Far too many students view Islam as a set of arcane rules and mysterious texts in a language that they cannot understand. They learn to compartmentalize their deen, relegating the “Islamic stuff” in one category and the rest of the world in the other.
At The Muslim Educator Academy, we strive to create a sense of unity amongst this chaos, demonstrating how Islam can seamlessly integrate into a person’s whole life. We read works of literature with our “Muslim lenses” on, learning to adopt a faith-centered worldview whenever we encounter anything in the world around us. We study the Qur’an with a focus on the meaning of the Book of Allah and learn to make connections between the Qur’anic message and daily life.
This poem by one of our students perfectly illustrates our goal. This young student is learning that the Qur’an is something that heals her, inspires her, and fires her up with emotion. It’s heartbreaking to see students who view the Qur’an as something unrelatable, a burden, or a chore. When we see students who are excited to discover the beauty of the Qur’an, students who can see Islamic connections in daily life, then we know we are achieving our goal.
My name is Merium Khan, and I am the founder of The Muslim Educator Academy. From my earliest days as a teacher, I have struggled with the approach of books and curricula that taught Islam as a series of dry, fact-based trivia questions. Where were the lessons behind the facts? Where was the emotion? I developed a seerah curriculum for my Sunday School students that encouraged students to reflect on the lessons in the Prophet’s life, then went on to a full-time Islamic school and incorporated this approach in my Islamic studies classes.
I started teaching online in order to bring my signature style of teaching to students across the world. My students’ parents describe me as passionate and engaging, and they love how I am able to use thoughtful questioning to draw out students’ ideas and wisdom on a subject. The kids love that I integrate the learning with creative, artistic, and written activities. Most of all, they love the fact that they have a voice that is heard and appreciated in a classroom of their peers.
I am also an artist, writer, and homeschooling parent. I welcome you to TME Academy, and I look forward to meeting you and your students in our classes!
Qur'an Club Student Fatima, age 7