I'm Upset About My 9th Grader's History Class Today--9/11 Assignment

[Mrs. Overall]

Am I over-reacting or is this a strange assignment?

In my daughter's 9th grade history class today (we live just outside of Seattle), she and her classmates were shown actual footage (I believe from CNN) of the planes hitting the towers, the towers falling and other clips of actual events from 9/11.
Then, the teacher asked them to take out a sheet of paper, put their names on it, and write out one way that they would choose to inflict terror on the United States. They had to "become terrorists" then map out exactly where they would strike and what they would use to terrorize people.
She was upset by the assignment, so she simply wrote that she would drop bombs on cities, without giving any names of cities or details.
She also told me that a student next to her said he would blow up the White House, but then several other students said, "But that might make a lot of Americans sort of happy."

What do you think was the point of this teacher's assignment? I'm having trouble figuring it out....and I'm wondering if I should complain.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Wow - that is kind of fucked up.

I think there is a legitimate way to do that with kids, but I wouldn't do it without a fair amount of advanced warning, maybe a couple weeks, and a LOT of reasoning beforehand about the true value of trying to get into terrorist's heads, and trying to think like our administration (well, assuming they weren't corrupt evil fucks who WANT terrorism to happen) in order to prevent more terrorism.

There is certainly value in this kind of exercise - great value - but to do it unannounced, and without a significant amount of framework, it's just a bizarre, weird ass time waster and, quite possibly, emotionally scarring exercise.

[alittlelark]

121. Sounds odd... see post 118

[AndyA]

2. I would absolutely complain!

What the hell is this teacher thinking? Assigning something like this is not acceptable in my opinion. I would absolutely go to the Principal, the school board, the media, whatever.

What good could this possibly do? I don't have a problem with showing footage of the attack, or of the aftermath, but planning how you would do it if you were a terrorist has no place in today's schools in my opinion. That's just crazy!

Why not have an assignment that asks them to plan a way to prevent attacks, or what they would have done differently to rescue people, etc., something constructive besides pretending to be a terrorist.

[Dorian Gray]

109. I agree 100% AndyA

I don't understand the value. I can understand watching the footage and discussing everything from the victims to why the terrorists felt that they had to do this. I might even discuss some of the conspiracy theories, if brought up by the students. But the assignment, as described, is horribly invasive and disturbing.

[woodsprite]

3. I just read it to my daughter and said I'd answer "vote republican". n/t

[BuyingThyme]

59. Smart daughter.

[proud patriot]

79. I wouldn't complain until talking with the teacher

Depending upon that conversation I would then
decide whether to pursue any further concerns
with the Principal .

:hi:

EDIT Whoops I meant to reply to the op :-)

[mitchum]

4. Maybe the teacher is moonlighting as a PNAC contractor...

and getting "material for the new season"

[Roland99]

5. There's fostering debate and then there's fanaticism. This is the latter.

File a complaint.

[Lost-in-FL]

6. WTF???

I think you should consider talking to the principal about this or just switching schools.

[LearnedHand]

7. A bit weird, maybe

...but I bet the teacher's intent was to help the students understand from another perspective. I bet the freep parents will be ALL OVER that America-hatin' terrorist-sympathizing commie pinko teacher. Should your daughter maybe tell the teacher the assignment was confusing and a bit upsetting?

[Nikki Stone 1]

17. I think it may also be to highlight the children's own values

What stuctures in America do they think are important enough to attack? What does this say about being American? What does it say about their own values? What does it say about their perception of the terrorists?

Knowing that Afghanistan likes women in burkas and that terrorists dislike the evil moral influence of the West, I might have written "The Playboy Mansion." :evilgrin:

[susanna]

37. Yeah, but that's a research paper...

...not a school assignment, IMHO. Weird to me anyway. I wouldn't like that exercise at all for my kids. Strange.

[Nikki Stone 1]

39. The assignment sounds like "brainstorming" often the basis for papers

I don't know how the teacher intended to extend the assignment.

I do agree that it was in incredibly poor taste to do an assignment like that today. But I don't know that the teacher is insane, or nuts, or a CIA plant. I think it is far more likely that she was trying to give a provocative assignment that would make students think. Sort of like, if you were the British in the Revolutionary War, where would you start your campaign?

The problem is that 9/11 is still way too recent and painful. Another problem is that with our current level of terrorist panic, wiretapping and monitoring, and neocon hatred of academic freedom, an assignment like this can get a student/teacher/school district into trouble.

[susanna]

49. Exactly.

I did the "put yourself in British shoes" exercise back in the day. But it was pretty much 200 years gone. This is kinda nuts, IMHO. Still WAY too painful for too many.

[Nikki Stone 1]

50. The timing is certainly problematic.

But I don't think there is anything intrinsically wrong with the assignment, at least not in a normal world. The problem is that we are no longer in a normal world. We have to worry about being monitored, we have CIA student spies in college classrooms, etc. etc.

How scary is this current government, eh?

[susanna]

51. Oh, it absolutely is...

I agree. That's why I find the assignment odd, personally.

[Nikki Stone 1]

54. Well, I'll be interested to see what happens.

But I don't think they should tar and feather her.

[pnwmom]

77. The teacher may not be insane or a CIA plant. Just completely lacking

in common sense.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

[T Town Jake]

19. "from another perspective"....

...I'll bet they just LOVE you in Fresno, huh? Good cut-and-paste material for them, for sure.

Who are you trying to kid?

[WinkyDink]

68. IT WAS ASININE. The assignment wasn't to look up the history of

the area, or Islam, or the Crusades, or Gulf War I, or anything REMOTELY the SUBJECT of this CLASS.

[bluestateguy]

8. Based on what you are telling us

that seems like an assingment of little intellectual value, unless there is more about this that we don't know.

[Mrs. Overall]

16. I tried to get as much out of my daughter as possible--

It seems that the TV footage took up most of the class and this assignment seemed to happen at the end of class. Perhaps there will be follow up tomorrow. But I agree with on of the posters above who said that this sort of assignment needs careful talking through and preparation. From what I understand, there wasn't any of that.

[spacelady]

120. Perhaps that was an exercise to reveal a red flag,

About those who would be exercising creative thinking. OR Those who maybe would be recruits for better living thru chemistry, psy-ops, torture, etc.
Maybe these students will end up on a list somewhere.
Be ever so careful about what your child puts in writing.

