Our daughter will be starting school this coming September. My wife and I are not sure which one would be the best for her at this time. We were first thinking Islamic school, but some people said it is not worth it in the beginning. May be after few years.
Public schooling is the next option, but we are concerned of what goes/happens in the school and what is taught (valentines days, easters, christmas, halloweens etc.). The teachings will be contradicting what we are teaching the kid at home (i.e. we do not celebrate these things etc.)
French Immersion is also an option. The only plus point I see there is that she will learn French. But will it be good option if, eventually, she will be going to the Islamic School anyway?
We strictly speak Urdu at home. So, she has to learn English at school as well.
I dont know who those "some people" are but if you ask me, NOW is the time to get your daughter into Islamic school. Base is always built in early years. If you can get her into good islamic school, that is the best option.
French Immersion is another good option if you plan to live here or at last you plan for her to live here. With French language comes better job opportunities
If you are serious about Islamic school then NOW is the time to put her there. This is when they teach all the surahs and establish a routine of prayer etc.
Our daughter will be starting school this coming September. My wife and I are not sure which one would be the best for her at this time. We were first thinking Islamic school, but some people said it is not worth it in the beginning. May be after few years.
Public schooling is the next option, but we are concerned of what goes/happens in the school and what is taught (valentines days, easters, christmas, halloweens etc.). The teachings will be contradicting what we are teaching the kid at home (i.e. we do not celebrate these things etc.)
French Immersion is also an option. The only plus point I see there is that she will learn French. But will it be good option if, eventually, she will be going to the Islamic School anyway?
We strictly speak Urdu at home. So, she has to learn English at school as well.
Any experiences/comments are most welcome.
Thanks,
J
Islamic schools are great, and your daughter will benefit greatly if she can start there.
Public schools do promote all the events you talked about yes, but again, if you are providing a solid foundation for your child at home, she should not get carried away by those. I am speaking from experience here. My older daughter goes to a public school, is in 2nd grade now, and has been exposed to all those, but while I allow her to participate in school based activities, she never asks to carry those on at home. Also, if you will notice, the holidays you mentioned are now being celebrated with much vigor and enthusiasm even back home. So you cannot protect your child so much, but instill in them the securities and values that make them appreciate their own holidays.
I have no experience in French Immersion schools.
I wish desi parents were a little bit more flexible with speaking both English and their native tongue at home. You see more and more parents stressing their own languages thinking that they would learn English anyways....but they don't realize how it can pull a child back when they are all of a sudden faced with a brand new style of communication. They have to spend more energy and time trying to familiarize themselves with English ina ddition to comprehending all the subjects which are in English of course.
I would recommend you enrol your daughter in English as a second language program at this time before she begins school in September so she starts of with the right momentum and confidence.
I agree with 1 and 2 but vehemently disagree with point number 4 Niksik.
Children pick up languages faster than you can count 1, 2, 3. I have watched more than a dozen nephews and nieces and countless children in other households speak nothing but Urdu from the time that they utter their first words to when they go to kindergarten or preschool and after the first couple of weeks they handle the adjustment seamlessly. It just depends on how well you prepare them.
I am a stickler on kids speaking Urdu, or whatever native language their parents speak at home with the grandparents so I guess I am very opinionated in this matter.
No, English is a must! My son was the only desi kid who didn't go to the special Englsih class and his reading expression is the best in class , MA! Urdu is good but do prepare your child for school beforehand so they don't have a negative experience of school from the get go.
I agree with 1 and 2 but vehemently disagree with point number 4 Niksik.
Children pick up languages faster than you can count 1, 2, 3. I have watched more than a dozen nephews and nieces and countless children in other households speak nothing but Urdu from the time that they utter their first words to when they go to kindergarten or preschool and after the first couple of weeks they handle the adjustment seamlessly. It just depends on how well you prepare them.
I am a stickler on kids speaking Urdu, or whatever native language their parents speak at home with the grandparents so I guess I am very opinionated in this matter.
Muzna, you speak English, your husband does too. Your child heard English being spoken but I work with families where only Punjabi or urdu is spoken at home, the kid speaks only that language, does not watch any kids TV shows in English, only desi shows on Dish, associates only with family members or people that speak the same language...you watch these kids at school...omg...it's a major culture shock! Kids who aren't confident or ambitious struggle until they become familiar. I'm helping at least 7 such kids at this time. It's an added burden, not to say that they cannot overcome it, but with prior preparation, they can adjust more easily.
While every kid may differ, I know a household where kid used to hear and speak pure urdu (no English at home at all not even b/w parents) until he went to his kindergarten. And when i say PURE urdu that mean "aap k kia haal hai uncle?" "baba tu sabzi lainey gaeey howey hain, wapis aeen gaai tu main bata doon ga k aap nai call kia tha" sort of URDU. Yet now when I talk to him (he is in 3rd grade now), I cant tell that he is a kid of Pakistani parents. He still can speak PURE urdu and in addition PURE English.
I was reading a research couple of years ago (I'll try to find link) that kids in early days (before they get 7-8 years old) can learn 4-5 languages at a time without any problem whatsoever. Research said that because adults cant do it themselves, they think thats its hard for kids too. I was looking for such resources when we (wife and me) were debating to introduce (or to not introduce) our son to Arabic language and were double minded if it will be too much for him in addition to Urdu and English but Mashallah he is doing great in all 3 now. He talk to dada/dadi/nana/nani on phone in pure urdu, he talk to his sister in pure English, he talk to us in mix of english/urdu :)
Muzna, you speak English, your husband does too. Your child heard English being spoken but I work with families where only Punjabi or urdu is spoken at home, the kid speaks only that language, does not watch any kids TV shows in English, only desi shows on Dish, associates only with family members or people that speak the same language...you watch these kids at school...omg...it's a major culture shock! Kids who aren't confident or ambitious struggle until they become familiar. I'm helping at least 7 such kids at this time. It's an added burden, not to say that they cannot overcome it, but with prior preparation, they can adjust more easily.
