7 Signs Your Child's Quran Class Is Not Working: What to Do

How Do I Know If My Child's Quran Class Is Not Working?

Look for a pattern across several classes, not one bad day. Watch for slow progress and a child who dreads class. Watch for a teacher who does most of the talking, and for no clear note or plan. Watch for repeated mistakes, a poor time of day and work at the wrong level.

Try a fix at home first. Then ask the teacher. Ask for a new teacher only if the sign stays.

The 7 Signs at a Glance

Here are the seven signs side by side. After the table, each sign gets its own section:

Sign 1: No Progress in Reading After Several Weeks

Your child has been in class for weeks. Yet the lines look the same, the reading is as slow as before and there is no new row. Progress is rarely a straight line, and the first weeks can be slow. After a few weeks, though, you should see something new.

Here is how to read this sign:

• What it may mean: the pace may be too fast or too slow. There may be too little practice between classes. Or the lesson may not stay on one step until it is solid.
• Try at home: ask for five to ten minutes of practice on most days. Use only the lines in the teacher's note. Let your child colour a star each day.
• Ask the teacher: What is the one thing my child must fix next? How will we know it is fixed? What should we practise this week?
• Ask for a new teacher if: weeks pass and you have done the practice. The teacher still cannot say what holds your child back.

Some children find reading hard in every language. If you see this at school too, talk to your child's school as well.

Sign 2: Your Child Dreads Class

Before class your child sighs, says "Do I have to?" or hides. One cross day is normal. A child who feels this way again and again is telling you something.

Here is how to read this sign:

• What it may mean: your child may be tired or hungry at that hour. The work may be too hard. Your child may feel shy with this teacher, or the class may feel like a test.
• Try at home: give a snack, a drink and a short rest first. Sit close by if the class allows it. Praise every try, and never use the class as a punishment. Our tips on helping your child focus in an online Quran class have more ideas.
• Ask the teacher: Can we start with something my child does well? Can the tasks be shorter? What does my child enjoy most?
• Ask for a new teacher if: the dread stays after you have changed the hour, the level and the routine. Do it sooner if your child says they feel uneasy with the teacher.

If your child ever feels unsafe or uncomfortable with a teacher, do not wait for weeks. Stop the class and tell the academy at once.

Sign 3: The Teacher Talks More Than Your Child Reads

In a reading class, your child should hear a sound, read it aloud, get a fix and read again. Some talking is needed, for example to explain a new idea. But if you hear mostly the teacher's voice for the whole 30 minutes, take a closer look.

Here is how to read this sign:

• What it may mean: the lesson may be more of a talk than a practice. Or your child is shy, and the teacher fills the silence.
• Try at home: watch one class with a clock, if the academy lets parents join. About how many minutes does your child read aloud? Write it down for two or three classes.
• Ask the teacher: Can my child read more in each class? Can you keep the explanations short and let my child try straight after?
• Ask for a new teacher if: you have asked. A few classes later, your child still spends most of the time listening.

Sign 4: There Is No Clear Note or Plan

After a class you should know three things: what was covered, what to practise and what comes next. If you have to guess, the class may have no clear plan.

Here is how to read this sign:

• What it may mean: the teacher may not have a plan for this child. Or the notes are very short, or they come late.
• Try at home: ask your child to show you what they learned. Write down what you hear, so you can share it with the teacher.
• Ask the teacher: What is my child's goal this month? What are the next three steps? What should my child work on before you meet again?
• Ask for a new teacher if: you have asked for a note and a plan, and you still get neither.

Any academy should be able to answer these questions. At Salam Campus, every class ends with a short written note. It lists what was covered and what to practise. Check that you get one for your child too.

Sign 5: The Same Mistakes Repeat

Every child slips when reading. A good teacher stops at the slip, shows the right sound and lets the child say it again. If the same slip comes back class after class with no fix, something is missing.

