Priscilla Martinez (left), a convert to Islam who is of Mexican descent, works with her daughter Hidayah Jaka, 12, on the Bill of Rights while one of her sons, Martinez home-schools all six of her children, including Mikaeel, 8, (back).
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Mikaeel, 8, and Israfeel Jaka, 6, choose the gliders they are going to make as part of a science project at their home. Their mother, Priscilla, home-schools them.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
From left, Raqeeb, 4, Ebaadah, 2, Mikaeel, 8, Priscilla (their mother), and Israfeel, 6, gather around the kitchen table as their mother reads the instructions for a science project that will examine an owl pellet.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Many home-schoolers seek social interaction in outside classes or group field trips, like Jean McTigue's a once-a-week art class at the library.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
At the library in Sterling, Bushra Salem (from left), Nuha Mahboob, Maryam Cattaneo and Widad Salah make collages with their names.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
The Jaka boys (clockwise from front right) Jibreel, 10, Israfeel, 6, Mikaeel, 8, and Raqeeb, 4, take a break from school at home to pray, something they might have difficulty doing in a traditional school setting.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Jibreel Jaka, second from right, shows his mother and siblings the Lego launcher that he made as part of a science project. "Everything has God as its center. We don't just study the bee, but we study what the Koran says about the bee and the many blessings and the honey," their mother said. "We get religious studies out of it, we get biology out of it and chemistry."
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Priscilla Martinez works with her oldest, Hidayah Jaka, 12, on the Bill of Rights. Martinez, says that despite stereotypes of home-schoolers seeking to shut out the world, the point is not to restrict children from mainstream culture so much as to make sure they don't get lost in the shuffle.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Martinez, uses the creek behind their home to gather water samples to analyze for a project. Because many families who immigrate to America want to take advantage of better educational opportunities for their children, home-schooling has been slow to catch on among U.S. Muslims.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Mikaeel Jaka eyeballs a water sample he took from the creek in his backyard. The 8-year-old is home schooled along with his five other siblings.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Martinez shows her children the glass slides they'll use to gather water samples from the creek behind their home. Some Muslim parents say an ignorance of dietary restrictions at public schools and an urge to incorporate more Islam into their children's learning affected their decision to home-school.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Jibreel Jaka, 10, puts a glider that he made himself from a kit through a test flight outside his home.
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Martinez, and her children walk back home after collecting water samples. "We don't isolate ourselves from the rest of the world," Martinez said. ?But we're also not sending them to school where, generally speaking, they would have to leave most of their identity at the door."
Katherine Frey-The Washington Post
Gallery Credits:
Photo Editor Dee Swann and Nick Kirkpatrick
Text Editor Sakina Rangwala
