One of my favorite events as a child was Kumon student
award ceremonies, receiving medals and recognition. When it came to my final
one, I was incredibly excited to receive a gold clock, marking my math program
completion. Moreover, I was extremely proud of myself for having completed the
entirety of the Kumon program. My family keeps my Kumon awards on display to
this day.
My name is Sophia and I am both a Kumon program completer
and a grader at Kumon Rockville West. I am currently a senior at Winston Churchill
High School and will be attending Princeton University in the fall. I graduated
from the Kumon Reading program the summer before 6th grade, and the Math
program the summer before 9th grade.
Kumon has been an integral part of my educational journey.
My parents enrolled me when I was five and I begrudgingly continued to
completion. I can definitely say that as a student, Kumon was not always my
favorite, but looking back I can see the tremendous advantages of the program.
One great advantage of doing Kumon is that it allows students to be prepared in
school. For me, by the time my school classes began teaching certain topics, I
had already learned the material in Kumon. This made my schoolwork much easier
and allowed me to spend time on extracurricular interests like research and
running.
I also cannot stress enough how important and helpful the
teaching methods of Kumon are. Mental math and reading comprehension are skills
that are crucial to begin learning at a young age. One-on-one attention at Kumon
ensures that these skills are developed fully. I distinctly remember being able
to multiply and factor much easier than my peers could. Being able to perform
math easily in school fostered my love for it. I can confidently say that I
enjoy math.
There are many reasons why Kumon was so important and
successful for me, one being that it is
home based learning. I became accustomed to not just learning in school, but at
home as well. It also promotes independent learning, allowing one to develop
other academic interests. Kumon also builds strong foundations, going at the
pace of the student, ensuring no gaps as a result of individualized lesson
plans and one-on-one learning.
Lastly and most importantly, Kumon instilled in me a love
for learning that pushed me throughout my school career. I was an active
participant in classrooms and always wanted to learn more, even in topics past
math and reading. The rigor of doing Kumon each day in addition to schoolwork
also prepared me for advanced classes such as AP courses in high school. Kumon
even further prepared me for high school by teaching me other skills such as
concentration, routine, and time management. Time management is incredibly important as a high schooler
juggling multiple extracurricular activities and schoolwork.
In the long run, Kumon is incredibly advantageous to one’s
learning. Kumon provides an educational experience that school does not, and
from my own personal experience, I strongly encourage each child to go through
the Kumon program as well.
Though I felt bad doing Kumon worksheets on my birthday or
while on vacation, I am incredibly grateful that my parents pushed me to do
Kumon every day. The skills and mindset I learned from Kumon have helped me
achieve many of my accomplishments and I continue to use them to this day.
