Who we teach
A twenty-minute lesson for a five-year-old and a forty-five-minute lesson for an adult are not the same lesson at different lengths — they are planned differently, expect different things at home, and start from different places. These are the groups we build around.
Young Children (ages 4–7)
Usually no Arabic letters at all, and often no experience of a structured lesson. Reading ability in their first language may still be forming.
20-minute lessons · 3–5 a week
Children (ages 8–11)
Often part-way through a Qaida, or reading slowly with errors nobody has corrected. Some arrive having memorised surahs by ear without being able to read them.
30-minute lessons · 2–5 a week
Teenagers (ages 12–17)
Extremely varied. Some read fluently and want Tajweed or Hifz; others stopped at eight and are self-conscious about being behind.
45-minute lessons · 2–4 a week
Adults
Often reading slowly with errors carried since childhood, or starting from nothing. Adults usually know exactly what they cannot do, which makes diagnosis quick.
45-minute lessons · 1–3 a week
Sisters
As varied as any adult group. Many have not studied since childhood and want a setting where asking a basic question is comfortable.
45-minute lessons · 1–3 a week
Complete Beginners
No Arabic letters, no prior study. Sometimes no experience of the script at all, including which direction it runs.
30-minute lessons · 2–4 a week
New Muslims
No Arabic, and often no background knowledge to hang it on. Frequently learning to pray at the same time as learning to read.
45-minute lessons · 1–3 a week
Older Learners
Often learned as a child decades ago and retained fragments. Eyesight and screen size are practical considerations more often than learning ability.
30-minute lessons · 1–3 a week
Working Professionals
Usually able to read at some level but inconsistent, having started and stopped more than once.
30-minute lessons · 1–2 a week
Families
Mixed levels within one household, which is the actual scheduling problem to be solved.
45-minute lessons · 1–3 a week