It was Kerby Gilan Salvador’s own desire to enroll in the Kumon Math Program that led him to excel even more in school and develop his confidence and independence. According to his parents, it was Kerby who persistently requested to be enrolled in Kumon. He was already an excellent student, but he wanted to improve his math skills further. “He was already a top student. We have always noticed his brilliance in Math, that’s why it has become his most favorite subject. However, Kumon made him more brilliant in Math, helped him excel even more, and be a consistent honor student,” says Mr. Kent and Mrs. Leah Salvador.

Kerby’s first few weeks in Kumon were full of excitement and enthusiasm. At first, the problems were easy, but these became harder and harder to solve as he progressed through the levels.

“I realized that I needed to analyze much deeper and I discovered how to solve on my own. When I came to know the technique, answering the problems became naturally easier. It became clear to me that the kind of Math problems I feared before were a thing of the past.”

Kerby’s parents noticed how Kumon not only developed his academic skills, but also his character. Some of the most visible improvements are his patience, confidence, hard work and unyielding spirit. “He has this never surrender attitude that makes him even more determined and pushes him to always do his best.”

There were so many challenges in Kerby’s Kumon study. In fact, every day was a challenge according to his parents. But the most difficult one was how they, as parents, should project themselves as good role models and be as knowledgeable as they can be. “Kerby draws his strength from us so we should be there for him all the time. Since he has already completed both the Math and Reading Programs, there’s nothing more we can do to completely support our son than to be loving and responsible parents. Nothing more, nothing less.”

At a young age, Kerby aimed to finish the Math Program. “I found out that a lot of Completers are either highschool students or grown-ups already. I answered the worksheets as quickly as I could with zero or minimal errors because I wanted to finish the Math Program in the shortest possible time,” says Kerby. He firmly believes that once he starts something, he should commit to finishing it because “winners never quit; quitters never win.” With the skills he developed in the Math Program, Kerby was able to complete the Reading Program as well. A true winner, indeed!