Quran, Arabic & Islamic Studies Teacher

Position Summary

The Quran, Arabic, and Islamic Studies Teacher delivers the spiritual and linguistic core of the curriculum across all four grades. Daily Quran instruction covers recitation, memorization, and tajweed basics; Arabic is taught as a living language students will actually use, not a museum piece they study; Islamic Studies builds the foundations of Islam — pillars, prophets, seerah, akhlaq, and adab. At Al-Razi these three subjects are inseparable strands of the same Islamic-school education and the role is structured as one piece. The teacher partners closely with grade-level lead teachers to reinforce Islamic etiquette throughout the day and serves as a faith-aligned anchor of the school's mission.

Hours: 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday through Friday.

Qualifications

Required

• • Practicing Muslim with a strong personal Quran practice and the ability to recite with correct tajweed at a level appropriate for teaching K–2.
• • Native or near-native fluency in Modern Standard Arabic.
• • Strong knowledge of the Quran, hadith, seerah, fiqh of worship, and Asma'ul-Husna at a teaching level.
• • Prior teaching or tutoring experience with elementary-age children.
• • Commitment to supporting an Islamic learning environment and the school's mission.
• • Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• • Authorization to work in the US (we do not sponsor employment authorization).

Preferred

• • Bachelor's degree (Islamic Studies, Education, Arabic, or a related field).
• • Ijazah in recitation.
• • Prior Islamic-school teaching experience with elementary-age children.
• • ISLA (Islamic Schools League of America) program training.
• • Familiarity with curricula such as Madinah Arabic Reader Junior, the Tarbiyah Project, Ihsan, or I Love Islam series.
• • Experience adapting instruction across heritage and non-heritage learners.

Key Focus Areas

Key Responsibilities

• • Plans and delivers grade-appropriate Quran, Arabic, and Islamic Studies instruction across PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade.
• • Teaches daily Quran (45 minutes per grade) using talqin as the primary method, especially in PreK and K.
• • Builds memorization of Al-Fatihah, the four mu'awwidhat, and surahs from Juz 'Amma over the year.
• • Introduces tajweed concepts at age-appropriate level: makharij of letters, ghunnah, simple idgham, basic madd.
• • Conducts weekly individual recitation conferences and maintains a memorization log per student.
• • Teaches Modern Standard Arabic three sessions per grade per week — twelve sessions weekly across the four grades.
• • Uses TPR (Total Physical Response), songs, chants, and games at PreK and K; teaches all 28 letters with the short vowels (fathah, kasrah, dammah, sukun) by end of Kindergarten; advances to voweled words by 1st and voweled paragraphs by 2nd.
• • Introduces foundational Arabic grammar in 2nd grade (singular/dual/plural, present-tense verbs).
• • Differentiates between heritage learners and pure L2 students; provides extension for the former and additional scaffolding for the latter.
• • Teaches Islamic Studies three sessions per grade per week — twelve sessions weekly across the four grades.
• • Builds curriculum around Pillars of Islam, Pillars of Iman, prophet stories, seerah, Asma'ul-Husna, and akhlaq, using story-based pedagogy at PreK/K and halaqa-style discussion at 1st/2nd.
• • Teaches and reinforces salah mechanics — from wudu in K to independent salah by 2nd.
• • Verifies any Quranic ayat or hadith citations used in lessons against authoritative sources.
• • Conducts formative and summative assessment routinely by teachers and administration; adjusts instruction in a timely manner.
• • Submits weekly instruction plans (per subject) and quarterly progress notes per student.
• • Collaborates with grade-level lead teachers and other subject specialists on a regular and as-needed basis.
• • Coaches grade-level lead teachers on leading Islamic etiquette in their own classrooms.
• • Models the etiquette of reciting Quran — physical handling of the Mushaf, focus during recitation.
• • Reinforces Islamic etiquette throughout the day — eating, greeting, bathroom, cleanliness, and the discipline of leaving every space in a better state than it was found.
• • Communicates daily with parents through school-approved channels.
• • Participates in school-wide events: open houses, Eid celebrations, prayer assemblies, family religious nights, end-of-year recital.
• • Open to feedback from administration and peers; participates in professional development.
• • Other duties as assigned by the Head of School.

Personal Attributes

• • Demonstrates professionalism, patience, and compassion.
• • Serves as a positive Islamic role model for students.
• • Organized, flexible, and solution-oriented across three subject areas.
• • Passionate about Quran, Arabic, and Islamic education as a unified mission.

Faith Expectations

This role directly teaches the school’s religious instruction, so practicing Muslim status and alignment with the school’s Islamic mission are bona-fide qualifications under Title VII religious-employer scope. All faculty are expected to support daily prayer and Islamic etiquette in the classroom, and adhere to the dress and conduct standards in the Staff Handbook.

Work Environment

Al-Razi is an Islamic school — not a school that Muslims happen to attend. True to our mission, Islamic principles are integrated with academic subjects so that faith and learning advance together.

Faculty collaborate closely with administration and colleagues to promote academic excellence while cultivating an environment grounded in Islamic values and community partnership.

Compensation & Benefits

• • Salary: competitive, based on experience and credentials.
• • Benefits: paid school-year holidays and breaks (including Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha), professional-development budget, and tuition discount for staff children enrolled at Al-Razi School.