[citizen snips]

9. That is a BS assignment

It appears that the teacher's intent was to make students fearful. If I were you I would complain to the principal.

[Nikki Stone 1]

10. Critical thinking exercise?

Honestly, though, I don't think today was the day for that.

[Bucky]

102. Ironic that teacher who comes up with this crap teaches critical thinking

[SnakeEyes]

11. Curious...

I'd like to know the point as well.

[Berry Cool]

15. This is nuts.

It sounds like one of those stupid new-age teaching assignments in which the focus is on getting the students to "feel" something rather than research, learn, think.

Or at least what it was designed to do is get them to think like terrorists. And is that really what they want the kids to do? With no further comment as to why?

[SnakeEyes]

53. Now while I think it is extreme,

fostering debate doesn't hurt. But based on the OP it seems that this project didn't seem to go anywhere positive.

[pnwmom]

80. Fostering debate on what? Debate on who or how to murder?

Teachers should foster debates that make some sense. Making children debate about cold blooded murder doesn't.

[lost-in-nj]

12. I'm thinking the teacher had

nothing to teach today.
You should give your daughter a hug and tell her its alright not to think that way (like a terrorist)
You should encourage her to make friends with the the other students....
Next week they will be learning something else and 911 will be a memory


lost

[Crunchy Frog]

13. Teacher sounds like she's nuts.

I wouldn't let my kid complete that assignment. A kid could get thrown in jail for completing an assignment like that. Maybe the teacher is fishing for bogus plots to feed to Homeland Security or something. That just sounds too wierd.

[Mrs. Overall]

20. Yes, I had the same thought--

What if a student wrote about a fantasy attack on DC, for instance, and then it happened....

[Crunchy Frog]

28. The attack wouldn't even have to happen.

People have gotten arrested just for talking about that sort of thing. If a kid writes something up and turns it in, it could easily be treated like it's a real plot. This is not stuff to fool around with.

[pitohui]

60. there's someone w. some common sense

wouldn't let my kid complete that assignment

i wouldn't either

[clmbohdem]

14. I would talk to the principal.

I see no value in learning how to terrorize people.

[Kajsa]

18. Not only is this nuts,

by fulfilling the assignment, the students may be
placing themselves in jeopardy.

Most school districts have very expressed rules
against students writing about plans to
bomb buildings! Hell, if they even talk
about committing a violent act against anyone
in school, they are called before the Vice Principal
and action is taken.
Even if this is assigned, it's still too risky.

This is no joke- that teacher is way out of line!

[uppityperson]

21. That is a very strange assignment and I would complain.

Ask her directly why she assigned this. Talk with the principal, go to superintendent and even to school board if needed. Asking how they feel about the attacks is 1 thing, but making them watch and "become terrorists", that goes beyond any sense of decency. Talk about manipulating children/youths/teenagers.

I just asked UPJr about this and got this rant: 9/11 was 1 day 5 yrs ago. Yes, airplanes hit buildings and a couple buildings were destroyed and people died. How abut showing pictures from Abu Ghraib, or from Iraq? 3000 people died on 9/11 and how many have been killed or died of starvation since then because of what the Administration used 9/11 as an excuse for? Show pictures of that and ask the kids how to make things better instead!

UPJr is a good person.

[Mrs. Overall]

24. Yes, UPJr is great!

My daughter is rather shy, but I think she is regretting not speaking up and voicing her objection to the assignment.

[uppityperson]

30. forgot to say

UPJr has a couple yrs on your daughter, does a good rant. Good luck with that teacher, class, school. How far out of the city are you? PM is ok.

[wellstone dem]

26. It sure sounds like he is.

Be proud.

[patrice]

22. The definition of "safety"?

Or the definition of "danger"?

What's plausible/possible (i.e could, or might happen)? How? Compared to what isn't plausible/possible? Why not?

Should we just accept what we hear on TV? read in newspapers? How does what we hear on TV compare to what we think of ourselves? What are the differences/similarities?

.........................

There's a lot that could be done with an activity like that. I (**AND SEVERAL PEOPLE IN THIS THREAD**) would have to know quite a bit more about the lesson plan to get an idea of what his/her objective was.

Ninth graders are supposed to be capable of the kind of abstraction, i.e. conceptual or hypothetical thinking, that would be necessary.

.........................................

I debated in the National Forensics League when I was in the 9th grade. The topic was: Should there be an international organization to control the proliferation of nuclear weapons? We acquired all of the gorriest evidence we could find about what nuclear war is. Had to take both pro and con positions on the question. (If you're thinking that's unusual for public education, you're right; it was a private school.)

[pnwmom]

117. Ninth graders are just beginning to develop that level

of abstract thinking. The brain continues to develop well into the 20's. And unfortunately, the part involved with impulse control is the last to be finished.

That's why teenagers can be so risky behind the wheel. Or with guns in their hands.

[Rose Siding]

23. I don't think you're overreacting. I have an 11th grader,

and I'd complain about that assignment.

If it's a "critical thinking" excercise, as suggested above, there are far more positive aspects to pursue than, basically, asking the student to plan murder.

For example (obviously), What might make someone angry enough to do something so terrible? Or, How might someone who is angry bring about change without murdering people?

[johnnie]

25. I am 100% for trying to challenge children to think "outside the box"

But I see no sensible reason for an assignment like this. What am I missing?

[patrice]

27. Find out more before you go following any of the "advice" here.

Some people seem pretty eager to think the worst of teachers, with little or NOTHING to base it on.

[Mrs. Overall]

29. I plan to but I was just curious what others thought

of the assignment. Sometimes I tend to over-react, especially with anything involving politics/religion at school. I just wanted to get some other comments, especially before I talk to either the teacher or the principal.

[patrice]

36. I taught private and public highschool for a total of 10 years.

Psychology and Journalism/Newspaper, Senior English.

If I did a lesson plan with something like that in it, I'd want to close it with an action (actually several they could choose from, or come up with one of their own) - an action designed to respond to threat and start to create safety, their plan for Homeland Security or something like that.

And as far as whether they're too young to think about violence and murder, do you think she knows what War is? Is it better to pretend about that?

