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  Case: Friday Prayer
Mohammad joined my fifth grade classroom in mid-September. It has been about five months since he arrived, and he has been doing a great job on all subjects. He does not cause any discipline problems. He and his family are Muslims. My only problem with Mohammad comes every Friday. The 5th grade team at my school does weekly testing on Fridays to monitor student progress in Reading and Math. Therefore, we need all the students at school on Friday. Mohammad's father wants to take him to Friday prayer every week. I did some research and found out that the Friday prayer is a special prayer in the Muslim world. I want to respect their religion, but because of the Friday prayer, Mohammad has been missing the weekly tests. I talked to my colleagues to entertain the idea of changing the time of the test, but it does not seem possible because of the special area courses and other obligations we have on Fridays. So, my only other option is to ask Mohammad's father. I do not know how to go about this? Should I ask him? What if he says his son must go to the Friday prayer every week? What do I do then?
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
I think if you explain the situation and the fact that you had tried to work around their religious beliefs, Mohammad's father may be willing to work with you on the issue. It is obvious that you are trying to be culturally sensitive and cooperative with the Friday prayer and hopefully his father will see this. Maybe they could still go on Friday just at a different time. Could Mohammad be tested separately at a different time instead of moving the entire testing time? Asking his father for help on this matter can establish a relationship with him and make him more willing to work with you. This will show him that you care about his son, both academically and when it comes to his culture.