Kumon's 3 Achievements

Mrs. Mary Jane Chan
(Delivered during the center's ASHR Awarding in December 2008)

A couple of weeks ago, we attended a yearly talent show at my daughters’ school, where prep students are asked to show off their talents. My youngest daughter, Gabie, was a participant in a Math Contest.

Gabie won the math contest and also got another award in creative writing. One of the mothers approached me and asked, “Maganda ba ang Kumon?” Another parent commented that there were other contestants who were also doing Kumon but did not win or didn’t even belong to the outstanding students in class.

My answer to the first question is that, Kumon as a co-curricular activity, is a good fit for my daughters, Claire, in Gr 4, Ella in Gr 3 and Gabie. Our main objective for enrolling them in Kumon was to eliminate Math Scare, which is common among students and even for people in the corporate or business world. At an early age, doing math mentally will give them confidence and a different perspective about Math.

As to the comments made by the other mom, this was my response: Kumon is not a guarantee of winning Math Quizzes and getting medals in school. It is merely a tool. The rest lies in the attitude and inspiration that the students get from school and at home.

In the past four years, Kumon has helped achieve three things for my family. First, it has become a training ground for my kids to develop efficient study habits. By the time we get home from work, my daughters’ Kumon worksheets and homeworks are already done. The only task left for my husband and me is to check their work and discuss possible mistakes.

Second, Kumon is a practice of patience and determination. Doing activities repeatedly with time pressure had caused teary moments in our household. This happened in our early Kumon days, and now, it’s happening with Gabie, my youngest. I reached a point where I thought of dropping Kumon because the kids didn’t seem to be enjoying it. But once the difficult part of math and reading worksheets were done, my kids told me, “It’s okay mom. Tomorrow it will not be that hard anymore”.

Lastly, Kumon provides an avenue to realize the importance of setting goals and the value of time. I remember Claire, my eldest, telling me that she wanted to achieve gold in Math before May, so she can join the awarding in Baguio in October or November. Ella told me the same, because she doesn’t want to be left behind.

Surprisingly, the kids found time to schedule their daily activities for Kumon, homework, play and TV. Even schedules of trips and vacations were part of the family’s discussion over dinner. And the kids have a big say on it.

There is a lot to be thankful for today. I thank God for my daughters’s perseverance and hard work. I thank the Kumon teachers who have been patiently guiding the kids. I thank the Kumon students for the smiles they give my kids as they go to the center. I thank the parents of Kumon students, with whom I shared many experiences during the two hours of waiting in the center, turning the agony of waiting into pleasant conversations. And to Teacher Maribel, thank you for the inspiration and for the sincerity to impart knowledge not only for the kids but for parents as well. Thank you and a Blessed Christmas to all.

Name of Child: CLAIRE DANIELLE CHAN
Name of Parent: MRS. MARY JANE CHAN
Center: ANGELES CITY CENTER (Philippines)

Kumon's Long-Term Benefits

By Mrs. Trixie Fajardo

My elder daughter Nicole (Gr. 4) has been with the KUMON program for 5 years now. She started with Level 3A (basic addition) when she was about to enter Prep school and is now halfway through Level G, Algebra. Ysabel, her younger sister, also enrolled in the Math program last summer… Even before I enrolled my children to KUMON, I have already heard of the KUMON Learning Program from a few friends and have read a couple of its ads in major newspapers … in Manila…Actually, my mother and I had difficulty tutoring my nieces in Math when they were in grade school perhaps because they did not have sufficient background of the basics in Math so we though KUMON might help. Curious also of the program after attending the Orientation, I then enrolled Nicole together with my nieces.

I really did not see the long term effect of the program until Nicole entered grade school. Since she was already 3 levels higher than her grade level she really did not have difficulty with her Math. Having mastered her addition, subtraction, and multiplication, she would do her seatwork and quizzes way ahead of her classmates. She could already do exercises from the book even before the teacher introduced a new lesson. Sometimes, during exams, we would skip reviewing Math because she fully understood the lessons…we would then review only Math concepts she has not taken up at the center…Nicole’s journey with the program was not all smooth though. Whenever she would move to the next level, and had difficulty doing it, she would nag me about quitting the program. Crying, she would question why I enrolled in KUMON and would give me a litany of reasons why she need not go to KUMON…the worksheets would mean additional work…, not to mention the fact that she needed to review for quizzes the next day…I must admit that whenever she would nag me about quitting I would tell her to quit dance classes too, to unload her of the many things she is into. Of course, she would refuse because she loves dancing so much, so KUMON lessons had to continue without question. But as soon as she understood the lesson and could solve them then she would do the worksheets faster and would look forward to coming to the center again.