[Mrs. Overall]

38. I taught also, which is why I'm having trouble understanding

the purpose of the assignment, unless it will be continued in upcoming lessons so that the students reach some resolution and insight of their own.
Having taught school, I'm always a bit hesitant to run in and complain to the teacher, since I remember what it's like to have parents who misunderstand the intent of certain lessons.
I once got screamed at by a right wing parent who was outraged that I taught Greek Mythology to her daughter because the gods and goddesses were not monogamous.

[patrice]

40. Teaching has become impossibly political anymore.

Everyone in the world knows more about it than the teacher does. Then there those who think all you need to teach is the answer book.

Not that all teachers are THAT great either. I'm certain many went into the profession to evangelize for their respective religions under the cover of their content area.

It's hard to see young people used to proove to "us" that our illusions are real.

[puffthemagicdragon]

41. exactly why I refuse to become a teacher

I have changed careers and gone off to school yet again in the last year and I know I would make a great teacher but I refuse to be in the line of fire of the parents. I already have the degree to teach but it sounds like a living hell. I know a teacher who loves teaching the children but gets nauseated by the parents. I would think that is impossible these days to be an open minded teacher who encourages the imagination.

[countingbluecars]

42. It's not impossible,

just harder than it used to be.

[patrice]

47. I'm a technical writer now. I miss teaching.

ALL of the responsibility and NONE of the power. It is as I said, anyuone in the world can walk into your room and tear your plans to shreds. My curriculum was censored in Oklahoma once because I was using a Jim Henson movie with David Bowie in it called The Labyrinth, to illustrate issues in adolescent female social development. It had been approved through appropriate channels, but the school wouldn't stand up to the fundies who apparently didn't like David Bowie especially as the Goblin King.

Yep, all of the work and responsibility, but none of the power, EXCEPT - the power of when a kid would turn-onto your content area. There'd be one or two a year; they actually kind of light up. It's very cool and exciting. I miss that.

[patrice]

48. I'm a technical writer now. I miss teaching.

ALL of the responsibility and NONE of the power. It is as I said, anyuone in the world can walk into your room and tear your plans to shreds. My curriculum was censored in Oklahoma once because I was using a Jim Henson movie with David Bowie in it called The Labyrinth, to illustrate issues in adolescent female social development. It had been approved through appropriate channels, but the school wouldn't stand up to the fundies who apparently didn't like David Bowie especially as the Goblin King.

Yep, all of the work and responsibility, but none of the power, EXCEPT - the power of when a kid would turn-onto your content area. There'd be one or two a year; they actually kind of light up. It's very cool and exciting. I miss that.

[puffthemagicdragon]

56. and people wonder why there is a shortage of teachers

qualified teachers at that. I taught at a University as an assistant and had a strong passion to then teach 9-12th grade but I wouldnt touch that with a ten foot pole with all of the parents that complain and try to get good teachers fired just because their beliefs contrast. Pretty soon teachers will be government robots that are only allowed a strict curriculum. pretty sad

[patrice]

65. I feel guilty though. The kids liked me. It was far from a perfect

classroom, I failed a bunch of them over the years (there were also many who scored 4s and 5s on the college boards in Psych), but overall they liked the fact that I believed they could think. I know it sounds corny, but I really did encourage them to think about stuff and I was enthusiastic about the things I taught. It was sooooo great when one or two would who turn-on to things like neurophysiology, say, or someone would steal my thesaurus (which I considered a good sign). They enjoy philosophy and we had a lot of fun with it.

It kept getting harder and harder though. I don't think I could survive in a classroom anymore.

[RoyGBiv]

33. I agree ...

I would be inclined to want to talk to the teacher about it and get input on what the intent behind the assignment actually was. Hopefully a follow-up to writing out the thoughts on paper will be forthcoming. Otherwise, the assignment really has little purpose.

I can, however, think of several potentially positive lessons to be learned from this, all of which take kids outside their bubbles and move them just a little bit into the world of reality. It sounds to me similar to something I've known teachers to do that forces kids to address stereotypes they've developed.

[pnwmom]

71. I would think any teacher with common sense would realize

how controversial this assignment would be, and would give parents a heads up -- or at least explain to the students what the point of the assignment was.

[RoyGBiv]

94. An empty argument ...

In many communities, "any teacher with common sense" would send out permission slips before teaching such controversial concepts as physical science. The foundation of physical science, indeed the scientific method itself, is completely opposed to the principles of many religious factions.

The same kind of rhetoric is used with altered words. These are KIDS. They are impressionable. I don't want my little one hearing such nonsense or acquiring knowledge that might possibly condemn my child's soul to Hell.

That said, I am not suggesting the assignment is a good one. I'm saying *we* don't have enough information to make such a judgement. Of course, I realize that won't stop anyone.

One of my daughter's history/social studies teachers has given assignments I thought were incredibly stupid. (History was my degree.) In almost all cases, the reason I thought this was based on my daughter's description of the assignment combined with instructions she'd brought home that required the context of the teacher's in-class instruction to make complete sense. For example, during the 2004 election, my daughter was required to write a brief essay discussing why George Bush would make a good President. Naturally, I was horrified and almost went off half-cocked. I did speak with him the next day after telling her not to do it. After I spoke with him, I realized *I* was the idiot. Her teacher was trying to help hone her debating skills. He was impressed by her ability to carrying on a political argument in class, but he wanted her to be able to view matters from the opposing side so that she could begin to anticipate counter-arguments. It was rather advanced for a kid her age, but it's very basic stuff, and I remember it well from my debate and rhetoric classes in college. In other words, once I understood the context, I understood the purpose of the assignment.

Perhaps this assignment has no purpose. Perhaps it does. A simple question for the teacher, "What is the purpose of this assignment?" without any accusations up front will be far more helpful for this situation than calling the teacher crazy or, by default, lacking common sense.

[pnwmom]

106. Asking the students to make their personal plans for murdering

civilians is not the same as teaching physics, biology, or history.

The teacher shouldn't have assigned this essay without explaining the purpose to parents in advance. It also would have made sense for her to clear this with the principal.

The students were asked to write the essay, with no warning, IN CLASS. They had no chance to talk about it with their parents before doing the work. They were a captive audience to their teacher's nutty lesson plan.

It's too late to undo any damage that was done. We're left with hoping that the teacher has some justification for the assignment that wasn't communicated to the student.

