Biology Disections :(

That is horrible!! What's worse is that it blatantly disregards the three Rs that animal use is supposed to adhere to (Replacement/Reduction/Refinement) as there is no possible unique learning experience benefiting the students in teaching anatomy this way. In other words, if he's going to do it himself in front of the class, he should show a video of someone who has already done it instead!

Have you thought about formally complaining about this?

Hi Rhi,

dissection of animals in science class is probably something that a lot of Unleashed members are concerned about. We're currently putting a package together to help students object to dissection, but it's still in the development stages.

Here's some tips though that you might find useful.
1) Clearly define why it is you're objecting to dissection. Maybe even write your reasons down. You can then approach your teacher and explain your objections fully. If you want some help getting your ideas together, I'm sure lots of people on the forums can give you some ideas.
2) If you're not comfortable talking directly to your teacher then get your parents to help. (Having your reasons written down will help explain to your parents too, who might be worried that you'll fall behind in class)
3) Identify some alternatives to give to your teacher. I don't mean "Sitting outside in the sun", I mean alternatives like online simulations, videos ... there's even apps!! Check this page out for some starters:
http://pcrm.org/research/edtraining/dissectionalt/wata/online-alternatives  
If you want more links just ask.
4) You shouldn't have to cop a lower grade for refusing to participate in dissections either. If you are threatened with this, then you need to talk to the Head of Science, or even the Principal.

No-one should be forced to participate in dissections. You've done such a great thing by refusing already. Keep at it, and I bet your classmates will soon join you!

That's a huge factor that put me off going to your school! I think it was the Life Science class that I went to on the orientation day, and there were photos of frogs being pinned down and cut up. And the teacher had a stuffed beaver, and said we would be dissecting a pig later on in the year. Someone posted a photo on Facebook of a rat being dissected the other day, saying that it was her 'new boyfriend'. I feel so sorry for that wallaby and her joey, know for a fact that joeys can survive in the pouch of the dead mother for up to a week, they die very slow, painful deaths. It's heart breaking when I check pouches and find dead joeys, I hate knowing that I wasn't fast enough.

At the other school I went to, we had to gather micro organisms and put them under a microscope, I didn't have an issue with it until she said "time to put them away, they would almost be dead by now". They were baby jelly fish, crayfish, etc. Then we went further into marine life, and the teacher put all these aquatic animals in jars. Some of the crabs were so large that they couldn't turn around in the jars. I found it really disturbing, luckily I left before we did dissections...

You could contact the principal and complain. But, to put it nicely, she's an arrogant waste of space, so you probably won't get anywhere.

humans laughing in this context is coping mechanism,

he should be teaching you about THIS science, but would probably be too uncomfortable, confronting students with the reality and dissecting a class full of voluntarily mindless, involuntary loLi gagers.

There should be an option to sit out of the dissection and for an alternative put in place. I know a number of people so uncomfortable with dissections that they can not even watch such a thing who would have fainted/thrown up at the sight. As well as that, the teacher seems like he has little respect for the animal and I can imagine there would have been more members of the class who weren't particularly comfortable. Quite a disturbing picture you've painted actually...
Not sure where this is but at both my high school and university where I am studying life sciences there are alternatives put in place for people with moral objections or who simply can't stomach the sight of a dissection to be excused and given an alternative form of assessment in the unit e.g. watching someone else or a simulation video or diagram.

That's awful. What annoys me is that students are forced to participate, but a majority don't even end up using these lessons later on in life anyway. I dissected a cows heart when I was in high school and had no intention of working in a scientific field or even cared to know. I ended up working in an office. Please tell me why it was necessary?! (Not that its necessary or ok regardless!) Hope you're ok Hun. Xo

I agree with Aimee.  You have rights, i think you should make a formal complaint.

Wow Rhi, I'm assuming you're talking about UniTas right?

Just a question related to this, how do you all feel about the use of human specimen in human biology units?

A part of my degree involves working with cadavers and wet specimens. These are people who donated their body for this very purpose, so I have no problem with it, and honestly, it's a really effective learning tool.

Obviously the dissection of animals is a totally different ballgame and very not okay, I'm just wondering where people stand on human dissection.