by Fiaz Saied
It needed an angle.
When I was first given the assignment of writing about Sunrise Academy,
I was at odds as to what angle to pursue the story with. During a conversation at my office with some
colleagues, it suddenly hit me! I could
view the Muslim child’s environment at a school as a parallel to the
environment I am exposed to at my work-place.
Muslims who are in a work environment with non-Muslims can relate to my
point when I say that it is hard to have a proper informal conversation with
colleagues. The conversation in some way
or the other usually imports un-Islamic elements into itself, thereby
practically reducing the Muslim’s part in it to just nods and meek smiles.
Now I think of a Muslim child interacting with non-Muslims
at school every day. The barrage of
rubbish that he/she has to put up with is incomprehensible. Children are molded during their school years
into what they become as youth and as adults.
So since I am not yet a parent, I can only assume that every Muslim parent
wishes sincerely that there were an alternative to these “learning centers’.
A Muslim educational institution would not only import
education in the usual sense of the term but would also make princes and
princesses of our children by instilling in them invaluable Islamic
teachings. A child who comes home, throws
his bag, violates his mother’s wishes and runs outside to play only to return
way later, is different from the child who returns home and greets his parents
with ’Assalaam alaikum’. While parents
can teach their children such adab, an Islamic school environment provides the
children with an actual “lab” to put such teachings into practice. What use is such teaching, and why will it
not fade if it is not practiced regularly?
What are the needs of parents when they want to ‘check out’
an Islamic school? First of all, they
would want facilities at par with the school’s non-Muslim isotopes. Secondly, the educational standards should be
at par and the school should be certified at some level. Thirdly, it should have well-qualified
teachers. These are the major issues and
there are a few other minor ones.
Well, such a school does exist in Columbus and it does meet
the above criteria: actually, it passes the above requirements
comfortably. When you first visit
Sunrise Academy, your eyes are greeted with a sprawling green lawn and you can
immediately tell that kids are going to love this place. Once the site of a public library, the Academy
premises are spacious with a big parking lot and more than enough space for
outdoor activities.
You approach the entrance all the while wondering if you are
at the right location. This place you
find different.
You walk in and immediately, in the blink of an eye, you are
welcomed and greeted as if you just entered a renowned Islamic center of
learning n a Muslim land. You ask to see
the principal of the school and a smiling man walks up to you briskly and
invites you in. After the initial talk,
he offers to show you around the school and of course, you are very much
interested. You are taken to several
different classrooms that seem extremely well-supplied with teaching aids and
tools. Computers adorn every room and
wash rooms are attached to the tow rooms for the youngest children (they come
with cute, low sinks for kids to wash or perform wudu). Every room looks clean and spacious. The whole establishment looks extremely
well-maintained and organized. You are
very impressed.
Now you tell the principal that you have a few questions and
he graciously asks you to go ahead and ask them. You begin the attack after warning him that
some of the questions might be too pointed.
(That only makes him even more energetic to answer them.)
11. The Islamic environment in
your school helps children to develop an “Islamic identity”, however, as some
might point out, at the expense of an “American” or “Universal” identity. How does a student attending Sunrise Academy
learn to deal with the real world, i.e. non-Muslims?
The principal first clarifies that Sunrise does have good
caliber non-Muslim teachers too. Also,
some students have non-Muslim mothers.
The lead teacher (who seems to be doing a very impressive job) at
Sunrise is also a non-Muslim. Then he
emphasizes that what Sunrise provides is a “positive Muslim identity within the
American context”. He then describes how
Sunrise as an establishment itself has a good relationship with its neighbors,
different state and local departments such as the nearby Dept. of Parks, the Fire
Department, and the /Department of Education of the State of Ohio, etc. He stresses the point that Sunrise does not promote
a U.S. identity but a Muslim identity.
Sunrise does not have any non-Muslim students but it is a
state-chartered institution and it meets the standards that such a charter
requires.
Now you feel that your big first question has been so
well answered and your doubts on this issue have been totally diluted.
22. Many Islamic schools
struggle with basic essentials because of lack of funds etc., and this way gifted
students may fall through the cracks and not be exposed to the challenging
programs available in public schools.
Tell me about the programs your school offers, such as advanced
placement courses etc.
The principal answers that Sunrise does provide for both
kinds of students – the kind that are too good for their grade or the kind that
are lagging. He explains the ‘Adjusted
Curriculum” as the Enrichment program and the Remediation program. Since all subjects are taught at the same
time, a gifted student can easily attend the class for the next higher grade
for that subject. Also, the program
allows for a student to be moved up to a higher grade if she demonstrates such
qualifications. Hence there is acceleration
of grade levels for gifted students.
