Sharing Good Practice
Supporting your students
during the Ramadan
By Rahima Jabeen
M
ost people are already
familiar with the word
Ramadan. Being the 9th
month
of
the
Islamic
calendar, it is the most special and
revered month in which Muslims all
over the world fast from dawn to dusk.
What does this mean for educators
who have fasting kids in their classes?
How do you interact with them? Is
there anything that you need to do
differently? It boils down to respect for
culture and religion as well as tolerance
and
encouragement.
Teaching
in a diversified and multi-cultural
classroom can be a challenge. Below
are a few pointers, which educators
who are not very familiar with Ramadan
can take into consideration during this
holy month.
Eating Etiquette
Even though very young children
usually do not fast, you will still see
kids as young as 8 or 9 fasting with
fervor. Since eating and drinking (water
included) is not allowed during the day,
it would be considerate to send these
kids to a room during lunch break, a
‘fasting room’ as it were. If most kids
are fasting and the non-fasting kids
are in the minority, then they could
move with their lunch to another room.
incorporate it in your daily endeavours
to make them better people on the
whole.
Extreme Sports
Salah Time
Teenaged kids usually handle the
typical
sports/gym/track/outdoor
activities well even when fasting.
However, the UAE tends to get
unbearably hot most of the year.
As such, teachers may want to try
alternative activities that reduce
the time that these students spend
outdoors. In case of the younger
children, a little extra care/attention
would also be appreciated.
For educational institutes that get off
later in the afternoon, there may be
some kids who would want to offer
their afternoon prayers. Though in
Islam prayers are mandatory for all
adults, younger children and elder
ones alike often pay more attention to
this aspect. Perhaps a short 10-minute
interval could be granted for kids who
are adamant about this. Most kids are
usually at home in time, but just in
case.
Grooming Opportunity
Most educators will have issues
with
behaviour
and
classroom
management issues at one point or
another. Children who are fasting are
also given awareness at home about
the significance of fasting. They are
told that it is not about hunger and
thirst but rather about self-control
and developing good habits. This is
an opportune time frame to remind
students about this concept and to
Homework and
assignments
During Ramadan, it is possible that
children may not be able to keep
up with the load of homework and
assignments, especially younger kids
who often rely on the supervision and
guidance of their parents. Ramadan
is a very social month. Relatives and
friends usua H