A model Mayan calender hangs in World Civilizations teacher Betty Robert’s room. The Mayan calendar is said to predict the end of the world; however it is only the end of one 5,125 year calendar cycle.
Aerin Johnson
Johnson.Aerin@wgecho.org
Some people believe the Mayans predicted the world would end on Dec. 21. Teachers in WGHS believe differently.
World Civilizations teacher Betty Roberts doesn’t believe that the world is about to end. “For a lot of reasons,” Roberts said. She said there is a scientific explanation for whatever happens on the date of Dec. 21.
Physics teacher David Schuster added the world isn’t about to end. “The most constant reason is there is a constant stream of Doomsday rumors,” said Schuster. There is a 0.000 percent chance, according to Schuster, the world will end.
Mayans had multiple prophecies on what would happen on Dec. 21, 2012. One of the prophecies was about the coming of new teachers. Another was about rediscovering Mayan Ceremonial Temples and that the Maya would return to their cities.
Others talked about climate problems and ecological danger in 2012 according to Gerald Benedict in the book “Mayan Prophecies 2012: the Message and the Vision.” Roberts summarized the prophecies as the world moving out of a dark period of time and moving into a lighter one.
Roberts said Ancient Egypt and Ancient China also predicted things to happen on Dec. 21, 2012. Each based their religion, predictions, prophecies and calendars off their own understanding of astronomy much like the Mayans.
NASA released a video this year telling people that the Mayan Calendar does not predict the end of the world. NASA has added that Nibiru, a “planet” that is supposed to knock Earth off its axis according to Doomsday theorists, has never actually been seen by astronomers.
Both Schuster and Roberts agreed there will be a grade on their students’ final no matter what even if the world does end.
“Most of them will be graded,” Schuster said adding that if the world does end the students just won’t know how well they did on their exam.
