This is a letter Umm Layth wrote about a new educational opportunity in the state of Indiana. (I believe it’s also available in some other states).

Anyways, if you have children and are concerned about saving them from the fire, it’s something that I ask that you at least read and consider inshaaAllah.

Her letter is below…

In the Name of Allaah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

as-Salaamu `alaykum wa Rahmatullaahi wa Barakaatuhu

I hope that this email reaches you in the best of health & Iman. Some of you may not know me and some of you may know me. Either way, it doesn’t really matter but your email addresses were either forwarded to me or I forwarded this to someone who will forward it to you, insha’Allaah.

I am sending this email to inform you about a new Charter school that has been accepted in Indiana through Ball State University. It is called Connections Academy. Basically, it is a government funded public school which is known as “the school without walls”. That is, it can be done all at home but you are still considered part of a public school and it is all free. I have been keeping my eye on whether or not it would be approved by Ball State for about a year now and when we checked our mail the other day, we got a package letting us know that it was approved February 2nd, 07.

Why the email? Many parents can’t afford to put their children in the Islaamic school here in Indianapolis, IN or may not even have access to a Islaamic school and find themselves with 2 other alternatives. The first being homeschool and the second being public school. Unfortunately, not every parent knows how to homeschool their child/children and feel they have no choice but to put them in public school. For most Muslim families, it is a very hard decision to make. I myself went to public school before becoming Muslim and I know the evils that occur in such a place very well. Evils that our kids need not be put into. We know that we are responsible for our flock and our children are our flock. On the Day of Judgement we will be accountable for how we raised them.

Kids can’t escape many things in such places and that is why I am very excited about a new possible alternative for many Muslim families. This is an alternative that I must warn, christian families will be after with their teeth. Why? Because many christian families all over this country have realized that their children lose their upbringing by going to public school. If one as a parent isn’t there to guide them, our children can easily be molded into a way that is far from what Islaam calls to. So you parents need to continue reading if you agree with everything said thus far.

Connections Academy again is government funded and fully accredited. What does that mean? That means that the tuition is free and every course taken counts. All books are sent to the children and any supplies needed for any class such as science are also sent out.

How does it work? Basically, the students work from home and through their computer. Every child will have a certified teacher to keep in touch with. This teacher will upload lessons onto a specific link and through that link and after login on, the child will be able to see his/her homework, lessons etc…

What do parents have to do? Well, if your children are older and a bit more independent, the parent may just watch over them to make sure things were completed. If the children are younger, the parent has to be the one that guides them through it all. You will have to make sure your children do their homework and help them with the lessons provided. Do keep in mind however, that the lessons will be available for you and you will only have to read through it and help them out as much as they need you to help them out. If there are any ?s there is a number/email etc… to contact the teacher directly and get help.

Is it flexible? Yes, it is. Through their online setup, you as a parent (and the children as students) will have the ability to setup your own schedule. Let us say that there is a math lesson scheduled for every day of the week - well you have the ability to decide to do them in that manner or to do a few lessons a day, twice a week etc… So there is no need to have to spend so much time, every day. In the DVD that I received, there was a child that took on 4th and 5th grade math all in one year. So it is up to the student and parent as to how much they want to accomplish and in how much time.

What kind of curriculum do they use? All of that information is on their website but some that you may be familiar with are Calvert, Hooked on Phonics, Prentice Hall and Perfection Learning. Parents will not have to worry about coming up with a curriculum if they don’t have the time or don’t want to by simply going through Connections Academy.

They also have a number of activities and clubs that they offer, for different ages.

What about socialization? This is a common excuse for parents who hate the idea of anything to do with studying at home or just feel uncomfortable with it. Well, as Muslims we are taught the difference between good and bad socialization. When our children are around people we don’t even know, we have no control over much of anything. Many parents want their kids to learn to socialize with friends but who they really need to be learning from are the adults. Socialization is a skill that is learned and you can’t learn to socialize properly from kids who don’t know how to socialize themselves. You as a parent are responsible for what your kids say and do. By having them around you, you have the ability to socialize with them at home and to take them to the Masjid and to gatherings and teach them the difference between good and bad. They need to know that guarding their tongue is the best thing they can do and that their speech should be something beneficial.

Having them study at home doesn’t mean they will be deprived from this. If you ask a common teenager today if they like to be around adults, they will most likely answer no or lie to you. Why? Because they just want to be around people their age. But Islaam teaches us differently as well. You as a parent have to decide how much time you are willing to give to your children, so that they may have you as a guide and not someone who may not be fit to be a guide. So do not make this a reason to ignore this offer.

Indiana is one of the states that is very behind on homeschooling and charter schools and this is an opportunity that many people wish for. My son is still a bit too young to be put in but even without this alternative, I had set my mind on homeschooling. My main reason was because I know what happens in public school and I know the effects on a child from first hand experience. When they have to deal with christmas, halloween and all types of holidays, it is very hard for them to ignore it. Public schools put so much emphasis on these holidays and it would be very hard to avoid it. In a normal public school environment, unless you are the ‘cool’ kid you will face all types of injustices. There will be bullying and though some parents think this makes their kids stronger, in reality for many it does the opposite. They also have to deal with all types of sin and transgression such as dating and the likes, which Islaam obviously calls haram. So keep that in mind.

For the 2007-08 school year, Connections Academy will only be accepting students from K-11th grade. They will be adding 12th grade the following year, bi’ithnillaah. This year however, they will only be accepting a total of 700 students. If by March 29th 2007 they have more than 700 students, there will be a lottery and acceptance will be based on that.

Do not miss out on this great opportunity. You as a parent will be able to guide them and be a part of their learning and be able to tell them what is right and wrong. Remember that you will still be responsible for providing them a deen filled environment.

If you are interested, there will be a few information sessions throughout Indiana and a few online. You don’t have to reserve a seat for the live info-sessions but for the online ones you do.

If you are in Lafayette, there will be a live Info Session on March 5th 2007. The following is the information provided:

6:30 pm on March 5th 2007
Homewood Suites
3939 St. Rd. 26 E
Lafayette, IN 47905

If you are in Indianapolis or Greenwood, there will be a few information sessions held here. The information for all of them is not up. For those interested in going to Greenwood, the following is the information:

11:00 am on April 9th 2007
Lee’s Inn
1281 South Park Drive
Greenwood, IN 46143

For more information, you can visit their website at www.connectionsacademy.com There will be a drop down menu on the far right-hand side of the page and you will just have to click on Indiana. There you can order a catalog, take a look at the curriculum by year and enroll your children and get information on the info sessions. Remember there are some online if you prefer but you must register for those before they fill up. If you have more than 4 children to enroll, you will want to call them at 1-800-382-6010. The link for direct enrollment is http://schools.connectionsacademy.com/registration.aspx - just make sure you click Indiana Connections Academy (which I believe is the only available option).

This is an opportunity some of you don’t need to miss. If you can’t afford the Madrasah or don’t have a Madrasah nearby and can’t homeschool, this is a serious blessing. May Allaah make it easy for all of us, aameen

If you have any other questions you can contact Connections Academy directly. If there is anything else I can be of assistance with, you may contact me at ummlayth@gmail.com

Jazaakum Allaahu khairan for taking the time to read this and keep our family in your ad`iyah insha’Allaah. And if you know anyone else that may be interested in this, please forward this email to them or just talk to them about it asap, insha’Allaah.

was-Salaamu `alaykum
-Sr. Asmaa’