Dealing with Sick Students

It is natural that differences exist among different individuals. If one takes it into consideration class of many students, they will notice that students differ in their physical, mental and psychological abilities.  In this case, the teacher has to take care of students especial needs. In order for a student to perform well in class he or she must be in a state of good health. In this article, I will discuss two types of illnesses that may affect students as well as ways of dealing with them.

 Temporal Illness- This is the type of illness that may affect some students for a short period of time; such as common cold or flu. Some students who are eager to learn may want to attend school even in this state of sneezing and coughing. But owing to the contagious nature of these types it illnesses, it might be injurious to the health of other students. Therefore, the teacher may ask the student to stay away from school until he or she recovers. During the absence of this student he would have missed some lessons and perhaps tests or examinations. So how should teachers address these situations? In Islam for instance, fasting from food and drinks from dawn to dusk is being prescribed upon Muslims every ninth month of the Islamic calendar as a means of developing righteousness. However, not every Muslim may have the ability to fast due to many reasons such as illness. In relation to this, there is concession for two types of illnesses; temporary and permanent illnesses. In the case of temporal illness, the Muslim is not supposed to fast during the days of the illness but should compensate for the missed days after the month of fasting when he would have recovered from the illness. If it is a chronic illness he or she not required to fast at all but should compensate by proving food to one fasting person.

We can treat our sick students in a like wise manner. During the student’s absence, we can make a video recording of the lecture, or we conduct internet chatting sessions, telephone conference or upload a video of the lecture on facebook so the students can access the missed lessons even while away. If the student missed an examination, the teacher may arrange a special date for it to be taken or can conduct online.

 Permanent Illness- Coping with students with permanent illness or chronic illness is more difficult than dealing with temporal illness. Because of this, special consideration must be given to these students with special needs. Based on the seriousness of their situation, a special class may be assigned to them and they should be provided for as their needs dictate. It is a logical conclusion that their needs would be quite different from healthy and normal students. Therefore, teachers teaching these students should be well equipped with not only the academic knowledge but should also be given appropriate training on how to deal with students with disabilities.

Any comment will be recieved gratefully

Keep it Secret

Once a day, I advised my students not disclose their marks to their colleagues. I thought that might serve as a motivation to students who did not perform well in exams and saved
those who did well from envy. It was my feeling that if a student gives in to
the idea that he is been known for not obtaining good grades; this mind set may
cause that student to neglect any means of improvement and continue to degrade.
However, been speared the rod of embarrassment might keep alive in them the
spirit of courage and determination.

However, given a second thought, makes me wonder how effective this “keep it secret” strategy might be. What will be it effect on competition? As “where there is competition there is progress”. I remember my students’ days; I was one of those students who were ashamed to score low marks in exams, because of this fear of failure I worked harder than usual for success. Therefore, my
orientation is more suited to be competitive. I know not all students are like that. There were students out there, who were more successful in continuous assessment than in final examination.

In this regard, I think competition in terms of disclosing students’ results would be beneficial for the more competitive students, but for those who are less competitive keeping it secret is better.

Any comment will be received gratefully .Feel free to give us your thoughts .

“Hearts We Lost” A novel which worth reading

Umm Zakiyyah has done it again! This novel is sure to give readers a new perspective on Islam. It delves into issues that, even today, are too sensitive and uncomfortable for the vast majority of Muslims to confront.

In this heart-warming, suspense-filled, tear-jerker, Umm Zakiyyah takes the reader on a spiritual and moral journey that examines the struggles of a young man who unexpectedly finds himself facing a dilemma that will change the course of his life forever.

In part one, we meet Sharif, a 26-year-old African-American, who is returning home to America after a six-year study abroad in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Having lost his father while a teen, Sharif feels obliged to fulfill the role of imam in the small Maryland masjid where his father had the same role.

But on his return, Sharif finds himself a stranger in the midst of the very people he grew up with. Even the love he has for his beloved fiancée, Hasna, is put to the test when he finds he is unable to accept her lifestyle—one which he himself grew up with.

What really hit home while reading this part was the striking similarities in the problems faced by Sharif as a practicing Muslim in America and that being faced by practicing Muslims in their native Muslim lands. They face tough challenges while going against the cultural grain they have known all their lives.

In part two, Sharif is now Imam of his community and begins the arduous task of trying to reform the minds of a people set in their ways—people who have become so comfortable with their version of “true” Islam that Sharif himself fears he will be ostracized and deemed a “traitor” to his African-American roots. He faces this fear not only with his community but also with his own flesh and blood, most notably his mother.

Sharif finds that at every turn, he is forced to follow the path of “moderation” as dictated by the only version of Islam his community has ever known. Compounding matters for Sharif is a dream [of a future wife] he repeatedly sees that seems to pull his heart in an unexpected direction—a direction that not only disrupts his personal life but is sure to, once revealed, cause an uproar in his community.

In part three, after soul-searching and seeking Allah’s counsel, Sharif is convinced that the events he sees in his dream are ordained by Allah. Thus, he decides to seek the opinion of the one person he has taken as a second father-figure since childhood— the father of his fiancée. But Sharif finds that even those whom he thought he could trust are quick to malign and alienate him, leaving him with no choice but to leave his family and home.

The author does an outstanding job in keeping readers on the edge of their seats throughout the entire novel. The book also contains some beautiful lines of poetry that are sure to evoke tears of emotion for the unsuspecting reader.

Umm Zakiyyah has interwoven authentic narrations from the Prophet salallahu alaihi wa sallam and ayaat from the Qur’an in such a manner that even the learned Muslim is left feeling as if he were reading them for the first time. for more information you can visit the original post here

How to activate your class

It could be mention that in a class with several students, there must be differences in abilities, aptitudes and concentration. Because of this, the teacher should find ways to diversify his or her teaching strategies in order to get all students to be inclusive in a lesson. In this regard, I think the following steps will be beneficial in achieving this goal:

 1. Division of the Class into groups– Instead of having a bunch of students to deal with; they can be divided into groups. This actually leads to efficiency as the smaller the group the more effective will be the supervision as well as the better the focus and concentration of the students.

2. Designation of a specific and clear task to each student– The success of a group work will only be ascertained if each student has a role to play. Therefore, it is important to give each student a specific task to carry out. This task should be related to what the over all group are doing. In this way, it is like individual student contributing building blocks that will eventually lead to a complete building.

3. Distributing of work sheets To get the job done efficiently, work sheets should be given to the students. In these work sheets, they will do their individual task. For the fact that they are required to submit their work sheets, they will be motivated to do their best. This then brings to the final step; which is:

4. Discussion of the work sheets The importance this stage can not be over emphasized; as it could be compared to sick persons who visit a Medical Doctor for treatment. The Doctor will be able to effectively treat these patients after a complete diagnosis and tests have been performed on them. So when the students submit their work sheets the teacher will know exactly what their weaknesses and strengths are and in the process of discussion these problematic areas will be smoothly dealt with.

In conclusion, I invite new ideas from my respectable readers on how to get all students to included in a new lesson.