The Nur Center

Islamic Montessori Iftar "Creating a New Education"

In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be with you dear parents and friends! Ramadan Mubarak! We pray that this holy month will bring blessings for you and your loved ones. We are happy to announce our First Annual Ramadan Benefit Iftar sponsored by The Islamic Montessori Society with Guest Speaker Dr. Susan Douglass who will address the topic of "Creating a New Education" Sunday June 11th at 7PM Tickets: $20 Childcare: $5 Limited Seating Call to reserve tickets: (703) 237-5400 Medina Montessori 6329-L Arlington Boulevard Falls Church, VA 22044 Allah says in the Quran, “It is He who has brought you into being from a single soul” (6:48 ) Dr. Maria Montessori observed this principle of Tawheed throughout the Cosmos and concludes, “All things are part of the universe and are connected with each other to form one whole entity.” (Montessori, 1973). The unity of all creation and the spirit Fitrah is the foundation of Montessori educational philosophy and provides the perfect platform for teaching the Islamic Sciences. Dr. Susan Douglass will discuss the classical Islamic philosophies of education and some current ideas by this generation of Muslim educators. The talk will address the tendency of Muslim communities to create Islamic schools on the model of American public schools, creating a "double curriculum" for Islamic studies and Arabic, and the secular school subjects. These communities fail to explore the progressive independent school tradition in American education, which could provide a better model than US public schools for a holistic, forward-looking curriculum. The Islamic Montessori Society was established to promote the spread of Islamic Montessori Education by sponsoring Montessori teacher training, by making Montessori education accessible to all children, and by supporting the development of an integrated Islamic Montessori curriculum. Please join us on Sunday June 11 to learn more about how you can be a part of this effort to create a new education for our children, families and communities and society. Seating is limited and must be reserved in advance, so please reserve your seats early. You may purchase tickets in advance by calling (703) 237-5400. We hope you will join us and invite friends and family interested in supporting our work!

6/11/2017 7:00:00 PM -04:00

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Islam and Montessori: Hope for the Future

In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious the Most Merciful May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be with you dear parents, We are very happy to announce that Nur Montessori in Falls Church is expanding to include a Primary classroom (ages 3-5) and Upper Elementary (ages 9-12) in Fall of 2016, insha'Allah. Insha'Allah on Sunday, December 13, 2015, Nur Montessori will host a presentation and discussion of the future direction of Muslim Education entitled, Islam and Montessori: Hope for the Future. Please join us for a thought provoking and serious look at post modern schooling and its impact on children and society. Presenters, Maimuna-Mahdi Wildeman, Mary El-Khatib and Tasniya Sultana will discuss the value of a Montessori education, how its philosophy, curriculum and methodology perfectly align with Islam and its potentially transformative effect on our children and society. Maimuna Mahdi (Primary) Born in Sierra Leone and educated on three continents, Maimuna is a Muslim American and a ‘Third Culture Adult’. She has a Bachelor’s in African Studies from the University of London, England, and was certified by the American Montessori Society in 1993 at the Primary (3-6) Level. Maimuna began her teaching career in Evanston, Illinois, graduating from the Midwest Montessori Teacher Training Center, and has been a Directress in Montessori Schools in the US and in Saudi Arabia since then. Registered as an American Montessori Society Consultant, she received her American Montessori Society Elementary Level I Credential in 2010. She is currently working towards a second Bachelor’s in Islamic Studies while working as a substitute teacher at local Islamic Schools, and volunteering for her non-profit “Hajar’s Well”. Maimuna has participated in the ‘Conversations on Diversity’ Series of the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center at the University of North Carolina and co-presented “An Introduction to the Islamic Community” for the Diversity Council of the City of Durham, NC. Maimuna is blessed to have her extraordinary parents, Muhammad and Roshan, as well as her daughter, Qasima in her life in Durham. Mary El-Khatib (Secondary) Mary is an Irish American who was drawn to the compassion, ease and beauty of Islam while living and teaching in Jerusalem. She perceived a major disconnect between the Islam she was learning and images of Islam being put forth in the world. After attending a week long conference, "Beyond Schooling" featuring speakers Hamza Yusuf and John Tayor Gatto, she was convinced that the current educational system was working against the true nature of the child and became determined to reform the education of our youth by actively teaching peace and conflict resolution, helping children realize their role as stewards of the environment and most importantly their connection with the Creator and all creation. In September, 2011, Mary established Nur Montessori to fulfill that vision. Mary received her training in Montessori curriculum and pedagogy at the Barrie Institute of Advanced Montessori Studies. Mary has held teaching positions at The George Washington University, The College of Science in Jerusalem, Arlington County Public Schools, Henson Valley Montessori School and the Islamic Saudi Academy in VA where she also served in the capacity of Assistant Principal, Chair of the Elementary ESL Department and Chair of Philosophy and Goals Committee for school accreditation. She was awarded a teaching Fellowship by The George Washington University where she earned a Master of Arts Degree in Iberian Spanish Literature. She has also published in the Journal of Religion and Teaching on issues relating to the acquisition of English for Muslim students. Mary offers yearly workshops on the topic of Montessori and Islam which she has presented at the annual convention for the Islamic Schools League of America. Tasniya Sultana (Upper Elementary) Tasniya Sultana recently received her Masters in Elementary Montessori Education from Loyola University Maryland and her AMI diploma from Washington Montessori Institute. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Virginia. As a former teacher of Islamic Studies, Tasniya observed that most Islamic schools have adopted the standard workbooks, textbooks, and worksheets to teach various concepts like math, science, history, and language with very minimal hands-on experience for the child. Tasniya believes children should be excited and passionate about learning both secular subjects and Islamic subjects. Her dream is to change the landscape of Islamic education by providing more concrete materials and experiences for the children in the classroom. She believes that Montessori teaching methods and Islamic education create a perfect synergy. One of Tasniya’s goals is to incorporate Qur’anic Arabic into the Montessori method of teaching grammar, morphology and syntax so that students can have a better understanding and deeper relationship with the Quran. Tasniya is currently studying Quranic Arabic with Bayyinah to make her vision a reality.

12/13/2015 10:00:00 AM -05:00

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Opening Ceremony: Surat al-Fatiha

Islamic Montessori Iftar "Creating a New Education"

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NUR Montessori Open House

The Daring Way (2 day workshop) Presented by Imaani Chowdhury

Islam and Montessori: Hope for the Future

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