A teacher in Virginia gave a homework assignment that landed her in the middle of a controversy that has now led to the closing of all schools in the district "out of an abundance of caution." World geography teacher Cheryl LaPorte assigned her class an exercise in calligraphy that included copying the Muslim statement of faith.  One look at that by some parents led to angry outbursts on social media and apparently some threats.  The superintendent of schools promptly closed all schools in the district for today. CNN: When the world geography class at Riverheads High School in Staunton rolled around to the subject of major world religions, homework on Islam asked students to copy religious calligraphy. It read: "Here is the shahada, the Islamic statement of faith, written in Arabic. In the space below, try copying it by hand. This should give you an idea of the artistic complexity of calligraphy." The illustrative classical...(Read Full Post)