Which would you prefer?
And why?
Re: Full Time Islamic School versus Public/Private with Supplemental Islamic Educatio
I'm kind of liking my kids' current arrangement of full-time public school and and after school Islamic program. It does get hectic but they are exposed to both types of systems.
Re: Full Time Islamic School versus Public/Private with Supplemental Islamic Educatio
I never thought I would consider sending my kids to a full-time Islamic school. However, for seven years I taught at a very prestigious Jewish school,and I saw the depth of knowledge and faith those students had. They really benefited from the full-time experience. But it was a ton of work because there was a very rigorous secular curriculum plus the religious courses. But there were also a lot of accommodations to celebrate holidays and arrange work schedule to best support religious observance. Plus, unlike many religious schools in this area, this one catered to a pluralistic religious community, allowing for different forms of religious observance and not imposing one specific practice. If I could find an Islamic school with this level of open-mindedness and academic strength, I would consider it.
But otherwise I think the full time regular school with weekend or evening religious schooling is fine. It's what we did growing up, and our parents worked hard to reinforce religious knowledge and observance at home.
Re: Full Time Islamic School versus Public/Private with Supplemental Islamic Educatio
My parents are in a similar discussion regarding my younger brother. I agree with Sahar - if there was an Islamic school with open mindedness and academic strength then that would be fantastic! Unfortunately most Islamic schools in the UK at least are quite literally imported schools from 'back home' Besides the actual building other things like the curriculum, the mentality, the teachers etc are all replicas of what is in place in madrassas in India / Pak. And while such a recipe may well work back there, it's totally foreign and unsuitable for kids growing up in a Western society. A lot of these schools are boarding schools, and so the poor kids are exposed to a frankly awful environment 24 /7. From the experience of some very good family friends in a number of such schools I can say that the teachers were strict to a ridiculous level, were rude to both parents and students, and imposed the most idiotic rules - like not being allowed to smile in class, sitting on the floor instead of having desks and chairs cuz it's 'Sunnah', no emphasis on extra curricular activities or interactive teaching methods etc
And even if such horror stories are not reflective of all Islamic schools here, one thing that I have noticed very prominently is that students who attend these boarding schools live in a bubble and when they complete their education they simply don't have the skills to interact with the wider community. Forget having a job in a non Muslim company, they can't even interact with Muslims who don't have a similar mindset to them!
Having said all of that, there is a small minority of Islamic schools that are more open minded and better suited to modern society. I have heard a lot of praise for the school Yusuf Islam set up in London and likewise there are others. A lot of them however are only just setting up and establising themselves so there are struggles. I guess these are all things to think about.
Re: Full Time Islamic School versus Public/Private with Supplemental Islamic Educatio
From the experience of some very good family friends in a number of such schools I can say that the teachers were strict to a ridiculous level, were rude to both parents and students, and imposed the most idiotic rules -** like not being allowed to smile in class,** sitting on the floor instead of having desks and chairs cuz it's 'Sunnah', no emphasis on extra curricular activities or interactive teaching methods etc
I wonder what their reasoning was for that? Sounds crazy..