black board, white chalk

6 Responses to “For other than the Sacred, in spite of ourselves.”

1. It’s interesting, because I think children still have not entered into the mindset of older generations, in terms of ‘making money as a goal’. Which confuses many (at least in my case) of how one only goes to school or studies in order to make money—I think many children just can’t comprehend that concept. What happened to studying for the sake of seeking knowledge and developing intellectualism in our society?

   FZ said this on February 7, 2013 at 9:34 am | Reply

   • Great point, and thank you for taking the time to comment. Education and social mobility or now: economic security and success have always gone hand-in-hand. One of the main reasons for immigration is to get a better education. Right now, in the US if you’ve seen the movie Waiting for Superman, families will move to ensure they are in a better school district because better schools, mean better colleges/universities, better colleges/universities mean better jobs. Or that was the model. In the last two to three years with the economic collapse that model no longer works. Neither does that of the self-made man/woman = American dream. In addition to that, there is a near epidemic in terms of the lack of empathy among children in US schools, and I am sure other countries like Canada and UK are not far behind. What children do comprehend is that if I get good grades then I should get ahead in life. Education should be more about the effort, the process, not just the end product. Seeking knowledge and intellectualism are not a priority for a consumer society. As educators, parents and caregivers we need to rethink our priorities. Making money isn’t bad, but if that is the end all, be all, then we have issues that we are seeing manifested now. I hope this helps a bit. Thank you for your comment; it really made me think about why education and the way we learn and teach are so important.

     Omaira said this on February 7, 2013 at 3:59 pm | Reply

2. Salam Omaira, (first time post:)
   How sad . . . and true. As usual, Sh. Hamza, may Allah preserve him, giving us a wake-up call. Its a similar situation here in the UK. It’s so sad to see my young son’s face when I drop him off at school in the mornings:( And the look of relief when I pick him up. He’s 12 years old. Please make du’a. It’s very disheartening. Oh how I make du’a Allah instil our teachers with compassion and insight and preserve the sense of sacredness in our young. Ameen. Thank you for your deep insights too sis. Your posts are full of goodness Alhamdulillah. Allah keep you safe and steadfast Insha’Allah.
   Ps. The link below is an interesting read, It reminded me of you so I thought I’d share it:) I’m going through it myself at the moment.
   http://www.rissc.jo/index.php/english-publications/islam-series/249-how-to-integrate-the-remembrance-of-god-into-teaching.html
   In need of your du’as.

   naqsh said this on February 9, 2013 at 8:21 pm | Reply

   • Welcome and thank you for taking the time to comment! Walaykum assalaam! It can be very disheartening and I feel that we keep trying to fix a system that is already so broken and irrelevant. Thank you for your support and encouragement and prayers – I need them! 🙂 Thank you also for the link, I am very intrigued by it. Praying for the good of this world for our children.

     Omaira said this on February 11, 2013 at 5:30 am | Reply

3. Loved this video Omaira… thanks for sharing!

   Saima said this on February 13, 2013 at 9:54 pm | Reply

   • Me too! It sums up the issues so well. Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for taking the time to comment. 🙂

     Omaira said this on February 14, 2013 at 3:56 am | Reply