comment about the earth being flat in group work? Also not on my agenda. Having to pause for a moment to figure out how to explain something I thought we were all in agreement on by kindergarten … you got it. Not on the agenda.
Somehow, a few years have passed since flat earth theorists gained traction in 2019, and these poor Reddit teachers are still struggling with the same fight I did with my middle schoolers.
Here’s the original post:
If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
It’s not an opinion. The earth is round. It’s a sphere. It’s not that hard to understand. You can not understand the basics of world geography (my subject) if you base it on the earth being flat.
People four thousand years ago knew the earth was round. Now all it takes is a tiktok to prove its flat???
I teach freshman, but recently my adult brother started sending me TikTok’s “proving” the earth is flat. At first I thought it was just for laughs, but now he says science is an opinion and I just can’t.
If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
by u/wandering_grizz in Teachers
How about these responses for the steadfast-opinioned “flat-earthers”?
The actual science!
Comment
by u/realnanoboy from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
Maybe ignore them completely?
This. If they’re goofy and laughing about it, they’re probably trolling. If they’re bleary-eyed from watching YouTube all night and frustrated that no one else knows the truth, then you can worry.
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by u/A-roguebanana from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
A lesson in constructive arguments
Rhetoric 101.
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by u/Absence-of-Reason from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
Pics or it didn’t happen
Yes.
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by u/Dizzy_Impression2636 from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
A shout-out to cats
Aww. So true.
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by u/Design-Few from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
Maybe there really is no convincing
Whether or not students subscribe to the deeper beliefs this Reddit user mentions, I think they bring up valid points about teenage contrarianism and not playing the game.
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by u/BaronAleksei from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
LOL @ language
We feel your pain, @darklordette.
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by u/darklordette from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
There is always a third way
Dad jokes are always an effective distraction.
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by u/ActivatedComplex from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
Oh, Kansas!
And again with the dad jokes!
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by u/mitosis799 from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
We wouldn’t ever actually say this one … right?
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by u/ImaginaryAI from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
Top 10 reasons
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by u/Nikifuj908 from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
A fun activity at the beach!
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by u/melodypowers from discussion If I have one more kid tell me the earth is flat I might quit
in Teachers
Do they seriously believe it, or like my students, were they just yanking this teacher’s chain? Hard to say. But it’s clear that it’s become more difficult than ever to lead students away from conspiracy theories.
Hopefully some of these Reddit responses gave you some ideas on how to respond to those “THE EARTH IS FLAT” chants.
But as every teacher knows, if it’s not this chant, isn’t it just something else?
How do you respond to the “flat-earth” students? Let us know in the comments.
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