[RoyGBiv]

111. Therein lies the problem ...

You interpret the assignment as asking the students to plan murder. You have preconceptions about what words mean, some of which have likely been engrained into your mind in the last several years.

You know, I hope, that people exist who do this for a living -- think of ways of terrorizing people, not so they can do so but so they can prevent against it. The mistake is in believing "terror" is the equivalent of mass murder.

I'm more convinced than before this kind of exercise could have some utility. Many of the responses in this thread indicate the need for it.

Speaking of nutty ... you've seen this lesson plan and are therefore qualified to make such a judgement? If teachers start having to clear every part of their lesson plan with every parent every day, we may as well just quit pretending and shut it down and let our kids be ignorant. The logic you use could be used by anyone for any reason at all.

People jump to such wonderful conclusions based on no evidence around here.

[pnwmom]

114. Did you even read the OP?

"In my daughter's 9th grade history class today (we live just outside of Seattle), she and her classmates were shown actual footage (I believe from CNN) of the planes hitting the towers, the towers falling and other clips of actual events from 9/11.
Then, the teacher asked them to take out a sheet of paper, put their names on it, and write out one way that they would choose to inflict terror on the United States. They had to "become terrorists" then map out exactly where they would strike and what they would use to terrorize people.
She was upset by the assignment, so she simply wrote that she would drop bombs on cities, without giving any names of cities or details.
She also told me that a student next to her said he would blow up the White House, but then several other students said, "But that might make a lot of Americans sort of happy."

In other words, the kids were shown footage of the MURDER of 3,000 Americans, then asked to "write out one way that they would choose to inflict terror on the United States." And they were to "map out exactly where they would strike and what they would use to terrorize people."

Naturally, after watching the videos, the students wrote about bombing cities or the White House.

Unlike you, I trust that that 14 year old was capable of telling her parent what the assignment was, and that that parent accurately described it to us.

And unlike you, I can't imagine that assignment being justified under ANY circumstances. Let the teacher find another way to teach critical thinking, if that was the idea. Or to kill time, if that was her problem.

[RoyGBiv]

119. Did you read it?

Yes, I know you just posted it, but did you *read* it.

The OP laid out the assignment and then presented us with an interpretation of the assignment as though they were the same thing, said interpretating being why the OP was upset. "Murder" was a word introduced by the OP. If my interpretation is correct, the interpretation was the *point*.

Again, a follow-up from the OP would be nice, and yet again, I am witholding judgment on this assignment until some detail is offered as to the teacher's intentions. Every one of you who says this is nutback teacher may be correct, but you don't *know* that any more than I do. I am merely discussing how this kind of assignment *could* be used.

And one of those ways is this: We've come to equate "terrorism" with blowing up buildings and killing people en mass. This is the case, in part, because of 9/11 and the way the media have covered it. Show the students the footage that the MSM has drilled into our minds, just to refresh them on it, then ask them to define terrorism from a 1st person point of view. The depth to which the last 5 years has affected our children and to what degrees could be suggested by the types of responses. Blowing up the White House was one answer. The definition of terror in this child's mind is attacking a government building. Others suggest that would upset a lot of people. Interesting that, since blowing up the White House affects almost no one directly but Dear Leader and his crew. Interesting that, at least from the OP's description, no one mentioned attacking the infrastructure of the nation in such a way that we lose, say, basic utilities. That would inflict far more pure terror, and the people who truly study this are aware of this. Computer security experts (the real ones, not the ones you see paraded across CNN) spend countless hours on the problem.

*If* a proper follow-up was done, the point, had I done this, would have been to make the students think about who tells me what terrorism is and why I think that. Why am *I* afraid because of a horrible tragedy that was replayed over and over and over again and used by politicians over and over and over again when thousands died in Katrina, something that is far more likely to happen again very soon, and uncounted thousands more have died and are dying due to polution, lack of health care, etc.? Want to know how I would terrorize the United States? I would do everything in my power to ensure neo-conservatives continue to run the government, and that is not a flippant answer.

[pnwmom]

122. These are 9th graders, not college students. I've got an eighth grader,

and I bet I'm more in touch with this age than you are -- unless you're a teacher of that age group.

The level of discourse of which you speak would be appropriate to college students, or perhaps an advanced high school class -- but not in the first week of 9th grade with a brand new teacher in a brand new school!

I still say that this teacher had a responsibility to explain the assignment to the parents BEFORE she sprang it on the students. I know the teachers at my kid's school would have had the common sense to do that.

[Renew Deal]

63. You're either with the teachers or against them.

:wtf:

[WinkyDink]

69. I was a teacher. NOTHING more said could redeem this assignment.

NOTHING.
The students were asked to write of HOW THEY WOULD KILL THEIR FELLOW CITIZENS.

This is MIND-BOGGLING, whether pre- or post-9/11/01.

How about: Let's watch footage of "Columbine". Write how you would slaughter the students in this school.

See? STUPEFYINGLY INAPPROPRIATE.

[pnwmom]

72. I agree. Asking students to write about how to murder people is nuts.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

76. Bullshit.

Common creative writing assignment- How would you commit the perfect murder?

[pnwmom]

81. This is a history class, not a creative writing class. And these are KIDS,

whose brains are still developing, and whose emotions are highly vulnerable.

What if one of the students in the class was unstable? As in Columbine, or the student who killed his family in Oregon? Should a teacher be encouraging this kind of planning? Absolutely not.

And haven't you heard about the kids who have had the FBI "interview" them after they turned in artwork that seemed to threaten Bush?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

83. You just said it was nuts.

You didn't make any qualifiers.

But yeah, it's still creative writing. They're including creative writing into all sorts of classes nowadays, which is fine with me. And last I checked, 9-11 was a historical event.

"And these are KIDS, whose brains are still developing, and whose emotions are highly vulnerable."

Oh, god forbid highschool students learn creative writing and critical thinking.

:eyes:

"What if one of the students in the class was unstable?"

Well then it wouldn't matter if the student were asked about this, or asked to fingerpaint a picture of ponies frolicking in a field of buttercups.

"As in Columbine, or the student who killed his family in Oregon?"

Yeah, it always comes back to Columbine, doesn't it. Kid points his finger at another student and says bang? It could be another columbine. Kid draws a picture of a dragon eating a bunch of village people? Could be another Columbine. Kid dresses up in black clothers? Could be another Columbine. Has it occurred to you that maybe these kids are lashing out because they're being treated like shit?

