hey peepz, need ur serious opinions on this… 
wud u send ur preschoolers to islamic or secular schools?
wat are da issues/concerns u wud take into consideration?
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
Islamic schooling is great if there are some good ones available with a high rep....not any old school that claims to teach islam. I would do my research before going ahead..
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
islamic school when they're younger and catholic school when theyre older
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
secular secular secular alll the way.
the worst crime that a parent can do to their child during their formative years is to in grain in them religious schooling which quite often translates to lower levels of tolerance and difficulties in socializing with other communities in the future years.
however, catholic schooling may in most cases be regarded as pretty secular too simply because of the fact that catholic schools these days have almost as many number of non-catholic students as well. add to it the fact that they have grown increasingly liberal in pretty much every aspect of schooling.
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
Catholic schools I went to were pretty tolerant and nice.. noone ever said anything against my faith or treated me badly for being Muslim/desi, in fact in religion class I did better than alot of students :D .. however I do wish I had had more religious education when I was younger... Only reason i wudnt send em to public school is the environment n rules.. my HS was very strict but i'd rather send my kids to that type fo mahol than a PS where noone cares, u do whatever u want etc.. :)
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
secular all the way. :k:
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
My cousins and niece have attended Islamic schools and frankly they have turned out to be 100% better than kids who attended secular schools. (I know good parenting has a lot to do w/ it too) You have to remember that Islamic schools (atleast in the US) don't teach just religion 24/7 but focus on other subjects. Plus it is also beneficial to enroll your child into extra-curricular activities like soccer/tennis/gymnastics etc so they are not just meeting muslim kids but have exposure to people from other faiths too.
I think it is very important to give your child the basic knowledge of Islam at an early age so they can differentiate between right and wrong from the start. Because I was taught at an early age what Islamic beliefs were and completely believed in them, when I was enrolled in Catholic school I did not end up being confused when told that Jesus was the son of God as I knew it was wrong in my heart.
I know a lot of parents personally who are debating this issue of islamic school vs public school but if you have the means to pay for the high tuition costs of islamic school then I would say definitely send your kids there so they can build a solid islamic foundation.
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
send my girls to secular schools.. till 16 and then tell them to do whatever they please
send my boys to secular schools till age 10 then to a place where they can learn some technical skills and then put them to work by 12 (in pakistan ofcourse since child labor is banned here :( ). Its hard to manage so many bills. boys should contribute.
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
^ lolzz
i like ur style shweetz
unfortunately i cant do that to my one and only son
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
never an Islamic OR Christian school.. sadly there aren't any secular schools .. and no Public schools aren't secular either.. their religion is Government and Mind Control.
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
u can always sent them to those sweat shops in US-of-A. most of the brand name clothes u ppl enjoy soooooo much come from these sweat shops. :k: :halo:
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
I went to a church school....I turned out great. (Although not very Islamic).
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
Montessori schooling is an option.
And PA, have youi been to a public school in the U.S. you think the teachers are agents workign to brainwash the students lol? Get out in the real world and meet the people who are teaching these kids, you seem a little paranoid.
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
secular stuff is for the schools, islamic learning comes from the home
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
And PA, have youi been to a public school in the U.S. you think the teachers are agents workign to brainwash the students lol? Get out in the real world and meet the people who are teaching these kids, you seem a little paranoid.
yes utd i know the best of the best choose teaching as a profession because of the lucrative salary/benefits package and the glory of it all.
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
The important thing is that religion begins at home. I know plenty of dedicated Muslims who went to secular or Christian schools and who turned out being good Muslims, because in the home they had strong, Islamic role models.
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
Hey 3 months off a year isn't too shabby.
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
Its a deeply personal decision.
If the Islamic school is of a good quality from an educational standpoint, then definitely its a great option. I am sure there are excellent Islamic schools in some parts, unfortunately I have not seen one. Most often what I have seen is that the Islamic school is basically a hair-brained idea which is cashing in on the word "Islamic". The teachers are either volunteers or just a step above volunteers. Very few teachers are credentialed. Few still have the experience or the aptitude to effectively interact and impart education on very young children. The syllabus leaves a lot to be desired. Facilities of the school are inadequate. Muslim parents still patronize these schools and send their kids there because they feel peace of mind that the kid is going to an Islamic school. Far too often, these parents also relinquish whatever they are supposed to do to educate their own kids about their faith and values.
Add on to it that in some instances I have seen teachers at the Islamic school inculcate their own narrow opinions on higly debatable issues on the kids. Six-year old daughter of a friend of mine was attending an Islamic school here. We were there to pick her up from school. The kids were walking in a line from their class rooms to the point where parents pick them up. An arabic female teacher was escorting them. One of the parents standing there was a lady who was wearing a jeans and a top with a scarf on her head. The female teacher actually pointed to that lady's jeans and told her class "look at that lady, she is wearing a haraam dress". All the six-year olds looked at lady and shook their heads. My friend who was standing with me, looked at it aghast. There were many such instances, and long story short, at the end of the school year, he pulled his child from that school. He felt his child was getting totally confused and was having trouble interacting with kids of other faiths (neighbors etc). In addition, the accent she was picking up in the school was rediculous. He changed his home and moved to a good school district and now the child attends the regular public school in second grade.
I am sure some of you will have different priorities on how you want to educate your kids. Public schools offer some positives and some negatives. Positives include credentialled teachers, great facilities, many extra-curricular programs, interaction with kids of all backgrounds and uniform syllabus. Negatives depend on where your kids go and the standard of the school. Plus as they grow up (middle and high school) there may be instances where you feel that the peer group and influences offered by a public school do not jive with your faith and values. Putting them in an Islamic school or a good quality private school may be another option for parents who are concerned about these issues.
There is no one size fits all, here.
If your young kids are going to a regular public school, you can (and probably should) enroll them in a good quality weekend Islamic school. This will allow the kids to have an opportunity to interact with other kids of the same background, form some good friendships and learn about your faith. Most of my western collegues have their kids attend the Sunday Church school (of whatever denomination they belong to), whereas my kids attend the Sunday Islamic school near our home. So this is a fairly common practice in people of all faiths. Plus, the environment you create at your home and the things you teach your kids will definitely be an important influence as they grow up.
Re: islamic or secular schooling?
thank u all for ur valuable insights,
faisal/rukhsarbibi thx for the deeper insights :)
its definitely enlightening for me as i'm contemplating on the choice of education for my 1st child.
i myself was educated in a secular school and later on went on to a methodist high school. (i think i've turned out fine mashallah, a fine muslimah that is :D )
main reason i wanted to enroll my son into an islamic preschool was to let him have a solid islamic foundation and thereafter educate him in secular schools. but as pointed out by many, islamic practices should start from home.
and its true that most islamic schools are not up to the standards of the national education system. tats very sad cuz i feel there's so much more islam can offer.
anyways.... now i've decided to let my son mingle with da chinakids and maybe let him learn mandarin as well.... why not? China is boooming! :D