I discovered the Bradford Muslim blog yesterday (that is, about two hours ago) through Deenport; brother Atif Imtiaz has an excellent bit of humour about Why School is Good For You. If you don't understand irony, don't bother clicking the last link.
On the same subject, the BBC finally showed its Panorama yesterday (after postponing it for several weeks due to the ever-so-important report on possible impediments to Prince Charles' and Camilla's civil marriage), about Why Bullies Win, which is about the appalling record of British state schools in dealing with bullying. I saw the programme and it was really shocking stuff - kids being terrified of going to school, some killing themselves or trying to, and parents being told it is their fault or their children's, and the bizarre approaches to the subject proposed by some intellectuals. It's necessary viewing for anyone thinking of sending their children into this system.
Homeschooling should not be seen as a lesser evil than the school system but actually as a highly desirable option. I suffered in the schooling system myself and wouldn't want my own children to have to endure what I did. At the time I was resentful of my parents' disapproving of my learning at home (through open university tv programmes and the library) but I'm over the bitterness of it all now, alhamdulillah, becasue I realise that my being excluded from friendship groups meant I didn't want to share in the youth culture of my peers and I think this was a factor in my coming to Islam.
bullying is a hard thing to deal with...i know...i'm still in school and it can be hell at times but i think its still important for children to go to school as oppose to learning at home coz sometimes facing up to these problems helps you learn life is tough but that you have to stand up for yourself coz sometimes no-one else will....i just reckon the government needs to help schools further into tackling the problems that cause bullying....coz its not easy tryin to convince a teacher that you are actually bein bullied...i reckon we need teachers who are specially trained to deal with these sort of situations so that there is more of an understanding between them and students....
Aicha wrote:
I realise that my being excluded from friendship groups meant I didnâÂÂt want to share in the youth culture of my peers and I think this was a factor in my coming to Islam.
SubHaan Allah, my experience was the same thing. I was ridiculed as the "school nerd" from about 2nd grade onward and I have always thought that my social exclusion was a major factor that allowed me to become Muslim when I was 13 al-Hamdu li-laah.
The kids are a lot worse now than they were when I was in school and I would never send my children to be eaten by those lions.
MashAllah, Umm Zainab!
Mariam, I don't agree that training teachers would just lead to bullies using more subtle means of hurting their prey.
In one of Sheikh Hamza's Yusuf's lectures he was cautioning parents against sending children to public (or state school as we say here) becasue of the use of bells to call the children. There being a hadith(s) taliing about the link between bells with shaytan.
I wish you well with your studies.
I meant, I don't agree that training teachers would help. It would just lead to bullies using more subtle means.