"Should a teacher be encouraging this kind of planning? Absolutely not."

And do you suppose that this creative writing assignment has anything to do with actually planning a terrorist attack?

Thank you, madam, for illustrating the reason why the teaching of critical thinking is so important today.

"And haven't you heard about the kids who have had the FBI "interview" them after they turned in artwork that seemed to threaten Bush?"

Well, that's exactly my point. Now isn't it?

[RoyGBiv]

87. To be precise, "writing"

It is usually called "writing across the curriculum" or some variation on that theme.

All writing involves a creative process, which is part of the point. Kids especially need to be exposed to and allowed to refine this skill *while* their brains are still developing. Adults who have not yet learned to think critically, use their imaginations, and step into other's shoes have a very difficult time doing so as adults.

Not disagreeing at all, just refining.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

89. Hmm, OK.

I suppose there's creative writing, technical writing...

what else is common? Say in a history class?

[RoyGBiv]

96. Not wanting to pick ...

I'm not trying to pick at your use of words. I agree with what you're saying. It's just that "creative writing" is typically associated with short stories, poetry, etc. written with an eye to the forms and style of these disciplines. Some (most, maybe) would associate creative writing with writing fiction, but it's more than that. It's also understanding the manner in which fiction is developed, understanding character, themes, pacing ... and so on.

Teaching technical writing is similar. A technical writing course would examine the forms and purpose, the style, the kinds of sentence structure involved in writing for certain purposes.

But all writing is creative. The goal of a history teacher, for example, is not to teach "creative writing" but to use the creative process of writing as a tool. The result may be fiction, or it may be a combination, or it may be almost purely non-fiction. What's being taught, however, is something other than the processes defined above. Some history teachers will use the "what-if" scenario to teach critical thinking and evaluation of sources. The result is either pure fiction or something that can't be proven, but the lesson involved doesn't rely on that.

Eh ... I should just let it go because I'm probably confusing things. Like I said, I was agreeing with you.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

97. No... I'm asking...

I know you're not trying to be argumentative.

I'm saying that the clear purpose of these writing assigments in all sorts of classes are to teach creative writing (in English class, of course), and technical writing (physics class, for instance.)

...but I'm wondering what the sort of focus is in something like history.

Is there something besides 'creative' and 'technical' that I'm not thinking of?

[RoyGBiv]

100. Expository Writing ...

Sorry. I misunderstood your comments.

Writing for social sciences tends to be labeled expository writing, or, very basically, writing that explains something.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

125. Ah. Expository.

It occurred to me during this thread that creative writing in history must be a really nice tool.

I bet there are all sorts of students that couldn't give a wit about dates or battles or all the conventional stuff associated with history, but would suddenly really become interested in the subject if they, say, had to write a story about a teenager during the Civil War.

[pnwmom]

91. Your point isn't clear at all. This teacher is asking students to put

their names to written terror plans. In the wrong hands, these plans could get the students in a lot of trouble.

Of course the students might be lashing out "because they're being treated like shit." But you don't solve the problem by asking them to plan terror attacks, any more than you'd solve the problem by handing them a grenade.

There are an unlimited number of creative writing assignments that could teach critical thinking. They don't need this one.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

92. Jesus fucking Christ.

It's got nothing to do with terrorist plans, it's a creative writing assignment.

That's like saying Tom Clancy drew up plans on how to detonate a nuclear bomb in Baltimore and Shirley Jackson conspired with village folk to murder one of their own.

"Of course the students might be lashing out "because they're being treated like shit." But you don't solve the problem by asking them to plan terror attacks, any more than you'd solve the problem by handing them a grenade."

YOu don't solve the problem by treating them like shit again. Namely- treating them like they're too stupid to know the difference between creative writing and planning attacks.

"There are an unlimited number of creative writing assignments that could teach critical thinking. They don't need this one."

Well then you don't have to assign this one for your class.

[pnwmom]

93. Yes, and I can complain to the principal, too, if the teacher won't listen

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

95. Yeah, and that's the problem.

That's why kids are getting investigated from FBI for wearing anti-Bush T-shirts, and getting expelled for wearing black trenchcoats.

Not to mention why Shel Silverstein books are getting banned, or why good kids are getting disenfranchised and resorting to violence.

[pnwmom]

103. Oh sure, blame the parents. It's all our fault.

In your view, parents who complain about assignments like this are responsible for the overreaching FBI, book banning, and kids resorting to violence? You're got to be kidding. Hey, you forgot global warming and the Iraq war. What aren't we responsible for?

No, it's the idiots who have filled this culture with images of violence, and made weapons easily available, and who don't take care of their own kids or believe in society's responsiblility to support families, who are responsible for kids turning to violence.

Not responsible parents who look out for their children.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

126. Oh, I'm not talking about parents.

I'm talking about bullies.

You know, people who may or may not be parents, but still feel the need to shove their noses where it doesn't belong and tell other people what they can and cannot do.

[spacelady]

128. Oh well, I'm just going to jump in the middle here. Students of this age

should not be censored, because the creative thinkers {Stephen King) cannot be stopped anyway, they will imagine & express on their own. On the other hand, an assignment such as this brings people that may not need the extra impetus to focus on a specific action (murdering people) that tweaks them to that edge. So, with that in mind, a class assignment that dwells on better living thru terrorism is not appropriate in a public school setting. I am basically saying this theme is too narrow.

[madeline_con]

132. You're almost on that slope where...

handing out condoms makes people have sex.

"... the extra impetus ... that tweaks them to that edge".


:shrug:

[spacelady]

144. Oh poo, they are going to have sex anyway. But MURDER?.........

Condoms or not. By all means slippery slope me & explain.

[madeline_con]

131. Chances are, at least one kid is unstable.

There's really nothing anyone can do about that except watch out for warning signs. Refusing to use certain lesson plans for fear of freaking out a psycho is ridiculuos.

[pnwmom]

134. But why use that lesson plan when there are an unlimited number

of better ones, that wouldn't require a student to imagine being a terrorist, choosing targets?

This isn't like telling a teacher not to teach evolution, when evolution is the foundation of biology.