You think “so far so good … actually great”
33. In an Islamic school,
religion will obviously be a mandatory subject, and in Islam there are many
different schools of thought. How does your
curriculum accommodate students from different backgrounds?
The principal explains how Sunrise follows the route of a
stricter belief system rather than a liberal one. He gives three very good examples to support
such a decision. The first example is
that of music. While some Muslim parents
would like their kids to be taught music, a vast majority do not. So if music is not seriously taught, then it
is unlikely that people will complain. Anyway
it can be learned outside of the Academy for those parents who are interested
in providing their kids with those skills.
The second example is that of books. Some parents would not mind their children
being exposed to unhealthy, impure concepts in story books relating to smoking
or alcohol or flirting etc. They could
argue that children need to know about such things for combating the real
world. On the other hand, a vast
majority of parents would like screening of books so that their children are
not exposed to such concepts and that is exactly the route that sunrise
takes. The principal hits the nail on
the head when he remarks that ‘no parent will come up and complain that her
child is not exposed to such concepts while she should be’.
The third example he gives is that of festive occasions. He says that Sunrise recognizes only the two
Eids (just like the mainstream Islamic point of view). He remarks that parents can get their children
to participate on any other occasions (such as the Prophet’s (SWS) birthday)
within their own social circles.
You think “hmm…”
44. Is Arabic a medium of
instruction?
Yes, for Arabic and Islamic Studies classes
.
55. How does your tuition
compare to non-Muslim schools of the same size?
Our tuition is very low.
It is $3000 for the whole year while it can run anywhere between $5000
and $12000 a year for private schools.
He remarks that Columbus Academy, a competitor for Sunrise, has
comparatively very high fees. Lesser
tuition of course means lesser resources for the school. If more Muslim parents sent their children to
Sunrise, then it could offer a whole lot more in addition to the rich
educational experience that it already provides.
66. How soon do you think an
apprehensive parent will have his doubts removed about the quality of education
imparted here?
Any doubts are removed after a meeting. Usually apprehension is from lack of
information, not lack of persuasion.
You realize “how very true”.
77. One of the goals of an
Islamic school is to socialize kids in an Islamic way. This “Islamization” has
been going on in the home for many years before the availability of such
resources as Islamic schools. So what is
the benefit of giving this responsibility to the schools?
There is a whole program at Sunrise Academy of Islamic
manners, from saying asalaam alaikum at the door to behaving in an Islamic
fashion, to read the dua’ before eating, wudu, greeting one another, respecting
one another, avoiding back-biting, a mini-society where Islamic manners are
taught on a daily basis, taught by teachers.
Also, what kids learn at home is supported at Sunrise, where children
put into practice what their parents teach them regarding proper behavior
etc. There is a big void in public
schools, in this aspect. Our children
cannot get this chance at a public school.
8.
8. A personal question…… In
our opinion, is Sunrise Academy as a caliber where Muslim parents will not be
justified in sending their children to a public school?
The principal first said that his own son was attending
Sunrise. He remarked how his wife and he
always want more and more for their son (like all other parents). Then he described what a bad environment
public schools provide for our children.
There is a general lack of moral values which can cause a great many
harms, supported by an un-Islamic school system. Thirty hours a week at least, a Muslim child
would be exposed to negative dawah. Undoing
that at home is a huge challenge for any parent. That is much, much greater than any amount of
supplemental work, if any, that a parent would have to provide for a
Sunrise-attending child. He stressed
that it was much easier to supplement Sunrise Academy’s education than to undo
the character and ‘moral development’ that they get outside. Kids learn anywhere. They learn from parents and also from their
peers. They pick up a lot of negative
stuff outside.
I came away from the interview fully impressed with the way
the Academy was being run. There. I have completed a report about the Academy
but one element is missing. The report
lacks mention of any negative aspects of a Sunrise Academy education. To tell the truth, my questions were devised
to expose flaws and I went in with a negative attitude based on my previous
experiences with Islamic schools. I
found none here. I would suggest parents
to pay a visit to the Academy and verify my findings. Professional, qualified staff running an
Islamic school that is state-certified and charges reasonably low fees… need we
ask for more? Such institutions reflect
upon the community and the community must do its part to support them. Case closed.
Need to get in touch with the Academy? Call: (614-527-0465). Pay a visit at 5657 Scioto Darby Rd.
Hilliard. There website is
www.sunriseacademy.com
No comments:
Post a Comment