A parent in Wisconsin recently contacted the media after taking issue with a controversial homework assignment relating to religion.
A Union Grove High School teacher asked her students to pretend they were Muslims in an email sent April 1.
The email read:
Pretend you are: 1. Muslim male/female in U.S.
2. Give 3 examples of what you do daily for your religion and any struggles you face.
3. Again, 5 paragraphs (intro, 3 body paragraphs, closing.)
**Keep in mind we've been doing work and watching documentaries that have the facts needed to write the essay."
The sender was Beth Urban, a 10th grade US and World History teacher at the small school. An offended parent forwarded the email to WISN talk radio host Vicki McKenna, who posted the image to her Twitter account.
"I did not voice my concerns directly to the teacher because I do not blame the teacher," the parent told EAGnews. "I believe this is a curriculum issue. The teachers are not using their own curriculum, the school boards/superintendents do generally.
"I brought attention to it because I felt that it was inaccurate for World History," she continued. "I would have no problem with this assignment if they were to pretend they were in the Middle East and practicing their religion."
Ms Urban did not respond to a request for comment.
Union Grove school district was also embroiled in controversy last year, after an eighth grade teacher distributed a crossword puzzle that framed conservatism in a negative light.
Conservatism, according to the worksheet, is "the political belief of preserving traditional moral values by restricting personal freedoms and encouraging prosperity through economic freedom," while liberalism is "the political belief of equality and personal freedom for everyone, often changing the current system to increase government protection of civil liberties."
EAGnews reported that the elementary school principal apologised for the assignment, and the puzzle was discontinued after the story went viral.
http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/11/conservatism-means-restricting-personal-freedoms-according-to-public-school-crossword/
http://eagnews.org/high-school-writing-assignment-asks-students-to-pretend-you-are-a-muslim/