This would mean substituting one ad-hoc essay for another. I can't imagine any loss to the student if they were asked to write an essay instead on, for example, what could they think the causes of terrorism could be.

[madeline_con]

143. Maybe, like Stephen King's writing, the idea is....

what scares you? What could happen that would cause you terror?

Sometimes discussing it in a familiar environment with friends can help. A form of counseling.

The causes of terrorism is a good point. Most of those allegedly in charge are not poverty stricken, uneducated misfits as the administration's propoganda machine would have the populace believe.

[spacelady]

146. Why not explore that theme? Sounds like a good one, assignment -wise.

[madeline_con]

148. But wouldn't most people do that?

I mean, write about what scares the pants of themselves, because that's terror from their perspective. Anything written about how they'd inflict terror would give insight into that. That feeds into this being a from of counseling I mentioned in another post. :shrug:

[spacelady]

149. According to the scope of the assignment as described, they are

being specifically asked for a recipe of how to terrorize better. Not a good theme for any thinking IMHO at this age.

[madeline_con]

151. I tend to see it as harmless...

because we all sat down and wrote about it, we got it oput of our system.

Everything a kid that age sees, they don't necessarily monkey see monkey do it. If they did, they'd all be dead from stupid stunts on their favorite shows.

There is always that certain percent of psychos who will inevitibly blow something up or kill someone, even if they never have this kind of assignment.

[spacelady]

154. Ah yes, never that monkey thing, and of course there is a certain percent

but back in my time (70's) we did not have the instant tools for communication (talking) and did not enjoy reliable forms of transport (cars that ran) not parents that wiped our butts every time we turned around (gratuitous attack). We most certainly DID NOT have to write a PAPER about the best way to kill our fellow Americans! We had better things to do (don't ask, it just WAS). Find that WAS & feel better.

[pnwmom]

159. And how much training do you think that teacher had in counseling?

Not enough, obviously.

[pnwmom]

138. Why do you say it's little or nothing? Do you think the writer of

the OP wasn't accurately reporting the essay topic? Do you not trust a 14 year old to remember a writing assignment she had earlier that day?

[Nevernose]

31. I'm a radical liberal commie leftist teacher, and that's fucked up

We didn't even duscuss it in my classes today. The freshman didn't say anything -- they were in elemntary at the time, and probably too young to really remember or understand, for the most part.

The juniors and seniors wondered why we weren't talking about it. I told them the truth: partly it was because they's talked about it in every other class, partly because they remember it for themselves (why teach them what they already know?), and mostly because it still upsets me so much. I don't want to feel that way again, and other than teling kids that, there's not much I can do to make them understand.

I hate the exploitive nature and gruesome aspects of what it's become. If the media is any judge of character -- and I pray it's not -- then society has become a freakshow.

I mean, seriously, can you imagine Oliver Stone releasing "JFK" in 1968?

A side note: most of my ELL kids last year, even those that were living here at the time, had no idea what 9/11 was or what an ah-RAHB was. It's not that I have anything against immigrants -- indeed, they were largely my best students, and even hated George Bush -- but they didn't have any idea as to what had occurred even within their own lifetimes in countries outside Central America, including the coutry they were born in.

[razors edge]

32. any chance the cia

has ran out of good ideas and is fishing?

[Canuckistanian]

34. That is very wrong

As a national security exercise, it would be laudable.

But as an assignment to 9th graders, it's..... well, I don't know what it is.

But one thing is for sure. The RWNJs will have a field day with this story.

[SoyCat]

35. I'm probably reading way too much into this but I would worry about what

those papers could be used for in the future. Think about it: Terror plots complete with a student's name.

[shadowknows69]

43. My conspiracy theory radar went off with that one too Soycat

But then this administration has me seeing conspiracies in my bowl of cornflakes.

[pnwmom]

74. Right. Some of those kids could get a visit from the FBI!

It's already happened, when kids have simply drawn offensive pictures of Bush in art class.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

90. Sure.

Thanks to over-reacting alarmist fucks.

[Julius Civitatus]

44. That is fucked up

Totally fucked up, no matter which way you look at it.

I would raise hell if they told my kids to do this type of sick assignment. It's wrong and psychotic.

[pnwmom]

45. I think that was an insane assignment.

I think you should complain to the principal, and go higher if you need to.

(And can you imagine if the FBI got hold of some of the more imaginative essays? That's probably one it would be better to fail.)

[aikoaiko]

46. You should ask the teacher before complaining.

Let her explain and then make your decision.

I don't have much faith in him/her giving an adequate answer. My evaluation of a lot of grade school teachers is very low -- too many good intentions, not enough knowledge of pedagogy or content.

[lynne]

52. I have a 9th grade son -

- and they did have a moment of silence for the victims but no class assignments related to 09/11. This assignment sounds insane! I have no problem with the footage as most kids have seen it on TV. But to ask children to think and write on paper how they would commit mass murder?? Come on! That's waaaay over any line I can even imagine. I know it would upset my son horribly to have to write something like that.

I would ask the teacher first - just to make sure I'd not misunderstood. If the assignment was as it sounds, I'd file a formal complaint. Even if her intent was honorable, her method and judgment was so poor that I question if she should be teaching 14 year old children.

[madmusic]

55. The government asked for Hollywood's help...

To imagine scenarios to help prevent them. Maybe this is something different.

Or maybe it is meant to reach deep and understand our (their) own Shadow. We all have one. What are we that mad at? It is interesting" "But that might make a lot of Americans sort of happy."

Children are not stupid and they always know what is going on. Expressing their feelings and reactions are another story. In that sense, I praise this teacher for granting that much trust in her students. There's a good chance they are lucky to have her.

[pnwmom]

140. This teacher doesn't know any of those students.

They are 9th graders, in the first week of a new school, with a new teacher. Maybe she should have waited to get to know them individually, and to establish mutual trust, before she made such an assignment.

