Kumon Completer Archives

Tag : Kumon Completer

News

January 19, 2021

More than Just Academics: Innovating and Changing the World Through Kumon

Benefits of the Kumon Method, Kumon 25th Anniversary, Kumon Completer, Kumon Math

belleperez

“I learned that Kumon is more than just Math and Reading. Kumon teaches us how to learn and how to use our skills to learn other things and develop ourselves further. In our ever-changing world and with the wealth of information that we now have access to, Kumon gives us that edge by allowing us to convert this myriad of information into solutions that would ultimately benefit humankind.”

For 27-year-old Carvey Ehren Maigue, winning the first-ever sustainability prize given by The James Dyson Award was not something he would have envisioned to achieve when he was growing up. His Kumon experience allowed him to dream big dreams, and that made his journey to success possible.

The Kumon Journey

It was way back in early 2002 when his mom asked him to choose between taekwondo or Kumon as his summer activity. He bargained with his mom and chose Kumon, provided that he be enrolled in the Reading Program. In the end, his mom enrolled him in the Math Program. However, he stopped in 2005 when he was in grade 6 and studying Level K ().

“At that time, I did not appreciate that I was able to solve advanced problems even while in grade six. I also didn’t know that I would pursue an engineering course, and it made me oblivious to the advantage and benefits that I would get if I continued until I completed the program. After five years, I enrolled again because I wanted to finish Kumon to help me in college math, specifically calculus.”

Knowing that he would have an edge in his college courses motivated Carvey to finally complete the program. In fact, in his last few months as a Kumon student, he had the unique chance to be an assistant in the Kumon Center.

“I was able to help other students when they had questions on how to solve certain problems. It was fun and saddening at the same time because, as I finished my worksheets and drew closer to completion, it dawned on me that it would be the end of my Kumon journey – no more worksheets, no more daily homework. I felt that there would be a void left once I was done.”

Benefits of Kumon

Kumon has allowed Carvey to develop the following 3 things that have helped him succeed in his academics and his current career as an inventor.

Grit

With repetitions, daily homework, and the need to correct my mistakes in my worksheets, Kumon instilled in me the concept of grit. Yes, I was doing the same thing every day, but rather than seeing it as going in circles, I saw it as ascending a spiral staircase – little by little, I knew that I was getting nearer to my goal.

Doing my Kumon routine every day allowed me to see mistakes and failures as steps and not as an end in the journey of achieving something. This sense of grit made me not give up on my ideas and embrace failures. Also, I realized that no goal is too lofty or task too hard if I took it on persistently and in small chunks. This allowed me to break down my bigger goals into smaller goals that could be achieved every day.

Mastery of the Fundamentals

With how the lessons are structured in the Kumon worksheets, I became a firm believer that mastering the basics is crucial. I realized that all complex problems boiled down to lots of small fundamental problems, and a mastery of the basics allowed me to pick apart complex problems and get to the root – to what was basic.

It also made me more comfortable with numbers – something very important in the field of engineering. I developed the confidence not to be overwhelmed by the complexity of problems, find ways to see them better from different angles and discover the best approach to solve them.

Reflect and Explore

Kumon gave me an environment free from judgments. I was an unruly student who submitted worksheets with many mistakes or with no answers, but I never heard my Kumon teachers complain or reprimand me. This kind of environment taught me the importance of assessing myself. This allowed me to know what areas I should improve on and those I should refine further.

It also allowed me to study other areas not related to my field. In terms of innovation, I believe that immersing myself in different fields was very important. It allowed me to see things in a different light and to use and combine ideas from different fields to create an innovation.

Advice for Students

What advice does Carvey have for current Kumon students? It’s simple – Never hide your worksheets or burn them or lose them deliberately. The only way to finish Kumon is to go through it.

“Our brain is a very magnificent thing. It can come up with all the reasons, excuses, and demotivation for us not to do our homework. We just have to block out those noises and just start doing the worksheets. Yes, it can get tiresome at times, but we can always tell our parents and teachers that we are tired. We can rest by doing fewer sheets for some time, but we do not need to quit.”

“The most exciting times of your lives are during your high school and college days. Finishing Kumon will allow you to enjoy these periods (make friends, pursue hobbies, do sports, discover skills, etc.) since you would have freed up more time that should have been spent on catching up with all the hard math lessons in school. The few minutes you would spend every day with Kumon will save you tons of hours in the future. I assure you that.”

News

June 1, 2020

Explore, Be and Do More!

Home Study, Kumon, Kumon Completer, Kumon Success Story

belleperez

Math genius. Young mathematician. Gifted child.

These are just some of the monikers that are often associated to Io Aristotle Nikolai Calica. His parents, Mr. Ianne Calica and Mrs. Melissa Prudencio Calica, share that he was already a force to be reckoned with when he was just five years old.

“Io was part of the top 10 and even became a chess champion in school. He beat the grade five and six students for a chess competition in school. He then started to become serious about math and chess – waking up as early as 6 am to play chess or read books about chess notation. This prompted us to visit a psychologist, thus we found out that he is gifted.”

IO Competition — *Io wins another Math competition*

Io’s fascination with numbers can be traced back to when he was as young as two years old. Being a math teacher at the University of the Philippines, Mr. Calica introduced Io to math and eventually became his first math teacher. But as time passed, the practice of downloading worksheets online became difficult for Mr. Calica. With this, the idea of enrolling Io in Kumon came up. This is something Io himself affirms when asked why he enrolled in Kumon. “I enrolled so I could learn more complex things in math. If I didn’t enroll earlier, I would have a lack of math.”

