Gillian Gibbons, a British teacher in Sudan, allowing her class of seven-year-olds to name the classroom bear Muhammed, opened herself up to a world of trouble. Gibbons, charged with insulting Islam, "faces 40 lashes, a fine or six months in prison," according to the British Times Online. Anyone living in a foreign country is responsible for abiding by and having basic understanding of the laws. And though her intentions with the teddy may have been completely innocent, she is responsible for a blatant violation.
Certainly in our society if a second grade teacher was to name a bear Jesus, someone would ultimately be offended. Dealing with kids from 30 different racial, religious and ethnic backgrounds - not to mention parents with various political affiliations and feelings - such an oversight is very inappropriate.
From a purely educational standpoint, Gibbons made some big mistakes. British Times Online claims the stuffed animal was named after one of the class' "most popular pupils." Regardless of the truth, that statement rings of favoritism, something never appreciated in the classroom. While it seems as if the children were responsible for picking the name, that raises other concerns. When you ask your son or daughter what they want for dinner and they say candy, does a responsible parent smile and nod? The kids may have named the bear, but the educator surely should have had the sense to deny the request.
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