Children's Book Author, Randa Taftaf, Visits IAA by Aminah Shah

“IQRA!” It’s the first word the Angel Jibreel said to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him! It is incumbent upon each of us as Muslims to seek knowledge, and we send our children to school so that they can acquire and hone the skills necessary to become lifelong seekers of knowledge.

The Islamic Academy of Alabama played host to a guest author, Randa Taftaf, in November 2018 as a part of its IQRA Program. Sr. Randa Taftaf, author of the Zaydo Potato series of children’s picture books, visited the school for a series of events designed to promote a love of reading and writing, teamwork, and belief in the superpower of being a Muslim who believes in Allah and makes good choices. Sr. Randa is also a professor at the University of South Florida and has taught English Language Learners for over 17 years.

Preschoolers were treated to a special story time with Sr. Randa, and they had a great time finding the “hidden potato” in her story! Lower elementary students listened to Sr. Randa read to them as well, and then they participated in obstacle course-type team-building activities. Each one left the activities with a certificate certifying him or her as a “Muslim Superhero,” along with a face mask (because all superheroes need a mask, right?).

Upper elementary students through grade 8 welcomed Sr. Randa for an informative and motivational talk about the writing and publishing process. The students asked a lot of great questions, and they left with a renewed energy about their own writing. High schoolers and parents were invited to an evening event during which Sr. Randa spoke about the importance of reading in developing critical thinking skills. This was especially thought-provoking, as we parents are well aware that our kids are faced with potentially life-changing decisions every day and require the ability to use careful reasoning when making choices.

The takeaway from it all? First of all, read, read, and read some more. Kids need to be read to when they’re young, see the adults around them reading often, and be provided with opportunities to acquire new and varied reading materials. To become good at reading, you have to…READ! IQRA! The more our kids read, the better they will be able to reason and use critical thinking skills throughout their lives.

Secondly, IAA has a lot of good things going on! Please keep the school in your duas that we may be able to provide and grow the opportunities and programs that will help our students become lifelong learners and exemplary global citizens, insha’Allah!