My son is 11 years old and I am finding it extremely difficult to get him to focus on his Islamic studies or any other subject for that matter.

My main concern is that I do not want to fail him in his understanding of Islam when he becomes an adult.

I want to send him to an Islamic Boarding School, but so far he has failed all entrance exams. Our last option is to try for a school even further away from where we live. My son feels like he is being punished and say's that he just wants to be 'normal'.

Should I continue to insist on sending him to Islamic boarding school when he is so firmly against it?

Thank you.

Should I continue to insist on sending him to Islamic boarding school when he is so firmly against it?
Hello Yasmin:

Eleven years old is NOT old enough to make those kinds of judgments.

excon

Assalaam alaikum,

I am not sure I understand the reason why your son needs to be sent to boarding school to learn Islam or other subjects.
Are you or your family not able to teach him the basic religious teachings at home or somewhere nearby where he can stay at home and still be able to learn Islam and/or other subjects?

And what do you mean he is not able to focus on any subject? Does he have difficulty in retaining learned material or just learning itself?
Have you tried different methods for him to learn,for some kids some methods work and for others it does not.

Personally, I would not like my child to be away from home for schooling at the age of 11,unless it is absolutely necessary and even then I would think more than twice before deciding.

And forcing him to attend boarding school,might really make him feel abandoned especially since you mentioned he already feels it is a punishment.

Why not try Islamic studies at home, involving the whole family in such study sessions will help the family to grow and bond well,plus everyone in the family benefits from good knowledge of Islam.

You might like to look at some of these links for Islamic syllabus-
Salaam Education (http://www.salaam.co.uk/education/index.php?file=GCSE.html)

Muslim Home Educators (http://drkarimaw.tripod.com/MHE/home.html)

Wa alaikum salaam

It sounds as if the child has a learning disability of some sort and "getting" rid of the child will not solve those issues.

At this age often some subjects are not as important as others. And you need to be working to help him learn all subjects and get a well rounded education.