[BuyingThyme]

57. Aren't they arresting kids who write such things these days?

[pitohui]

62. yes they are

DO NOT let a child complete an assignment stating she would commit such acts

it just ain't worth it

and if it affects the child's grade, time to get the news media and the court of public opinion on it

"my child is being punished for not wanting to think like a terrorist" is a hell of a better sound bite than "my child has just been arrested for writing an assignment about how she plans to bomb the white house"

either the teacher is stupid or malevolent (a sociopath or psychopath) -- either way there is NOTHING to be gained by playing this game

[pitohui]

58. that crosses a line

if in the wrong hands, the student's handwritten statement that he would bomb the white house could destroy his life

no student should have written anything planning a terror event and if pressed they should have left and immediately gotten assistance from another responsible adult

those papers could follow these kids around for life if they got into the wrong hands

i would complain and insist they (the papers) all be destroyed NOW

[Renew Deal]

61. It sounds like a bad assignment. Talk to the teacher.

[Rex]

64. Very good question; taught 9th grade world geography last year.

I'm not sure that assignment is legit. Did the teacher explain WHY they needed to 'feel' like a terrorist?

[No Exit]

66. I wish I were in that teacher's class

I could write a nice essay on How To Inflict Terror On The United States.

"I would listen in on people when they talked to their family and friends, so that they would be afraid to talk to them. I would send policemen to go in people's houses when the people weren't home, and read their most private letters and look at all their private stuff, even their diaries. I would make sure if people wanted to go out in the street and talk about politics, that they had to stay in corrals far away from everyone else. I would arrest teachers who said things I didn't like.
I would take away people's sons and daughters and send them to a horrible place where their arms and legs would get blown off by bombs. If the sons and daughters got killed, I would tell their mothers that they weren't so great anyway, and that no one even cares that they got killed.
I would spy on what people said on the internet. I would tell people to turn in their neighbors for saying things I didn't like. I would tell all the people that God hates them, and that God only loves me and my friends. I would tell them that God doesn't want them any more, and so they only have me, and they have to do whatever I say. I would keep telling people that bad men from other countries were trying to kill them right now. If they didn't believe me, I'd go get some bad men from other countries, or just some of my friends, and get them to go kill some of the people, so it would prove I was right."

[WinkyDink]

67. Oh, man. That teacher is in a world of hurt. ANY assignment asking

that students consider murder and mayhem is WAYYYYYYYY out of bounds, let alone one on "how would you terrorize"!!

REPORT THIS MORON ASAP!!!!!!!!!!!

[blogslut]

70. That's messed up

I would ask for a conference with both the teacher and the principal and air this situation out. Asking school children to create murder scenarios? That's messed up.

[greccogirl]

73. This is not only weird, but in many schools

if they catch a student with a paper saying something like this they could be arrested. I'd really complain.................

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

75. Critical thinking? My goodness, that bitch.

God forbid, somebody should actually think about what makes a potential target.

Everybody knows it's petting zoos in Indiana.

[CarlVK]

115. Hahaaha, well put!

[cynatnite]

78. Go straight to the teacher...

see what she has to say about it then go from there.

[Name removed]

82. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

84. Yes. By all means.

I'm sure the FBI's got nothing better to do than investigate this.

That'll help the war on terror.

:thumbsup:

[Name removed]

85. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

86. ?!

So was I.

:P

[Name removed]

88. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[pnwmom]

98. Welcome to DU, stjoan1!

[tinfoil tiaras]

99. Holy shit that's horrible

Nothing much else to say...just...wow.

We didn't really focus on 9/11 much, we just had a moment of silence in all school meeting before the prayer for the victims and whatnot (i go to a private school, so the prayer thing is okay and all)

[Bucky]

101. As a teacher and a strong proponent of academic freedom, I think...

this teacher needs to be reported. It could be that your girl didn't understand the whole assignment. I'm sure such a bizarre activity must be leading somewhere higher up the Bloom's taxonomy of cognitive skills. But it really sounds inappropriate and the principal ought to have a chance to straighten out this teacher before some right wing media loon starts hyping this idiocy for ratings.

You really shouldn't subject kids to that kind of emotional stress. It'd be borderline abusive to some more sensitive kids.

[pnwmom]

104. My 13 year old son still has very clear memories of 9/11.

He would have hated this assignment.

And the ones who enjoyed it . . . I'd worry about.

[lumberjack_jeff]

105. Here's the litmus test:

If the assignment were to do an activity that would earn you a visit by the principal/counselor/cops/secret service if done outside the auspices of a classroom assignment, it's fucked up.

It's exactly analagous to asking the students to go research a meth recipe as a health class assignment.

Find out what the hell the teacher was thinking, and unless he/she does some real good 'splainin, talk to the superintendent.

[pnwmom]

107. "It's exactly analogous to asking the students to research a meth recipe"

Well said, lumberjack_jeff.

Great analogy.

[Dorian Gray]

108. That's terrible....

did the teacher say anything to the students about WHY he/she was handing out this assignment?

[CarlVK]

110. Teacher was trying to get them to idefine "terror"

As in, what comprises the act in their minds. It would be an excellent first exercise in the study of terrorism, from which I'd point to other kinds of terrorism....like invading and occupying a country who never did anything to us, by brute military force.

The teacher was brilliant, actually.

[RoyGBiv]

112. I think that's spot-on ...

This is what I was thinking as well.

A follow-up from the original poster would be nice on this. Perhaps it's here, and I missed it.

As noted elsewhere, all the handwringing on this could be solved with a simple, polite question. If this answer is a bad one, then might be the time to be pissed. Until then, I think rushing to judgment is probably the worst possible tactic.

[pnwmom]

116. Are you a mind reader? Or are you that teacher?

How do you know what that teacher was trying to get the students to do?

This is what the OP said:

"In my daughter's 9th grade history class today (we live just outside of Seattle), she and her classmates were shown actual footage (I believe from CNN) of the planes hitting the towers, the towers falling and other clips of actual events from 9/11.
Then, the teacher asked them to take out a sheet of paper, put their names on it, and write out one way that they would choose to inflict terror on the United States. They had to "become terrorists" then map out exactly where they would strike and what they would use to terrorize people.
She was upset by the assignment, so she simply wrote that she would drop bombs on cities, without giving any names of cities or details.
She also told me that a student next to her said he would blow up the White House, but then several other students said, "But that might make a lot of Americans sort of happy."

The kids were supposed to "map out exactly where they would strike and what they would use to terrorize people." And this assignment was given right after showing videos of 9.11 and the murders of 3000 people.

The teacher didn't ask them to DEFINE terrorism. She asked them to plan it.

[madeline_con]

133. Which would, by definition include a description of what

terrorism is in the mind of the writer (student).

