Featured Article | IQRA' International Educational Foundation

Support IQRA’ on Facebook #GivingTuesday 2018

iqra — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 19:22:00 +0000

Dear Friends

Assalam u Alaikum

Please support IQRA’s new project “WISE” by donating as early as possible through the link given below. Facebook and Microsoft will match your donation if it is made early on Tuesday, November 27th right after midnight it has a very good chance of being accepted and matched InshaAllah

Many thanks for your support

facebook.com/myiqra

Sincerely

Tasneema Ghazi PhD

New Textbooks in Spanish – Our Faith & Worship Vol 1 and 2

iqra — Mon, 27 Aug 2018 21:37:40 +0000

New Textbooks in Spanish. Order Online at:

OUR FAITH & WORSHIP VOL-1 (SPANISH) – https://www.iqra.org/Our-Faith-Worship-Vol-1-Spanish_p_3178.html

OUR FAITH & WORSHIP VOL-2 (SPANISH) – https://www.iqra.org/OUR-FAITH-WORSHIP-VOL-2-SPANISH_p_3259.html

New student anxiety: A lesson from the Prophet’s (S) Life

iqra — Mon, 16 Jul 2018 20:20:44 +0000

by Sead Puskar / IQRA’ Marketing Representative

One of the perks of a teaching career is summer vacation. While friends and family grind through the summer — as they do all year long — educators and students are afforded the luxury of leisure. But with August on the horizon for educators, the specter of lesson plans may loom. Between that leisure and specter, however, one group of children may escape the minds of teachers and administrators: new students. While children run through sprinklers, prospective students’ thoughts and emotions race about the unknown that is the new school transition.

Don’t underestimate how psychologically sensitive your new student will be on that first day of school. I recall my first day of first grade and the anxious bundle I was: our teacher handed out a worksheet and instructed us to write our name at the top. I froze. When I came to, I glanced at the worksheet of the student next to me, searching for help on what to do. Without thinking, I copied his name onto my worksheet! That’s the anxiety that comes from trying to acclimate to a new environment.

So, how can Islamic schools acclimate their new students? Well, remember that lesson you taught about the Prophet’s Hijrah? You probably had your students learn Tala’al Badru Alaina, and explained to them how the Prophet (s) paired a Madinan Ansar with a Makkan Muhajir. That blessed pairing epitomizes what we call today the buddy system.

It will take more than you and your staff to provide a smooth transition for your new students. You’re an authority figure, and your stature may intimidate them. But a willing student peer can allay the fears of a new student. Returning students imbibe the school culture and spirit you create, and they may be a more effective transmitter of it to your new little bundle-of-nerves, backpack in tow, wishing for his or her nightmare to end.

Here’s what we propose: take that buddy system and model it upon the Prophet’s partnering between the Ansar and Muhajirun. Begin your first lesson on how the Prophet (s) paired the Ansar and Muhajirun; hit upon the virtues of both groups, and give examples of the lasting friendships that developed between them. Ask for Ansar volunteers and pair them with your new student Muhajir. Have an Ansar introduce his or her Muhajir every day. Get special tags that indicate the Ansar/Muhajir pairing, with the intent to celebrate them throughout the school.

Such an initiative fulfills one of the great hallmarks of effective teaching: ownership. Educators often struggle for ways of giving students ownership over their education, even though it is one of the most useful tools in the teacher’s toolbox. Most importantly, your entire school will be fulfilling a Sunnah, the ultimate example in model teaching.

Be an Ansar yourself … if within the first week of school you get two worksheets with one name, it may not be cheating, it’s a student trying to figure it all out!

Islamic Gift Items for Ramadan

iqra — Thu, 24 May 2018 15:43:41 +0000

Huge Selections of Islamic Gift Items for Ramadan at IQRA’ Book Center.

2751 W. Devon Ave., Chicago, IL 60659

773-274-2665 – www.IQRA.org

19th Annual ISNA Education Forum 2018

iqra — Fri, 20 Apr 2018 14:00:47 +0000

IQRA’ participated in the 19th Annual ISNA Education Forum, held on the weekend of March 30th, 2018. IQRA’ had been a regular attendee of the Forum since its inception nineteen years ago. The Forum is one of the most successful event organized by ISNA. It provides a unique opportunity for the educators and administrators of full-time Islamic schools to come together and share experiences and ideas.

Coming Together Event at IQRA’

iqra — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 15:21:07 +0000

Coming Together in Skokie and Niles Township celebrated the “rich, multifaceted Muslim-American residents of Skokie and Niles Township who represent a variety of cultural background during February and April 2018.”

“Coming Together in Skokie and Niles Townships is a unique project created eight years ago to present in depth the unique cultural diversity of the communities living in Skokie and Niles Township. The goal is to study one culture each year for six to eight weeks with an emphasis on literacy.”

IQRA’ was honored to participate in the program as On Saturday, March 10^th many residents of Skokie and Niles Township paid a visit to IQRA’ offices in 7450, Skokie Blvd. IQRA’ staff was present to greet the guests and inform them about our activities and a brief history.

We are grateful to MS. Rosamin Bhanpuri, the coordinator of the Program to include IQRA’ in the program.