Utah school apologizes for homework assignment to make propaganda poster for terrorist group

Fox 13 Now ^ | 11/19/15 | Dora Scheidell

[Libloather]

SALEM, Utah -- Students in 9th grade at Salem Junior High School were given a homework assignment where they were told to draw a propaganda poster for a terrorist organization.

After parents complained, the assignment was canceled. However, many students had already completed it, leaving some parents concerned about what they had been exposed to in the process.

Annie Langston couldn't believe her 14-year-old daughter Mikalia was given the assignment.

"My initial response was, 'there's no way you're going to do this assignment,'" Langston said.

[Libloather]

This was no mistake.

[Hugin]

But draw an American soldier with a rifle and you’ll be expelled.

[Reno89519]

The teacher should be immediately fired, put on TSA’s no fly list, and have her teaching certificate revoked. Stupid actions should have consequences.

[csvset]

No mention of the teacher's name?

Exactly ! This is reporting ?

[CommieCutter]

For all the talk of Obama being held responsible if there is a Syrian attack, this media needs to be held just as accountable if not MORE. They are the ones doing everything to protect this culture.

[rrrod]

99% of public school teachers give the others a bad name.

[rrrod]

99% of public school teachers give the others a bad name.

[mazda77]

http://sajhs.nebo.edu/faculty

Nobody obvious. Maybe outing them all will provide someone willing to identify the dolt.

[Ann Archy]

UTAH??? What COLOR is this teacher?

[mazda77]

The assignment was given by a first year teacher, but Annie Langston doesn’t want to see anything bad happen to her. She believes it was an honest mistake and in every other respect, this is a good teacher for her daughter.

Idiots abound.

[uglybiker]

I could've had soooooooooo much fun with this assignment!

Do you have a small penis?
So ugly you can't oven get a date in a gay bar?

Become a terrorist! Take your inadequacies s out on society!

We offer free health care!

[Jack Hammer]

Hear! Hear!

[piasa]

I don’t know- there’s not enough information here to see what the teacher’s aim really was- it could very well be the teacher’s motive is to demonstrate and discuss how propaganda works and the various appeals propagandists use to convey more apparent strength to their argument when in fact their argument is not strong at all.
Given all the internet memes they are being subject to, instilling skepticism and how to analyze information is a good thing... this site could use a little more of it too judging by how ready people are to lap up propaganda here too without checking it for accuracy if it seems to reinforce views they already hold. This site used to be much more analytical and skeptical than it is now... people used to have to source every assertion they make or be humiliated and laughed at until they did.
You could take each student’s attempt at persuasion and lead the class in a systematic approach to take it apart. Is the poster an example of a straw man argument? Is it an appeal to authority? What are the factual errors? Is it playing on reasonable or unreasonable fears? Is it trying to establish moral equivalency? Is i using peer pressure? What is its target audience?Is it trying to uplift the spirit like a Rockwell work or is it trying to instill hatred, distrust or despair? ...
I had a veteran army bomb defuser guy as an art and English teacher in high school who used to blend history, literature and art... we did a couple weeks of study of WW2 and cold war propaganda, 60s propaganda and war bond sales art of all sides and it was by far more interesting and useful than the usual high school art class material and he managed to pull it off in an apolitical way.

[csvset]

Well, I did find this report, if you will, from KSL.com . Note: Name still not divulged.

Teacher apologizes after assigning terrorism propaganda poster

SALEM — Salem Junior High School parents became concerned when a first-year history teacher assigned their children to create a terrorism propaganda poster.

According to Nebo School District spokeswoman Lana Hiskey, the assignment was not approved, and the teacher has since retracted the assignment.

Hiskey said the teacher was trying to teach the students about how propaganda can be inappropriate while they were talking about the Middle East.

The history teacher, who Hiskey said has a military background and is very patriotic, was very apologetic.

If any parents have concerns, Hiskey said they are welcome to speak with the administration.

"... We want to keep our kids safe," Hiskey said. "We want them to understand the world that they live in and … keep them safe as well."

It's one of the following.

Sierra Marchand

Jamie Ohran

Kristen Van De Graaff

[iontheball]

Weird activity in an increasingly weird world that suffers mass insanity.

[DaveA37]

Perhaps we should be vetting teachers along with the Syrians who are trying to infiltrate out country.

[csvset]

After viewing the video, it’s Ms. Marchand that gave the assignment. Her name is in the letter that the mother wrote to the school. It’s visible @ approximately 1:35 mark in the video.

[sphinx]

I wish that assignment had come home with my daughter. She'd have returned with a poster along the lines of:

Kill the Jews, for murder pleases Allah.

Kill the Hindus, for murder pleases Allah.

Kill the Christians, for murder pleases Allah.

Rape the girls, for rape draws them closer to Allah.

We are ISIS, and we are coming for you. Praise to Obama for opening the way. We are your future.

I think this would be on target, accurate, and the basis for effective class discussion of the subject.

[sphinx]

That was my guess, simply because she appears to be the youngest. a newbie blunder.