ISIS and terrorism has gripped the world. A top story on the media, it isn’t unusual that teachers are making lessons more real for the children by including focuses of terrorism when teaching art, math and other subjects of the curriculum.
In art and history
A teacher at Salem Junior High in Salem, Utah, came under fire after parents complained about an assignemnt where students were asked to create a propaganda poster drawing people to terrorism. The teacher said that the goal of the assignment was “to help students understand the goals of terrorist groups and the methods they use to gain support.”
School officials admitted that the assignment was inappropriate after four parents called the school. The first-year teacher has since apologised for her bad judgement.
Parents were concerned that their children would go online and research ISIS and be at risk of recruitment or end up on some FBI watch list at the tender age of 14!
In mathematics
Parents were angered when Grzegorz Nowik, a teacher in the eastern Polish city of Bialystock, gave student a question on Syrian refugees escaping ISIS terror. The teacher gave the size of the boat and the number of people on board. Students had to calculate how many Syrian refugees had to be thrown overboard for the boat to stay afloat and reach Greece.He said it was a matter of holding the students’ attention.
“Pupils are not interested when I explain the lift of a wooden block floating on water,” he said. “I told them it was a joke while saying words to be written down.”
Parents, however, were not amused by the question that had to do with murdering. One mother posted it on her Facebook page and it drew global media attention:
“4 refugees from Syria are to reach Greece on a raft which is 1m x 2 m x 20cm and (illegible) 800kg/m2,” the assignment said. “Calculate how many refugees you need to push off the raft for them to reach their goal if each of them weigh 60kg.”
In literature
A radical teacher in the UK encouraged primary school children in an after-school class to write letters of support to ISIS. The notes, in childish writing, are decorated with handprints and drawings. They are addressed to ISIS fighters by names, and brand them as “heroes” and “diamonds among stones”.
The letters were posted on Twitter by @irhabiyya_18, meaning “terrorist_18″ and picked up by US think tank The Middle East Media Research Institute. Haras Rafiq, head of the counter-extremism Quilliam Foundation said: “She is clearly brainwashing youngsters. These kids are vulnerable.”
It is unknown if parents of the kids being radicalized share the teacher’s views.
In Computer studies
The British police were alerted to a number of youngsters in Hampshire receiving Facebook friend requests from strangers who had names that were unusual. Police involvement has found that there may be a group of ISIS supporters targeting British children through social media.
British authorities have sent e-mails to schools to warn of these suspicious requests and say these are from ISIS. Parents are advised to talk openly with children regarding requests from strangers, especially those who appear to belong to extremist groups.
