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In Common Core, TN 7th graders recite "Allah is the

Posted: Sep 5, 2015

Brandee Porterfield doesn’t think her daughter should be assigned to write “Allah is the only god; Mohammad is his prophet” as a school assignment. “To me, a Christian child should not be made to write that,” Porterfield, mother of a seventh grader at Spring Hill Middle School, told the Columbia Daily News. She also takes offense to what she said is a three week focus on Islam in her daughter’s history course, especially since the class skipped past a chapter on Christianity – the predominant religion in Tennessee. “I have a big problem with that,” Porterfield said. “From a historical point of view, that’s a lot of history these kids are missing. Also, for them to spend three weeks on Islam after having skipped Christianity, it seems to me they are making a choice about which religion to discuss.” Brandee Porterfield doesn’t think her daughter should be assigned to write “Allah is the only god; Mohammad is his prophet” as a school assignment. “To me, a Christian child should not be made to write that,” Porterfield, mother of a seventh grader at Spring Hill Middle School, told the Columbia Daily News. She also takes offense to what she said is a three week focus on Islam in her daughter’s history course, especially since the class skipped past a chapter on Christianity – the predominant religion in Tennessee. “I have a big problem with that,” Porterfield said. “From a historical point of view, that’s a lot of history these kids are missing. Also, for them to spend three weeks on Islam after having skipped Christianity, it seems to me they are making a choice about which religion to discuss.” Porterfield said the class skipped Christianity because it’s not required by the state’s standards. Those standards, TN Core, are very similar to the national Common Core standards, though Gov. Bill Haslam signed a bill scrapping Common Core in May. Porterfield said her daughter’s teacher “was not happy about it” but said she must follow the standards.... “My child was required to write ‘Allah is the only God,’” Ellis said. “This is a seventh grade state standard, and will be on the (state standardized test). Christianity was completely skipped and is not a standard. I didn’t have a problem with the history of Islam being taught, but to go so far as to make my child write the Shahada, is unacceptable.” ;

What happened to separation of church and state - that the schools promote?

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Public schools are becoming nothing but propaganda.

Progressives only use that when it suits their - political agenda. Nothing is consistent

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anymore.

it's changed from the original intent - anon

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Separation of church and state has meanings:
1. The government cannot show preference to one religion over another, and
2. The government will not get involved in religious issues.

Public schools should not be teaching anything to do with religion UNLESS it is historically based (i.e. how religion had an impact on the Salem witchcraft trials) or it's a parochial school.

Common Core is a political agenda cleverly disguised as - curriculum. I'm sure the ACLU

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will be all over this (sarcasm).

Focus on Islam? I wonder if the teacher will also - cover female genitalia mutilation,

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honor killing, the right of men to beat wives and daughters if they displease them, and killing of infidels.

This country has officially gone insane.

A nation can survive its fools and even the ambitious. - But it cannot survive treason from within.

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An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself. For the traitor appears not a traitor; he speaks in accents familiar to his victims, and he wears their face and their arguments, he appeals to the baseness that lies deep in the hearts of all men. He rots the soul of a nation, he works secretly and unknown in the night to undermine the pillars of the city, he infects the body politic so that it can no longer resist. A murderer is less to fear.

Marcus Cicero

Progressives have learned that if people believe our - courts have the power to redefine

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the meaning of words, then they can reinterpret constitutional intent. That's how they've gained so much, through judicial activism. They control the courts to destroy America.

Don't be victimized by this strategy. Be aware of it.

In other words, suckers! - NM

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xx

I believe the issue was they had to write this - NOT recite it

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The link below is a much less sensationalized report of what is happening and what parents are getting upset about, also making the point that this is teaching HISTORY, not religion, and that the curriculum and topics have been taught for 31 years.

"Dr. Jan Hanvey, Maury County Public Schools middle school supervisor, said the curriculum and topics have been covered for at least 31 years. She is a former social studies teacher.

She said teachers do not spend three weeks specifically talking about Islam, but rather the geography, culture, economics and government surrounding the religion.

Islam is discussed for about one day of the three-week period, Hanvey said. By the end of the year, students will have studied Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions, she said.

“It’s part of history. If you don’t talk about it, then you are leaving out the ‘why,’” Hanvey said. “Children need to know the ‘why,’ and they need to be able to learn and know where to find the facts, instead of going by what they hear or what they see on the Internet.”

The chapter on Christianity was not skipped over but was put off until a later date, she said. The textbook’s chapter layout does not drive instruction. Instead, teachers use a pacing guide that may be different from chapter chronology, Hanvey said.

The state’s pacing guide says seventh grade social studies begins with the Islamic world, then moves on to studies in ancient Africa. The year ends with the “Age of Exploration,” which is continued in eighth grade.

