July/August 2023

In May, more than 300 teachers, administrators, board members, and parents felt inspired at the 24th ISNA Education Forum in Chicago. The engaging sessions provided relevant information and activities for attendees to take back to their schools and communities. 

The Forum was blessed with the presence of one of its founders, Dr. Abdalla Idris Ali, a former ISNA president. In his khutbah, he shared some of the struggles of the original Islamic Schools and expressed his satisfaction with the progress that Muslims have made in this area. He motivated attendees by reminding them that the work that is done in Islamic Schools may seem difficult, but it should be viewed as an honor to be selected by God to be in His service.  

Islamic Studies Track:

This year’s Islamic Studies sessions touched upon a wide range of interesting topics. The Monarch Unit Companion Series session demonstrated a multistep approach to learning about the Sahaba (companions). Educators learned how they could act as “knowledge architects,” guiding their students on a metamorphic journey where students emerge, transforming their knowledge into action beyond the classroom. Participants learned that they could make Sahaba biographies relevant to students today, such as Musab bin Umayr (radi Allahu ‘anh) could be viewed as an influencer in Makkah. The participants were provided with a free resource from presenter, Leila Osman, that was ready to be incorporated in their classrooms.

The attendees also got hands-on experience with additional resources available to educators thanks to Susan Douglass, Farea Khan, and Nada Wafa. Participants became students, engaging with film clips from Unity Productions Foundation. They completed a cooperative learning activity to acquire knowledge and share that with other members of the audience.  

Another timely presentation was “The Need for Health Education from the Islamic Perspective.” Presenter Amber Khan explained that now, more than ever, because our culture lacks education in the spiritual dimension, Muslims must acquire the necessary Islamic knowledge to follow in the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and be ready to address sensitive topics in an appropriate manner. 

In the “Teaching for Better Brains and Healthy Learners” session, Sue Labadi (founder and president of Genius School, Inc.), shared how good habits such as an exercise regimen, a healthy diet, and practicing methods to reduce stress are essential for brain health and learning.

Saffet Catovic emphasized in his presentation, “Teaching About Care for the Natural World, Environment and Climate,” that we must teach our children that they have the responsibility to be the caretakers of our Earth. They should strive to find solutions for the problems brought about by climate change. 

Arabic, Quran, and Curriculum Tracks

As always, the Arabic & Quran sessions were well-attended and offered teachers and administrators insight into teaching strategies to enhance the programs at their schools and raise their students to even higher levels of mastery.

It was noted by one of the long-time presenters and experts in the field, Dr. Dalia El-Deeb, that the level of proficiency of the teachers has significantly increased over the past 10 years. She attributed it to being a testament of the effectiveness and importance of the sessions offered at the Ed Forum.

Diverse topics were covered in the Curriculum & Instruction track ranging from cultural diversity and teaching with social emotional learning in mind, to brain-based learning.  The sessions were engaging and hands-on, and the attendees all left wishing they had more time to increase their knowledge and skills. 

Leadership Track  

The leadership track began with a full day Pre-Conference on “Strengthening the Principal and Board Partnership” presented by outgoing CISNA Board President Dr. Leila Shatara and incoming president, William White. It covered roles and responsibilities, board recruitment, principal search, recruitment and evaluation, and ways to build the relationship between the Board and the school leadership to make it most effective and positive. Attendees said they  “genuinely benefited from the discussions” and that the sessions were “well-organized and engaging.” 

Leadership sessions also included an insightful presentation by Talaat Pasha on “Best Practices for Educators from Prophetic Tradition and Positive Intelligence.” Participants were able to complete a survey that allowed them to better understand their own thinking and their own saboteurs. Pasha infused both Prophetic lessons with research based positive intelligence to provide insight for the attendees to best find ways to strengthen their performance and well-being.  

Continuing to provide examples of the Prophetic model in leadership, Magda Elkadi Saleh and Shatara presented a session on Leading with Compassion. It was an interactive session where attendees were able to learn from one another as they shared experiences and provided examples in the life of the Prophet that showed how merciful he was even when faced with the harshest circumstances and individuals.  

Dr. Muhammad Khalifa presented a workshop entitled “What’s Missing from Islamic Schools? Culturally Responsive School Leadership” that was electric and introspective. It reminded attendees of how Prophetic tradition was inclusive, diverse, equitable and made the Sahaba feel valued. Questions for reflection included, “How do we deal with school members and community members within schools that may feel marginalized? It was a perfect interactive and engaging workshop that allowed participants to do much needed self-auditing. 

Becoming A Reflective Practitioner to Enrich the Lives of Students by Dr. Suad Islam demonstrated the power and impact of effective reflective practices for school leaders looking at tafakkur (deep contemplation that impacts behavior) as a daily iterative process. Some of the thought-provoking questions posed included “How do we self-examine?” and “How to measure the impact of the solution? The workshop was engaging, filled with laughter, and tools provided can be transferred in helping participants become better reflective practitioners in their respective schools.

Weekend Schools

WISER (Weekend Islamic Schools Educational Resources) presented “Designing Your Dream Weekend School” with the support of five of its board members. They introduced WISER’s mission “…to raise the quality of Islamic weekend schools and after-school programs that nurture spiritual growth, develop character, and instill God-consciousness.” 

The audience also caught a glimpse of some professional development expertise that board members can offer to teachers, administrators, and school board members. Necva Ozgur (founder, WISER), touched everyone’s hearts as she shared her vision for what an ideal school can be. Weekend schools can acquire a complimentary membership and get access to several resources at www.wiser-usa.org. Be sure to check the website each month for new updates, including WISER’s 10 Standards for Islamic weekend schools. 

Ask the Experts & Concluding Sessions 

Participating in workshops is beneficial, but sometimes more help is needed to implement new ideas.  That was one of the reasons for the “Ask the Experts” session.  The room was filled with educators seeking guidance for their school issues: “How can we teach the meaning of the Quran when we have only two periods a week for Quranic Studies?” “What do you think of these resources that we are using for our classes?” “How do we deal with implicit and explicit racism that may exist in our schools?” 

This session allowed speakers to learn about some of the challenges that their colleagues were facing and it provided an opportunity for speakers and participants to brainstorm to come up with solutions. Even after the official session ended, the conversations continued demonstrating the benefits gained from the collegial experience.

In the concluding session, attendees got a chance to hear from the Forum Planning Committee, and more importantly, they got a chance to give their feedback. Overall, the comments were very positive, and most of the attendees stressed that they would attend again. Raffles added a lot of excitement to the final session. Twenty attendees introduced themselves and their schools as they received their gifts. The diversity was amazing and inspiring.

Banquet Highlights

The Saturday banquet was truly an enjoyable and memorable event.  The keynote speaker was Illinois State Rep. Nabeela Syed (D), who took office in January 2023 as the youngest ever to serve in the state General Assembly. She encouraged the youth to take a greater interest in and become active in their local communities. “To make change, we need to be the change”, Syed said.

Sue Labadi received the ISNA Ed Forum Lifetime Achievement award. She is a licensed health trainer, an experienced consultant, teacher, and Islamic school administrator with degrees in psychology, sociology, and a master’s degree in teaching. She has served on the CISNA and WISER boards and serves on the faculty of CISE and DEFINE360. It was a well-deserved honor, which she accepted surrounded by her family, friends, and colleagues.

The evening also included fundraising conducted by Sh. Abdalla Idris Ali. The banquet concluded with beautiful nasheed and poetry from Chicago area students.

This report was put together by the ISNA Education Forum Planning Committee

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