I believe that apart from the technical point of view, KUMON has helped Nicole in many ways. With the skills she has attained, she has gained confidence. She has not only represented the school in a couple of Math competitions, just recently, she participated in a cheer dancing competition. She is also into Polynesian and hiphop dancing and a member of the Discovery Club in school. Despite her various activities, she has maintained to be in the honor roll…Before KUMON, Nicole was so timid but now she is not afraid of discovering her other skills and developing her talents. Her enrollment with the KUMON program also helped her to become independent. Now, she would do assignments and review her lessons on her own especially when I am not at home. She would also volunteer to do other household chores aside from her usual duties at home…To Nicole, I hope that she would continue believing and learning because only in believing that she would achieve. And what she achieves, she becomes. And I am sure KUMON plays a very significant role in the development not only to Nicole, but also, I am sure, of every student at that.

Name of Children: ANDREA NICOLE AND ANDREA YSABEL FAJARDO
Name of Parent: TRIXIE FAJARDO
Center: BAGUIO CENTER

Need Vs. Want

By Engr. Francis Apostol

“There is never good enough. There is always something better”.

These are very motivating words from the founder of KUMON. And yes, they are true, and I believe in them. I have all my four children enrolled with the KUMON Method. They started with Math, then after a few months, they started the Reading program. Today, after almost two years, they have medals, awards, certificates, and other sorts of recognitions, in and out of school including today’s celebration. It is a very rewarding feeling for us parents to hear that our children are achieving and getting good names. And before you know it, your wife or the lola has already told the story to a number of parents, or friends. Of course, who wouldn’t be proud of their achievements? But do you know that there is a relation between how your child performs and the right love or parenting you extend to your child? I am talking about the relation that simply says, “if you share more love, and extend the best parenting you know to your child, you can expect your child to do better.”

Case Point #1: When I brought my second child to the Philippine Science High School in San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur, I noticed a general pattern among the students as well as the parents. I would say 90% of the students belong to above average families. Both parents were all there, their children, and even their cousins. Only few arrived who took the bus. I got the chance to talk to a number of them and the common scenario is that their parents or their family exerts more effort helping each other, cope up with the child’s schoolwork, projects, assignments and even financials (‘igagapang nila’) just to make sure their child can move forward in school; Case Point #2 My parents are from the Visayas, and I studied here at Saint Louis University. I was a Dean’s Lister, but by accident. It involved two persons on top of my parents supporting me. The first person was my roommate who was very rich, and had everything he needed to study - books, computer, money. But something was unique with him - his father would call him from IRAQ almost every other day. His mother would visit him every week. It was an inspiration and an advantage. I got the chance to borrow his books and facilities that no other students had. He graduated Magna Cum Laude; I was a Dean’s Lister. The other person was my instructor who treated me like a son. She would bring me to her home in Bakakeng during weekends and live with a family. That way, I was ushered to a life full of meaning and to move forward.

But what is the pattern? It is that if we, the parents, would put more focus on the needs of our children’s schooling, and provide them the best support, then we can always expect that they will do well. But parents who know that there could be something better and venture into it, easily have children performing well in school. The KUMON Methods is one way and I am a very proud husband because my wife has more time for me now. Before KUMON, my children had difficulty coping with their school activities and constantly called on Mommy! But now my four children are helping each other complete their assignments, and we just guide them. Be we are careful - giving more love doesn’t mean we give them a new IPOD or a Nokia N95 in exchange for their performance … parenting is knowing what is needed over what is wanted.

So we remember what the founder has said, “There is never good enough... There is always something better”.

Name of Childre: NIKKA, CARLO, MARCO and ANGELA APOSTOL
Name of Parent: ENGR. FRANCIS APOSTOL
Center: BAGUIO CENTER

Kumon: More than Academics

By Mrs. Jane Najarilla

When Teacher Arlene (center assistant) called me up to ask me to talk to you today, she didn’t have a hard time for 2 reasons: I really wanted to do this…it’s just that I was not able to muster enough strength to volunteer…. Second, I feel that I am on a personal crusade to let other people know how KUMON has changed the lives of my three precious daughters.