Christianity is studied during the Age of Exploration section partly because religious persecution is one of the main reasons pilgrims left in search of a new world, Hanvey said.

Tennessee teachers helped develop the teaching standards, and the state makes its tests based on them, she added."

Where's the separation of church and state - mantra and the ACLU?

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Liberals and progressives are all the same, regardless of what they say.

This is simply a teacher teaching history, and - separation of church and state

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Really does not have anything to do with this that I can see.

How is learning another culture and history somehow imposing the Muslim religion on our state?

I can remember learning different religions in school when I was growing up (and I'm not young), this is part of learning other cultures and the predominant religions that play a great part in their society, just like Christianity has played a big part in the history of the western world.

So how did this all of a sudden become something so threatening to so many conservatives? I doubt very much whether the young children were coming home and chanting "Death to America."

Learning about other cultures, history, and through this their religion, is nothing to be afraid of. Why is learning only one way to do things, only one way to believe, something to be so proud of?

The curriculum is not telling the kids to believe it, just telling them what it is and how it affects the cultures who practice it, just like some little kid on the other side of the world learns about our culture and our religion. I really don't see the threat here.

My husband was a teacher for 25 years. He was going to - be terminated because he allowed

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discussions about religion. He resigned anyway. He is a Christian and not afraid to allow kids to talk about it, so he had to go.

I know many parents who are afraid to say anything because they think their child will be targeted.

This is even worse than I imagined. I am SO glad he is not in education any longer.

There has been discussion of religion - in every European history

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course forever. A teacher has to have the good sense not to endorse or encourage persecution of anyone's religious views--and, frankly, school is not the place for the kids to be encouraged to express their belief in a faith. They should study the existence of these faiths, but they should not be encouraged to be Christian OR Muslim OR ANY OTHER RELIGION in any class.

I'm sorry but - anon

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If you're going to talk about Christianity, then you have to talk about other religions.

Including Satanism.

I think someone is causing trouble - teacher/parent or student

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The following is the common core standard for 7th grade in the State of Tennessee. Perhaps the interpretation that it is necessary to write that phrase is by the teacher's request? Or she is just promoting more of the right wing knee-jerk reaction to create more divisiveness and bigotry towards other religions.

Also, I would say it was a choice made by teacher and school curriculum directors to skip the instruction on Christianity, perhaps considering that information more readily known(?), as has been observed, the State of Tennessee is primarily Christian in origin.

I would say this is probably just a deficiency in teacher ability, that she could not get past this unit, as she knew nothing about it herself. Someone had better test her students on the Renaissance and Reformation as it is also considered a requirement in this Common Core curriculum 7th grade in the state of Tennessee.

Islamic World, 400 A.D/C.E. – 1500s
Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, social, and religious structures of the civilizations.
7.3 Identify the physical location and features and the climate of the Arabian Peninsula, its relationship to surrounding bodies of land and water, including Northern Africa, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, Nile River. (G)
7.4 Describe the expansion of Muslim rule through conquests and the spread of cultural diffusion of Islam and the Arabic language. (C, E, G, H)
7.5 Trace the origins of Islam and the life and teachings of Muhammad, including Islam’s historical connections to Judaism and Christianity. (C, H)
7.6
7.6 Explain the significance of the Qur’an and the Sunnah as the primary sources of Islamic beliefs, practice, and law and their influence in Muslims’ daily life. (C, H, P)
7.7 Analyze the origins and impact of different sects within Islam, Sunnis and Shi’ites. (C, H)
7.8 Examine and summarize the contributions Muslim scholars made to later civilizations in the areas of science, geography, mathematics, philosophy, medicine, art, and literature. (C, G, H)
7.9 Describe the establishment of trade routes among Asia, Africa, and Europe and the role of merchants in Arab society. (E, G, H)
7.10 Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources to examine the art and architecture, including the Taj Mahal during the Mughal period. (C, H)
7.11 Explain the importance of Mehmed II the Conqueror and Suleiman the Magnificent. (H, P)
7.12 Write an explanatory text to describe the Shah Abbas and how his policies of cultural blending led to the Golden Age and the rise of the Safavid Empire. (C, H, P)
Primary Documents and Supporting Texts to Consider: excerpts from The Hadith, Muhammad; excerpts from The Book of Golden Meadows, Masoudi

Texts to consider are original sources. No where does it suggest indoctrination.

