Talk Straight

Minn. Educators Hoping for More Muslim Books in Public Schools…or we care about Muslim development but those evil Christian and Jewish kids can rot

Poor grades. Loneliness. Alienation. Feeling worthless. Can’t relate. Those are just some of the reasons why educators in Minnesota are fighting for more Muslim-oriented books in public school libraries.

“There wasn‘t a whole lot in our library that provided a sense of ’this is what’s normal,’” Julie Scullen, a reading intervention specialist at Northdale Middle School in Coon Rapids, MN, told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune regarding literature for young Muslims.

Scullen is leading the charge at her school to make more Muslim centered literature available to students. She even used $800 in federal funds to make that happen, ordering books such as “The American Muslim Teenager’s handbook“ and ”From Somalia With Love.”

“Are all Muslims terrorists? Does Muslim culture clash with American culture? Can Muslim teens go to the prom?” the handbook’s description asks on Amazon.com. “Casual, colloquial, joking, contemporary, and passionate, this interactive handbook by two Arizona teens and their mom talks about their faith, about what it is like to be both proud Americans and proud Muslims, and about misunderstandings and stereotypes.”

Freda Shamma, director of curriculum development for the Foundation for the Advancement and Development of Education and Learning, applauded the move to buy more Muslim-oriented books. She believes that without such literature, Muslim students suffer.

“It is extremely important for young people to read stories reflecting their ethnicity and/or religion in order to feel like worthwhile human beings,” she told the Star-Tribune. “The absence of such stories leads to poor grades in school, feelings of loneliness and alienation, and low self-esteem.” Shamma is currently working on an anthology of Muslim literature directed at middle-school-age students.

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“It is extremely important for young people to read stories reflecting their ethnicity and/or religion in order to feel like worthwhile human beings,”….oh cool! SO does that mean school will now provide literature for their Christian students, Jehova Witness kids, Mormon teens, Jewish high schoolers? 

Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that other religions, other than the one noted in this story, will still be forbidden…ya know, that whole seperation of Church and State thing the Progressives always pull out against something they don’t like and which our legislators and judges don’t have the courage to stand against…so I have a feeling that only one type of book will be purchased by these schools.

In St. Paul schools, the not-so-sweet life…or we don’t want your fat kids in our school

Jill Gebeke made it a habit to reward herself with a small piece of chocolate after lunch every day. It’s hard work being a school principal, after all. But the chocolate rewards ended last month when some first- and second-graders caught her. “I thought you said this was a sweet-free zone,” they reminded her.

Gebeke, principal at Chelsea Heights Elementary, is not alone in trying to change an old habit. Much to the chagrin of thousands of students — and even some parents and school administrators — all public schools in the St. Paul district will be declared “sweet-free zones” by the end of this school year.

Debra LaBounty, president of the Minnesota School Nutrition Association, said she believes St. Paul is the only district in the state to institute such a dramatic measure. National nutrition leaders say fewer than a handful of school districts in the country have tried such a thing.

With a nod to their role in reducing the nation’s high obesity rate, Minnesota’s second-largest school district plans to fully enforce the ban on sweets.

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Minnesota insurers stop selling thanks to Obamacare…or we’re one step closer to Universal Healthcare…my plan is working perfectly

If you like your policy, you can keep your policy meets We have to pass the bill to find out what’s in it right here in Minnesota as ObamaCare hits its six-month mark.  Two major insurers have decided to suspend sales of individual policies rather than run the compliance gauntlet in the health-care overhaul bill, today’s Pioneer Press reports.  Why?  No one really knows what the rules actually are:
 
Bloomington-based HealthPartners says it is temporarily suspending sales of individual health insurance policies due to uncertainty created by the new federal law.
 
Congress passed health reform six months ago, but starting today new health insurance policies must comply with key provisions of the legislation.
 
In Minnesota, that’s meant changes to health plan policies that regulators at the Minnesota Department of Commerce must approve before companies can sell policies to new customers. The state hasn’t signed off on changes because the Commerce Department needs more guidance on certain new federal rules, said Amy Von Walter, a spokeswoman for HealthPartners.
 
“Due to continuing changes caused by health care reform, we temporarily have no long term individual medical plans for sale” the insurance company says in a notice on its website. “We are currently working with regulators to get affordable products approved to sell as quickly as possible.”

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