I agree with 1 and 2 but vehemently disagree with point number 4 Niksik.
Children pick up languages faster than you can count 1, 2, 3. I have watched more than a dozen nephews and nieces and countless children in other households speak nothing but Urdu from the time that they utter their first words to when they go to kindergarten or preschool and after the first couple of weeks they handle the adjustment seamlessly. It just depends on how well you prepare them.
I am a stickler on kids speaking Urdu, or whatever native language their parents speak at home with the grandparents so I guess I am very opinionated in this matter.
I believe I was the same way--I'm told that my first language was Urdu and I could hardly speak english (and I was born in this country). My parents and relatives spoke Urdu only but I guess I did watch English TV and my brother spok eto me in English...But I did well in my english classes and I honsetly don't remember struggling with language at all.
I understand the concerns that Niksik has expressed, and I personally do know some kids who went through it. However, almost all of those kids started speaking English fluently as they moved on. And, didn't lose Urdu language. We can only try and pray our kid(s) succeed. My wife does teach her English at home and the daughter speaks (in her own style of course) with other kids she meets outside.
Decent 6chora, which Arabic school did your son go to? Any recommendation in the Mississauga area? We tried enrolling her to the weekend Arabic school (Al Toufic Arabic school) last year but they said the child has to be at least 4 years. So, we will inshaAllah enroll her this year. We both want our kids to learn as many languages as possible specially English, Urdu, French and Arabic.
FYI, I just found out that French Immersion starts at Grade 1. So, it is not applicable to my child at this time.
Which Islamic school would you guys recommend in general? Are there any other Islamic schools beside Al-falah and Olive Grove near Mississauga?
DC6, and others, Yes, kids can learn 4-5 languages at one time at that age, so why restrict to just urdu? Why not introduce English at that time as well. It will just ease the burden on the child when they start school so they can enjoy the experience.
Yeah no big deal with English, but the OP had mentioned English so we kind of discussed that. Whatever languages you teach your child will always be helpful!
i know of children that came to Canada straight from the village and only knew the hardcore punjabi. But they picked up fast, and now they speak both Punjabi and English fluently.
From the original poster,
Since English is not your first language, I would start them off with the Public School system, and have soem sort of Islamic School education on the weeknights/weekends to coincide with it. And not just the kids learning and reading the Quran, but to learn all aspects of the Islamic Way of Life.
Your child will be learnign french in their public school..sometimes as early as grade one or grade 3. And while it is nice to be fluent in french, it isn't really neccessary.
Let them concentrate on their english first and then arabic.
Inshallah, my future children will be learning Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, English, Arabic and the French. Good Luck to them. :S
I get lot of kids who can't speak English when they start school, they literally pick up words in days and will be talking in full sentences with in weeks. Also, there is not wrong if the school takes the child out of the class for an English Language Learners class. I dont think it is quite sensible of parents to refuse such services just because they think they or their children are to perfect to get any such service. Also, public schools don't make a big with celebrating these events, basically teacher arrange activities according to their class population.
Also, I am not sure what do you mean by what goes and happens at a public school?
french immersion school will also celebrate holidays like valentine's, halloween etc.- its public school essentially but the first language is french, not english. so if exposing your child to those celebrations is a concern, then french immersion is also not a good option for you.
as well, i have a friend who is a teacher-librarian at a french immersion school in toronto and despite being french herself, she would not send her kids there. she said the system in ontario is sloppy, they don't even have text books because those are mainly from quebec and there is not enough funding for bringing them over here. she also said that at most french immersion schools, the teachers speak english as a first language, not french, so they're not that great from that point of view either. i haven't looked into this personally but just an FYI of things to investigate if you do go ahead with french immersion. also keep in mind that you might need to hire a tutor to help your child with homework initially while they learn the language if neither you nor your wife are fluent in french.
a friend of mine sends her son to sunday school at Nugget Mosque and says its an excellent program. she's very happy with his progress and with how the school teaches, so if full time isn't an option, perhaps starting your kid off part time might be?
For any child the best way to learn and practice Islam is to have Islamic environment at their Home. I believe we should let kids go to public school but teach them at home about islam and practice Islam.
I know kids who go to Islamic School and they learn alot, know many surah's and pray at school but when they comehome they dont pray and they have no islamic environment in their household.
^^I think the OP mentioned..Canada...
**thanks...i just read the first post. prolly missed it :(
back to the topic.
i think French Immersion is of no significant help to the child's future unless u wanna settle down in Quebec. my niece went to French Immersion from grade 1 and she did her High School with French Immersion. she was fluently bilingual. now, she lives in Ontario and she has NOT used French ever after High School. it was a COOL thing to enroll children in French Immersion in late 80's. She had hard time getting into that immersion class because they had only 16 spots and there were like 40 kids whose parents wished them to enroll in French Immersion. then, 8 years later, when my nephew wanted to go into French Immersion there were not enuf students to have a French Immersion class. only 7 kids were interested while they needed at least 16. my point is that the need and the euphoria for French Immersion dwindled rapidly. now in my town they do NOT even offer F.I.
so, i think it's NOT gonna help the at all to send to him/her to F.I.
as far as Islamic Education is concerned, u can teach basics at home and try to establish an Islamic environment in ur home and make a way of life to teach Islamic things ALL the time when u speak to the child. just a lil thing at a time...keep giving small doses of Islamic teachings 24/7... :)
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