“The race is not only for the swift but also for those who keep on running.”

After 12 years, our son Iverson Paul Alay completed his Kumon Math journey last May 29, 2021. Other than being amid the COVID-19 pandemic when it happened, there was seemingly nothing extraordinary about the feat—maybe from a Completer’s standpoint. From the parents’ standpoint, however, we were extremely proud when he reached the milestone.

While most of his peers had given up, especially early on, we managed to motivate him with our perseverance, persistence, and patience to keep pushing forward. Math is a drill, and proficiency in it can be achieved through constant repetitions.

Far more than the proficiency obtained through answering the daily worksheets, our son realized the value of what he was doing a few years into the program when his classmates sought his help in Math assignments. Although the topics were new to most students, it was easy for him as he had already gone through them with Kumon. This sense of fulfillment is an added motivation that helped him scale the higher Kumon Math levels. Completion of the Kumon Math Program is an achievement.

In trying times, people look for beacons to help them out in those dire situations. Memories of achievements resemble those beacons. We hope to share this value with other Kumon parents to encourage their children to become Completers as well. We also hope to pass on this gift of achievement to our daughter, Astrid Ivree Hildegard Alay, as we are undergoing new Kumon journeys with her in both the Math and Reading Programs.

Ernesto Alay, Jr.
Father of Kumon Completer Iverson Paul and Kumon student Astrid Ivree Hildegard Alay
Sto. Tomas (Batangas) Center