My homeschool learning

Our homeschool journey

by Anonymous

As Salaamu Alaikum,

Here we stand today reflecting on our amazing home schooling journey which started years ago in a little island offshore South America called Tobago. On this beautiful island surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, there was a small but thriving Muslim community, who were keen to raise their children in a manner that pleases Allah swt. They decided to home school their kids in the masjid’s compound. The journey began with only four students under the care of my mother.

The benefits of being home schooled in this Muslim community of only four primary school students were astonishing. We were also blessed to learn in an environment in which we were surrounded by the marvellous creation of Allah swt, which we would usually see on TV. Beautiful beaches (Caribbean Sea), exotic birds (humming birds humming on the patio), tree frogs (chilling in the toilet bowl), scary reptiles (lizards lazing on the walls) and creepy crawlies (GIGANTIC spiders and centipedes dozing in our bags) are just to name a few. We played alongside the marching leaf cutter ants, the rowdy roosters and the Amazon racerunners.

Our home schooling continued for several years before moving to a rural town in South Australia called Port Lincoln. Our parents decided to enrol us in a school for the first time. We attended school for approximately four years but the learning/home schooling never stopped as our mom continued to teach us at home to ensure that we performed at a higher standard. Going to school was a new learning experience for us. We enjoyed learning in a class full of kids initially but it was nothing compared to the one on one attention we would receive at home or the laid back environment full of nature. More importantly, we missed the Islamic values and etiquettes that we grew up with as we were the only Muslims in this town and the school.

We then moved to Sydney and embarked on full time home schooling once again. It was such a relief! We relived the joy of learning in an Islamic environment and having the time to do extra-curricular activities and interactive lessons with our mother. We weren’t deprived of the benefits of being in a school environment rather we were able to extend our learning through various workshops offered by different organizations and field trips. Moreover, we were fortunate to be exposed to different curriculums from the USA, UK and Australia. To further enhance our learning experience, we conducted cool science experiments at home from growing bacteria to breeding fruit flies. Furthermore we actively took part in community services whenever an opportunity arose.

We never thought that we would be able to have these experiences as home schoolers but our parents went over and beyond to ensure that we have the best education in an environment that upholds Islamic values and traditions.

Alhamdulillah, today we are in the fifth stage of high school and look forward to completing Year 10. Our home schooling journey has started with a noble decision to study at home in an Islamic environment that has led us to become independent learners and high achievers.