Our partnership with KUMON started when my eldest daughter, Vashti, was in Grade 3…where she got 79 in her Math. Upon seeing her grade, I cried…I cried a lot, not because I am a grade-conscious mom, but because of the realization that I am not being a good teacher to my daughter. Together with my husband, we continued helping her with her Math work but it was not successful, often times, our sessions together would end up with fights, sarcastic comments and a scalded ego.

Since I teach in a university, we have Math teacher friends. Two of them agreed to be Vashti’s tutors with Math…But I know how busy they could be, plus the fact that they wouldn’t accept payments, made the situation very uncomfortable for all of us...Then one day…one of my students gave me a brochure of KUMON. His name is Melvin Perez. I still don’t know up to now whether he was aware of my problems with my daughter, or if he was just trying to help his mom who happens to be Teacher Marilou in promoting the center, but he invited me to attend the Parent Orientation. I shared the brochure with my husband and both of us attended a Wednesday Orientation. That same day, a commitment to help a child between me, my husband and KUMON started.

The fulfillment of that commitment was not without trials. At first, it was very painful seeing your elementary level daughter doing basic addition, as in 1-digit to 1-digit addition. But she managed to move on; she managed in fact to be in Level H (Linear Equations, Functions & Graphs). Her 2 other sisters, Oani and Ada also enrolled in KUMON. We enrolled them early so as to avoid any problems when they reach Grade 3 Math where multiplication would be a very good issue. And since they started young, they were able to be silver medalists the first time we attended the same rites we have now.

But then again, challenges continued to test us. A family problem (brought about by the meningo scare that hit Baguio) affected our finances…And together with that we had to let go of KUMON with a very heavy heart. From then on, our daughters would always ask us when they were going back to the center. They would have comments such as, “Kung hindi siguro kami nag-stop, gold medalists na kami.”…and a lot more.

Then Ate enrolled in high school, again with challenges in her Math subjects, and once again, I couldn’t help her…She was able to enroll once again, and after a month, her sisters followed. And today, they are once more in the list of our awardees.

It is not only in academics that KUMON helped my daughters. They are now more persevering, patient and dedicated. They help around the house, assist in the preparation of food/snacks we have to sell the following day, and they even help in marketing by bringing goods to sell to their classmates….to make ends meet so as not to stop going to KUMON again. They are also more determined to finish the program and are more focused in what they want to achieve later on in their lives.

Name of Children: VASHTI , CINA LEOANI and DEINA IWADA NAJARILLA
Name of Parent: JANE NAJARILLA
Center: BAGUIO CENTER (Philippines)

100% Scholar - Thanks God and Kumon!

By Mrs. Coraliza Manuyag

Last October 7, I attended the ASHR Awarding for the North and Central Area (of KUMON) at Supreme Hotel. During the first part of the event, some parents were given the chance to share their experiences with their children and with KUMON. For some of you who were there to listen to their testimonies, I know that until now you still carry with you their very heartwarming and very inspiring stories. It was very touching and little did I know that after 62 days, I’d be here doing the same thing they did. I just hope that our story will touch you and inspire you the same way their stories did to me.

I learned about KUMON one day while I was watching TV. It was featuring a story about a nine year old who was doing calculus and it really amazed me. After long talks and deliberations with my then not-so-impressed husband, we finally decided to enroll Denise in the KUMON Math program. Her first encounter with KUMON was in January 2006. It was quite a blast for Denise is a child who’s really into new things. However, she started Math at Level 7A because she didn’t know anything about Math except counting from 1-20, colors and shapes. But thanks to God and KUMON, in less than a year, in exactly 4 months, Denise received her bronze medal last May 2006.

But just like most of the other students in KUMON, it wasn’t all a bed of roses; I myself know it because I imagined enrolling myself in the program as well. Think about the mind-draining, never ending corrections and repetitions of our children. When helping Denise with her corrections; out of nowhere, I would suddenly realize that if it’s tiring for me, how much more would it be for my daughter. And if I were impatient with Denise, who will then do the encouraging? She’s now in Level D doing divisions and fractions in Pre-school. Sometimes, I have to admit that I get tired and use a calculator to check her work. The worksheets are really starting to get harder and I would just have to be more patient, supportive, and more encouraging. Math has always been a problem to me, a problem which started in grade school and continued on until college. In college, I found myself enrolled in Mining Engineering, so everywhere I turned, there was Math to hate, nakakahiya man po sabihin pero I failed Calculus the first time. The second time, I passed pero talagang pahirapan. But all those hate days are gone now. Ironic as it may sound, the subject I hated and scared me most is now making me so-so happy.

