Of course I don't "believe in" evolution. I have it on good authority though that it happens and I accept the concept as plausible. I therefore believe it to be the case.

If I were to believe in it though, I would defend it in the case of compelling evidence to the contrary, should such evidence exist. (Don't get excited pete, I was being hypothetical.)

Musket posted about my doctoral research. Yes, a key element of it has been shown to be flaky at the edges so is only practical within certain parameters. But as I believed my research but didn't believe in it, I was delighted to be out of date. If I believed in it, I might have falsified evidence to support it, a bit like religious people do when their scriptures are questioned. ("When Worlds Collide" is hilarious, as is the dismissive essay about it by Isaac Asimov in "The Stars in their Courses.")

I really hope your pupils weren't told to believe in theories that become outdated. I hope you instead asked them to accept the theories as accurate based on present knowledge.