My name is Shumaila Zaka. I am a mother of four – three boys and one girl. I have Bachelors of Engineering degree in Computer Systems and have 9 years of professional experience as Computer Systems Programmer in Canadian IT industry. I left my job to take care of my children and decided to not send them to daycare. I did Taleem-ul-Quran course from Alhuda Institute (Mississauga) from 2010-2013. After the course, I had very strong desire to impart the religious education to children. I homeschooled my children for 2 years in which I used a variety of online resources and did extensive research on curriculum choices and supplemented lesson plans with audio-video aids for effective lesson delivery. In 2015, I got an opportunity to teach Junior Kindergarten class in Masjid AlSalam, Brampton. In 2017, I worked as an Elementary School Teacher (Science and Islamic Studies) for Almanarat Heights Islamic School during which I helped the school prepare Infused Islamic Curriculum for Science with the help of a variety of Islamic resources. Since 2018, I am volunteering as Course Coordinator for Alhuda Distance Learning and helping conduct different courses for youth in the Region of Waterloo.
I have always loved teaching and am very passionate about it. My methodology in teaching is, “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” I love creating content for children by simplifying it and customizing it to their level and love making games / interactive slides / quizzes for them to help them learn mindfully and reinforce concepts through a lot of interaction. I look forward to working with the children in the Deen School, leading circle time and having a lot of fun together.