I'm amazed at some of the responses on DU, the supposedly liberal site that abhors censorship!?

[pnwmom]

135. What does this have to do with censorship?

The students aren't being censored. The student in the OP was uncomfortable at having to write the essay.

The teacher is being criticized for assigning the topic, without explaining to the parents, or even the students, what the purpose of the essay was. This took place in the first week of 9th grade! In a brand new school, with a brand new teacher (who doesn't know the students individually at all) a class of 14 year olds are asked to imagine themselves as terrorists and to write their terrorist plans.

This is not the way to begin 9th grade. This teacher showed extremely poor judgment. I'm against censorship, but I'm also against stupidity.

[madeline_con]

141. You're calling for the teacher to be censored.

All we know is what the parent of a kid heard a kid tell her. Third hand knowledge of a teacher who may have explained the assignment while the kid wasn't listening. It's a posibility.

[pnwmom]

147. I'm calling for the teacher to exercise common sense.

Censorship has to do with writing and speaking. Not with assigning school work.

The teacher made the students write this in class, without sharing the topic with parents ahead of time. If there was some justification for this in the lesson plan (which, I admit, I can't imagine) I think this would have been better as a homework assignment, so if a student was upset -- as this girl was -- she could discuss that with her parents and her parents could then help her deal with it.

As it is, the student didn't know the teacher. She was in the first week of school, in a brand new (for her) school. She's only 14, and suddenly she has a teacher asking her to plan terror in the U.S. How can anyone be surprised that this would make many students extremely uncomfortable? And why does a teacher who doesn't even know her students yet -- they're all new to her -- have the right to do that?

[madeline_con]

150. Writing an essay is about free speech.

The teacher as well as the students are guaranteed that right. The teacher might actually be illustrating that Americans have the right to write about things that others may find objectionable. Maybe the whole thing is an exercise in free speech.

There might have been other ways to explore the same idea, but I don't think the assignemnt is essentially harmful. Ninth graders are 14 years old, hardly babies.

Maybe the teacher wanted to jolt the class into thinking about something that strayed from the usual pablum spewed by the texts. :boring:

[spacelady]

153. Feel free to write any speech you want. I have the feeling this teacher

would love it. However the focus as described stifles an open
discussion. Either the teacher was misquoted or misguided. This was not a good assigned theme.

[pnwmom]

158. Teachers are NOT guaranteed that right. Not in class, they aren't.

Do you think they are guaranteed the right to try to persuade their students to vote Republican, for instance? Or to push the Bible on the "unchurched"? Or to use bigoted language in class? Of course not. They are there to teach a certain curriculum, not to advocate for their personal opinions.

The right to free speech doesn't give the teacher the right to assign any essay topic she chooses. For example, do you think a teacher should be able to assign the essay topic of how to rape another student? It wouldn't be pablum. The topic is certainly relevant to students. It affects a huge number of students (far more than are directly affected by terrorism) and it's even happened in schools. Maybe we should have all the students write an essay imagining who they would rape and where and how they would carry it out. :sarcasm:

Would this be a good exercise in critical thinking? In creative writing? In tension-release? NO!!!!!

I don't see how assigning the topic of planning rape would be any different than assigning the topic in the OP. And I'm not advocating censorship when I say that neither topic would be appropriate to assign to a bunch of 14 year olds in their first week of school. If ever.

[mnhtnbb]

113. Definitely talk to the teacher. Next stop, the principal.

Encouraging kids to think like terrorists is a very bizarre assignment for 9th grade.

[alittlelark]

118. You have been here almost 4 years and have 500 or so posts.

WOW.


What brought you here today to discuss the problem?


If you give us the teacher and/or the school I'm sure DU could help you do something.

Your Profile says nothing.

[pnwmom]

123. Naming the teacher here would be completely inappropriate.

Or even the school.

You seem to be implying something by your comment about the number of posts. What?

[breakaleg]

124. I'd go straight to the principal with this.

[BoneDaddy]

127. Totally bizarre

and innappropriate. I thought you were going to rail on about the exposure of 911 and what may have come out of a group discussion but this exercise is ridiculous, insensitive and dangerous thinking.

[madeline_con]

129. Maybe it was meant to serve as a psychological release.

Planning the demise of others can help relieve tension and stress caused by traumatic events.

It's possible the assignment had that general purpose in mind.

[pnwmom]

137. Why would you release tension by planning the murder of Americans?

Maybe it would release tension to plan how to catch bin Laden. But why Americans?

[madeline_con]

139. Who said it was Americans?

Can't the terror be directed at whomever the writer chooses?

[pnwmom]

142. No, it can't. The OP specifically said it was terror against the U.S.

that was to be planned by the students.

"In my daughter's 9th grade history class today (we live just outside of Seattle), she and her classmates were shown actual footage (I believe from CNN) of the planes hitting the towers, the towers falling and other clips of actual events from 9/11.

Then, the teacher asked them to take out a sheet of paper, put their names on it, and write out one way that they would choose to inflict terror on the United States."

Do you still think this would be a healthy release of tension?

[madeline_con]

145. It's hard to talk about for some people.

But maybe it's o.k. to take terror out of its little dark corner or down off its pedastal of sanctity and give it a good look in the light of day. Exploring it in all its ugliness can help a lot of people start to understand some of its causes, like you said. If it remains the big taboo no one can talk about except for hand-wringing and memorial services, the next generation won't know what terror looks like unless a plane is hitting a building.

[roody]

130. What a lame teacher!!!

[sueh]

136. Please fill us in when you've spoken with the teacher.

I agree it was a strange assignment, and I could speculate for hours over this. But. getting it from the source would be really helpful.

[helderheid]

152. you are not over reacting. go here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=364&topic_id=2126587&mesg_id=2126587

[Cleita]

155. There is no point to that assignment. Complain and loudly. n/t

[John Q. Citizen]

156. Ask the teacher why and what.

[spacelady]

157. That is the best name. How did you??

I wish I'd thought of it. But I can't have it, can I?

[John Q. Citizen]

160. I'm considering it. Maybe we can work out a deal.

However, I have to say out front, that spacelady probably wouldn't work for me personally as a handle.

Have you considered Jane Q. Citizen? Joan Q. Citizen? Fred Q. Citizen? John Q. Citizen2?