When did teaching become such a threat!

[stewartcolbert08]

Found this in my city's paper today, I just have to shake my head. I mean I guess I can see the point a little, but its not ENCOURAGING terrist thougts! I think its stupid, see what you think. :hi:

D70 history assignment brings controversy

Superintendent says homework request was questionable.By JOHN NORTON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

A parent’s belief that her Pueblo County High School ninth-grader was being asked to think like a terrorist has put the district at the center of an Internet and talk show firestorm.

Dan Lere, superintendent of Pueblo County School District 70, has been busy since late last week dealing with inquiries from around the country about the allegations.

It stemmed, he said, from a ninth-grade history class exercise in which students were asked to create a poster board presentation on the potential dangers of terrorism.

“The teacher asked the students on a piece of poster board to illustrate an act of terrorism against the United States,” Lere said.

The exercise involved only one of four history classes the teacher had and only about 25 students were involved, he said, not the more than 100 reported by some television outlets. One of the students, he said, got the idea that “it was more like what kind of terroristic attack you would do,” and told his parents.

“If that was the assignment, I can understand why the parent would have been upset,” Lere said. “If on their own, they drew up something showing themselves blowing up County High School, we’d probably expel them for that.”

The teacher wanted the students to think about the dangers of terrorism but in hindsight, Lere said, “I think the assignment was questionable. I don’t know that you need to bring it home to that point. She wanted them to understand that terrorism is a part of our world right now but I think we have to be careful that we don’t scare the life out of them. Studying potential scenarios is OK if you’re part of the FBI, the CIA or the military.

“It’s not an exercise that will be repeated,” he said, adding that he’d had a discussion with the teacher.

Lere said that he had the poster boards destroyed and had not looked at them to see if other students all illustrated what the teacher wanted. However, he said that no other parents had complained about the project and there was no grading of the projects.

Many Internet sites ran with stories of the event, and talk radio commentators condemned the action.
:shrug:
http://www.chieftain.com/articles/2009/05/13/news/local/doc4a0a4f07e8e9c744370452.txt