The Renaissance and Reformation
Students analyze the origins, accomplishments, and geographic diffusion of the Renaissance and the historical developments of the Reformation.
7.43 Trace the emergence of the Renaissance, including influence from Moorish (or Muslim) scholars in Spain. (C, H)
7.44 Cite evidence in writing explaining the importance of Florence, Italy and the Medici Family in the early stages of the Renaissance and the growth of independent trading cities, such as Venice, and their importance in the spread of Renaissance ideas. (C, E, G, H)
7.45 Summarize the effects and implications of the reopening of the ancient Silk Road between Europe and China, including Marco Polo’s travels and the location of his routes. (C, E, G, H)
7.46 Describe how humanism led to a revival of classical learning and fostered a new interest in the arts including a balance between intellect and religious faith. (C, H)
7.47 Analyze the growth and effects of new ways of disseminating information, ability to manufacture paper, translation of the Bible into vernacular, and printing. (C, H)
7.48 Outline the advances made in literature, the arts, science, mathematics, cartography, engineering, and the understanding of human anatomy and astronomy, including Leonardo da Vinci (Last Supper, Mona Lisa), Michelangelo (Sistine Chapel, The David), Johann Gutenberg, and William Shakespeare. (C, G, H)
7.49 Gather relevant information from multiple sources about Henry V, Hundreds Year War, and Joan of Arc. (H, G, P)
7.50 Conduct a research project drawing on several resources to investigate the Tudor dynasties of Henry VIII, Mary I, and Elizabeth I, including their family heritage, line of succession, religious conflicts, Spanish Armanda, and the rise of English power in Europe. (H, G, P)
7.51 Explain the institution and impact of missionaries on Christianity and the diffusion of Christianity from Europe to other parts of the world in the medieval and early modern periods. (C, G, H)
7.52 Locate and identify the European regions that remained Catholic and those that became Protestant and how the division affected the distribution of religions in the New World. (C, G, H)
7.53 Explain the heightened influence of the Catholic Church, the growth of literacy, the spread of printed books, the explosion of knowledge and the Church’s reaction to these developments. (C, H, P)
7.54 List and explain the significance of the causes for the internal turmoil within and eventual weakening of the Catholic Church including tax policies, selling of indulgences, and England’s break with the Catholic Church. (C, H, P)
7.55 Outline the reasons for the growing discontent with the Catholic Church, including the main ideas of Martin Luther (salvation by faith), John Calvin (predestination), Desiderius Erasmus (free will), and William Tyndale (translating the Bible into English), and their attempts to reconcile what they viewed as God’s word with Church action. (C, H, P)
7.56 Engage effectively in collaborative discussions explaining Protestants’ new practices of church self-government and the influence of those practices on the development of democratic practices and ideas of federalism. (C, H, P)
7.57 Analyze how the Catholic Counter-Reformation revitalized the Catholic Church and the forces that fostered the movement, including St. Ignatius of Loyola and the Jesuits, and the Council of Trent. (C, H)
7.58 Identify the voyages of discovery, the locations of the routes (Da Gama, Dias, Magellan), and the influence of cartography in the development of a new worldview. (C, G, H)
Primary Documents and Supporting Texts to Read: excerpts from “Ninety-Five Theses”, Martin Luther; excerpts from The Travels of Marco Polo
Primary Documents and Supporting Texts to Consider: excerpts from In Praise of
http://tn.gov/assets/entities/education/attachments/std_ss_gr_7.pdf

I also find it interesting that, as far as I can tell, no mainstream media has picked this story up at all. I would think it would be big "news" if it really had any basis in reality.

If the teacher was "not happy about it" - why did she skip

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the Christianity chapter, even if it "wasn't required."

What has happened to TN, it's becoming like - California. Islam okay, Christianity

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banned.

People are really stretching to find an excuse to defend - pro-Muslim, anti-Christian

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policies. Anyone can see that.

I'm glad I homeschooled my kids. My daughter is doing the same.

if you are talking to me - I am in no way

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trying to defend Muslims. I just think if the teacher was "not happy" she would have found a way to teach the Christian curriculum.

I agree with your post and was just adding my - thoughts to it.

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xx

This culture accepts killing living aborted babies and cutting them up, - so I doubt very much if this

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issue will be taken seriously.

"Any country that accepts abortion is teaching its - people to use violence to get

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what they want."

Mother Teresa

Some people never get tired of trying to inject - their anti-abortion views into

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all threads of conversation. It gets tiresome.

Completely ignoring the fact that.... - Emdot

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there is a perfectly simple solution to pretty much preventing almost all abortions. It's called birth control! Hello! I hear so very, very little about birth control these days. How about we look into the possibility of promoting birth control as an easily accessible, free option for women in order to prevent unwanted, unplanned pregnancies. I see this as a huge, huge problem in very young women, especially those from poverty.

This is outrageous. I know teachers have to teach this. - Unfortunately, this discourages better

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people/teacher/intellects and weakens us because of what is being taught.

Good for the parents standing up. This is wrong. If possible take your kids out of public school.

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