How being consistent in their Kumon study helped my children excel in school and beyond

by Mrs. Lucia Infante, mother of Fracheska, Fatime, and Philippe, of San Agustin (City of San Fernando) Center

As parents, we always make it a point to provide our children with everything they need to be successful in life. One of the most important gifts we can give them is the gift of education – making sure that they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to pursue whatever careers they desire.

This is why enrolling in Kumon was an instant yes for us. We enrolled our three children in the learning program mainly to enhance their skills in Mathematics and English. Being consistent in their Kumon study – meaning doing Kumon every day and continuing the journey despite the challenges – has developed my three children into independent, disciplined, and responsible students.

What are the other benefits we have gained from the Math and Reading Programs?

Here are 4 benefits that have greatly helped our three children, Francheska, Fatima, and Philippe excel in school and beyond.

• Excel in math and other subjects

Math is one of the most challenging subjects for most students. Since our children were enrolled in Kumon, Math has become their strength. Our eldest child, Francheska, was exempted from one of her major exams in integral calculus. Our second child, Fatima, was given the opportunity to be a math tutor for her classmates who needed assistance to improve. Our youngest child, Philippe, was a consistent champion for sports writing during the Division Schools Press Conferences in elementary and junior high school. He also attained the highest score for his entrance exam for a science high school in Pampanga. Recently, he was also given the privilege to be a DOST Scholar.

As they are Completers, their cousins look up to them and ask them for assistance in doing their tasks in school, even though they are far away from us. It is also a big blessing to the family that every time they take entrance or qualifying exams, they excel. Because of this, all their cousins and their relatives are now interested in Kumon. We know that second to God’s help the knowledge and skills they gained from Kumon are what contributed to these great blessings.

• Close family ties

As parents, our primary role is to give the best to our children, especially in their studies. To sustain their Kumon journey, we made sure to bring them to the Center and fetch them once finished. We also made sure that their worksheets were done on time. We believe that a child must learn at his/her own pacing. We did not use force when it came to their studies as we respect each learning curve. No matter how long the time they took to finish, as parents, we encouraged our kids to never give up, and always promoted time management.

During low moments, we assured them of our love and support in everything they do. We just let them do what they want to finish, and we always reminded them to take their time while making sure to follow the allowable time frame of Kumon. We also sought the assistance of the Kumon teachers to encourage them to finish the course, and it all ended successfully. Now, our three children are Kumon Completers in both Math and Reading.

• More prepared to face challenges

Challenges form part of everything we do, which is why we should deal with these challenges carefully and patiently, and must always consider these challenges as learning lessons.

The most difficult was when Fatima approached us and told us that she will stop attending Kumon. We were shocked. We prayed as a family to give our child strength and courage. After that, we decided to talk to her about giving up one subject first if she’s having difficulty balancing Kumon and her studies in school. Through prayers and lots of patience, little by little, we made her realize the importance and privilege she would enjoy once she finishes Kumon, specifically that no task is easy without learning time management and self-discipline. However, she still stopped Kumon Reading temporarily. We sought the help of her Kumon teachers to help us motivate her, which resulted in her enrolling in the Kumon Reading Program again and eventually becoming a completer in both Math and Reading.

Support, love, understanding, and patience were the keys to helping Fatima in her Kumon journey.

• Developing patience

As the saying goes, “Patience is a virtue” – all parents must have enough patience to bear all the challenges they may encounter in the Kumon journeys of their children. We should always consider that children must enjoy while learning and not compare our children with other children’s progress. This might cause them to quit since all this does is bring down their self-esteem. We should allow each child to progress, learn, and excel at their own pace. Whether they finish first or last does not matter, what matters is that they finished the program.

Indeed, we have reaped the fruits of our patience. Francheska graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Technology from the University of Sto. Tomas and is now employed as a quality assurance officer at Nestle Philippines. Fatima graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology from the University of Sto. Tomas. Philippe is currently in his sophomore year as a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry student at the University of Sto. Tomas too and is a consistent Dean’s lister. Also, all 3 have passed the Career Service Professional Examination given by the Civil Service Commission. They are now all eligible to apply for government service and their advantage in passing the exam is their Kumon experience.

As parents, we know that Math and English are subjects most students have difficulties with. Taking Kumon lessons helps remove and/or lessen the difficulties. We are sure that our kids learned a lot from their respective schools, but with the help of Kumon, we know that they enjoyed the journey more, and they will enjoy the benefits and pride of being Kumon Completers for both Math and Reading.