Tarbiyah shapes how children speak, act and treat one another, and good character is part of every class at Huda Academy.
Character
Tarbiyah is the Arabic word for upbringing: the patient work of raising a child in faith, knowledge and character. At Huda Academy, much of it happens in how the school day is organized.
From Grade 1, students pray Dhuhr together every school day, and older students mentor the younger ones. That arrangement teaches both sides something. The younger children learn by example from students only a few years older than them, and the older students learn that being looked up to carries responsibility.
Leadership is tied to conduct as well. Our student leaders must meet requirements for good behavior as well as good grades.
We also teach students how to interact appropriately with classmates of the opposite gender. Boys and girls share classrooms, and as part of our vision we prepare them to behave well with one another in the wider society they are growing up into. Our statement on this follows.
Huda Academy was founded in 2000 on Islamic principles of character, courage and compassion. Our founders set out to build a school that would excel in academics and give children an environment in which to grow spiritually.
The school will confirm
Anything the school does explicitly for character and tarbiyah, such as a program, assemblies or a behavior framework, and how behavior is handled day to day.
Our position
The Huda Academy provides mixed gender learning environments for all grades pre-k through 12th gradeNeeds fixing with a focus on creating inclusive, nurturing, and developmentally appropriate classrooms for all students. Based on school vision we educate students on how to appropriately interact socially with students of the opposite gender to prepare them for society.
Many Muslim families ask about this early. Boys and girls learn together in mixed classrooms at every stage, and we teach students how to conduct themselves with the opposite gender as part of their upbringing, so they leave ready for the society they will study and work in.
Our statement also calls for classrooms that are developmentally appropriate. In practice, we set expectations for the age of the children in the room: what is asked of a Kindergarten class is not what is asked of high school students.
Our sports teams are separate: volleyball is for girls and soccer is for boys.
Leadership and service
Character shows in what a young person does for others. Students at Huda Academy get real chances to do both: to lead their peers, and to serve their school.
Leading
Each Friday, an older student gives the khutbah before Jummah. Speaking about the faith in front of others is leadership in its most visible form.
Student council members are chosen by a vote of their fellow students and must also meet our requirements for good grades and good behavior. The yearbook team is chosen differently: students are nominated by a teacher and approved by the yearbook committee.
Serving
The student council raises funds in the school building and takes on other projects for the school.
In high school, service learning is one of the activities open to students. Service learning joins service to study: students take on work that meets a real need, then reflect on what it taught them.
The school will confirm
What service learning involves in high school (the kinds of projects, and whether service hours are required), and what the student council has raised funds for.
Character comes first
If who your child becomes matters as much as what they learn, we would love to welcome your family.