Here is how to read this sign:

• What it may mean: the teacher may not stop your child at the slip. Or the fix is too big and needs smaller steps. Or there is too little practice on that one thing.
• Try at home: pick one slip. Write the letter or the word on a slip of paper, and practise it for a few minutes each day. One fix at a time works better than ten.
• Ask the teacher: Which slip should we fix first? Can you show my child the sound slowly, then let my child say it a few times? How will I know it is fixed?
• Ask for a new teacher if: the teacher told you the fix and you practised. Yet the same slip stays for many classes.

Sign 6: The Time of Day Does Not Suit Your Child

A good class at a bad hour can look like a bad class. A child who is tired, hungry or cross will find it hard to learn from any teacher.

Here is how to read this sign:

• What it may mean: the class may come right after a long school day. It may fall at a meal or at bedtime. It may clash with sport or homework.
• Try at home: keep a note for a week. When is your child fresh? Try a snack and a short rest before class. Then pick a better hour.
• Ask the teacher: Can we move the class to an hour when my child is fresher? Can we try a different day?
• Ask for a new teacher if: the teacher cannot offer an hour that works. Another teacher may have a time that fits.

At Salam Campus, a class can be set at any hour, in your own time zone. Tell us when your child is fresh. Weekend classes cost no more than weekday ones.

Sign 7: The Work Is Too Hard or Too Easy

Too hard looks like silence, "I can't" or a child who stops trying. Too easy looks like "I'm bored", or a child who races through. Both waste time, and both can be fixed.

Here is how to read this sign:

• What it may mean: the class may have started at the wrong step. Or the teacher moved too fast, or too slowly.
• Try at home: ask your child to read one line from the last class alone. If your child reads it with no slip, the work may be too easy. If your child stumbles on most words, it may be too hard.
• Ask the teacher: Where did you start my child, and why? Can we go back a step, or move on to the next one?
• Ask for a new teacher if: you asked for a change of level. A few classes later, nothing has changed.

A good first class helps here. At Salam Campus, the free trial class is where the teacher sees your child's level. A course and a weekly plan come after that.

Give Each Change a Fair Try

Before you decide, give each change a fair chance. A child is not a machine, and a fix needs time to show. Here is a simple way to do it:

• Change one thing at a time: the hour, the seat, the practice or the level.
• Wait for a few classes after each change, so you can see what it did.
• Keep short notes after each class: what your child read, how your child felt and what the teacher said.
• Look at the whole picture. One bad day is not a sign. A pattern is.
• Talk to your child in a calm voice, over a snack, and not just before class.

How to Ask for a New Teacher, With Any Academy

A good academy will not mind this question. Asking is fair, and it does not mean the first teacher was bad. A match can simply be wrong. Here is how to ask:

• Write it down, by email or message, so there is a record.
• Say what you saw, for example "my child hardly reads in class". Keep it about the facts.
• Say what you hope for. It may be a female or a male teacher, a slower or faster pace, or a new hour.
• Ask how the change works, and whether your child's progress record moves to the new teacher.
• Keep your child out of the talk. Tell your child it is just a fresh start.

At Salam Campus, a family can request another teacher at any point after enrolling, free of charge. A trial class with that teacher is booked inside a week, and your child's progress record is moved over.

What Salam Campus Offers, So You Can Check Us Too

We run online Quran classes, so we are not a neutral voice. Hold us to the same 7 signs. Here is what a family gets with our online Quran classes for kids:

• Live classes on video, one child with one teacher. A standard class lasts 30 minutes, and children can start from about age 4.
• A written note after each class on what was covered and what to practise.
• Parents may join any class.
• A male or a female teacher, at the same fee.
• Classes 24/7, set in your own time zone.
• Another teacher on request, free of charge.
• A free trial class of 30 minutes. No card is needed.

Test a New Class With a Free Trial

If your child's class is not working, a trial with a new teacher is an easy next step. Our trial class is free, and it is live with one teacher. Nothing is due unless you choose a plan afterwards. Watch for the 7 signs, and say what you saw. Ready to see for yourself? Book a free trial class and give us the hours that suit your child.