Aside from knowing people enrolled in the program, Mr. Calica acknowledges that Kumon is something structured – a method with a curriculum and worksheets that are all well thought of and prepared, and a method that allows a child to progress with his ability in mind and with him exploring and enjoying the process.

According to Mr. and Mrs. Calica, Kumon has helped further Io’s advancement in math and other subjects. He started attending upper-level classes while doing grade six math even when he was just in grade one.

We enrolled him in a music class at the University of Philippines – Diliman and let him sit-in for calculus and algebra-trigonometry classes. It has been successful as the teacher loves him and he has even gained friends. Since he is also the school representative for school competitions like MTAP, MTG, Math Quiz and Sudoku, Kumon has really helped Io develop mental calculation skills.

Mr. and Mrs. Calica have noticed three notable changes in Io ever since he started Kumon.

First, Io learned patience. He used to hate waiting for a long time; but through Kumon, he learned to exert effort and time to understand a problem before answering or to understand a topic before progressing to the next level.

He has also experienced repeating worksheets and failing, which has made him realize that not all things can be achieved immediately in one try. He has to work hard to reach his achievements.

Second, Io developed discipline and perseverance after learning the value of trying again and again.

As parents, we believe that learning involves repetition and failure. Io needs to do things again and again to better understand. And if he fails, he will be able to learn a lot about himself from failure.

Third and last, Io has become very goal-oriented.

He sees his progress and achievement when he goes to the Center. But he also makes it a point to write down his progress and his next goal in his notebook.

As parents of a Kumon student, Mr. and Mrs. Calica constantly take note of four things when guiding Io. First, do not force the child to do something.

If he needs rest, let him rest. Make a way for the child to want to do it – not for the sake. Find a way to make the experience more fun and creative for the child.

Second, Kumon cannot develop the child alone – parental involvement is also necessary.

It is always a 50-50 effort between the Center and the parents. Always check on how the child is doing in the program. Make time for the child and be present to guide the child especially in the initial stages of his Kumon study.

Third, learn to listen to the child.

Do not simply impose what you want the child to do, or what you want to happen. Know what the child can do and cannot do by simply listening.

Fourth and last, always persevere.

If parents think of something as a burden, then it becomes a burden. The time will come when the child can do things on his own and achieve so much – parents must simply be there to support and guide the child toward academic and character development.

News

June 28, 2019

An Xtra-ordinary Girl

Benefits of the Kumon Method, Kumon 25 Years, Kumon Completer, Kumon Math, Kumon Math Program, Kumon Method

belleperez

At a young age, a little girl’s potential was already noticed by both her parents and her pediatrician. This must be why Katrina Cassandra, fondly called as Kat-kat, asked her parents to let her go to school as early as the age of three. For Mr. Derrick and Mrs. Amee Gonzaga, enrolling their daughter in Kumon was an answer to this desire as they wanted to give her quality education.

Currently the country’s youngest Math and Reading Program Completer, Kat-kat has gained not only self-learning ability and valuable knowledge from Math and Reading, but also admirable traits like taking on the responsibility to complete all the homework given to her, having the confidence to tackle challenges and share ideas, and becoming more interested in various topics she comes across.

Indeed, the skills and traits that Kat-kat has developed in Kumon helped her reach her dream of becoming a Kumon Completer. Surely, such skills are helping her attain more achievements in school and become one step closer to her dream career as an architect and equestrian.

Young Beginnings

Kat-kat’s first few weeks in Kumon were great. She was so excited to answer her first worksheets. Eventually, she experienced difficulty in the higher levels such as Level O (Differential Calculus, Indefinite and Definite Integrals) in Math and Level L (Elements of Figurative Language, Interpretation, Critical Writing) in Reading. But she was able to stride through these levels with the help of her parents. “My Dad and my Mom always say that it is okay if it’s difficult because I still need to discover the topics and I will understand them soon if I just focus and try.” This held true for Kat-kat as the worksheets became easy once she started focusing and trying.

As parents, Mr. and Mrs. Gonzaga’s active involvement and guidance in Kat-kat’s Kumon study are simple yet effective ways of supporting her endeavor to excel academically. “When she completes difficult worksheets, we commend her for every effort she has put in and reward her for a job well done. We also encourage her by giving the example of Rocky Macumbal’s achievement. We tell her that if he can do it, then she can do it too if she puts her heart to it.”

Young Developments

Indeed, Kumon has paved the way for Kat-kat to enjoy and learn eagerly in school. Mr. and Mrs. Gonzaga have noticed how Kat-kat has developed discipline, independence, perseverance, and patience and how she applies this in her daily life.

“She does things on her own. When she comes home from school, she’s the one who tells us that she will sit down and do her homework. She reminds us also of certain requirements she needs in school. We don’t need to remind her anymore since she knows what she needs to do. Also, we rarely assist her since she has developed self-learning, even in subjects like Filipino and Science.”

Kat-kat acknowledges this as she exclaims how school has become easier because of the things she has learned in Kumon. “I know I’m doing well in school because of Kumon.”

Mr. and Mrs. Gonzaga are beyond thankful to Kumon for being a vital part of Kat-kat’s formative years and progress.

“Through Kumon, she has developed the basic and needed abilities and traits that will help her do better in school. Everything she has learned in Kumon will be her armor to face the challenges of tomorrow.”