Denise completed Kinder 1 on top of her class at Mary Immaculate school. She a 100% scholar with the help of God and KUMON. KUMON has taught Denise patience and perseverance, and more and more, she has become hungrier to learn more new things. It’s not true that KUMON is all work and no play - Denise is currently enrolled in piano lessons and will be taking violin lessons as well.

Name of Child: DENISE ROYCE MANUYAG
Name of Parent: MRS. CORALIZA MANUYAG
Center: BAGUIO CENTER (Philippines)

No Regrets

(Below is the full text of Mrs. Chona Pereña's testimonial during Tarlac Center's ASHR Awarding Ceremonies last April 19, 2008.)

It is an honor for me to stand before you today to talk about my eldest daughter and her experiences with Kumon. I know, that as parents, we all want what is best for our children, that is why I believe that through Kumon, I have successfully provided my daughter with the necessary skills that would help her succeed in the future.

I enrolled my daughter when she was still in preschool, during Preparatory, at the young age of 6. I remember bringing her to the center to take a diagnostic test in the Reading Program.

To my surprise, after only 3 months in the Reading program, she performed very well, and even became the Rank 1 in her class. Now that she is in Grade 5, my daughter continues to maintain her class standing. During her school’s recognition day last March, she attained overall 2nd honor and was even outstanding in inter-school competitions.

It is my belief that Kumon has helped shape and mold her into the kind of student that she is today. As a Kumon parent for more than 5 years, I would like to share that the journey was not easy. There were a lot of struggles in the midst of this success. As her levels in Kumon got higher, the harder it became for her to answer, especially when she entered Level EI. That was the time I felt that she wanted to give up. She had a hard time answering her worksheets to the point she was just sitting and staring at her worksheet with tears in her eyes, saying “Mommy, ang hirap.”

As a parent, we must handle situations like these very carefully. I could have just told my daughter right there and then to stop doing the worksheets, kasi advanced na naman siya eh. It would have been so much easier for me both emotionally and financially to just tell my daughter to quit Kumon. But that was not the lesson I wanted to teach her. I wanted her to finish what she started. I wanted her to learn perseverance in the midst of difficulty. I did not want to teach her to quit every time things becomes tough. The worksheets she was doing was advanced for her age, that was why she was experiencing difficulty. So what I did was to encourage and motivate her. I sat with her and supported her while she was doing them. I reminded her that “quitters never win and winners never quit.”

Last summer, I even had the idea of enrolling her in the Kumon Math Program because I wanted her to do something more with her time. Lineth was almost finished with Level FII at that time. However, Teacher Audrey suggested that Lineth concentrate in Reading . She encouraged Lineth to do more worksheets, as many as she can and as many as she wants. And I was very happy with the result.

During the months of April and May last year, Lineth was able to finish 3 Levels in the Reading Program. Levels G, H, and I. She was doing 50 sheets a day, every day, for two months. And the tuition fee that I paid was the same. Had I enrolled her in Math, then I would have to pay tuition fee for two subjects. But Teacher Audrey was not after our money, she wanted Lineth to become a completer, and by taking advantage of the summer months, we were able to make that dream come true.

Through God’s grace and provision I am very happy and thankful that my daughter, Lineth will complete the Reading Program next month. I am happy because for the first time in more than five years, I no longer have to pay the tuition fee (joke). But seriously, I never regretted enrolling my daughter in Kumon. Kumon developed my child very well, thus enabling her to become an achiever and be the best that she can be. I would like to thank Kumon, especially Teacher Audrey and Lineth’s Reading Teacher for all these years, Teacher Angie Castro, for their hardwork, dedication and moral support. Teachers, thank you for encouraging Lineth and for believing in her potential.

To all parents in this hall, believe in your child, even when they start doubting themselves. It is only when we believe in them, will they have to confidence to face life’s challenges and difficulties.

God Bless us all!

Name of Child: LINETH ABIGAEL PEREÑA
Name of Parent: MRS. CHONA PEREÑA
Center: TARLAC CENTER (Philippines)

Our Kumon Journey Thus Far

(Below is the full text of Dr. Justiniano's testimonial during Iligan City Center's ASHR Awarding Ceremonies last February 15, 2009 held at the Maria Christina Hotel.)

Good morning! Before I begin, in behalf of the parents, I would like to express our deepest gratitude to Teacher Grace and her staff for the great work you had done to our children! Your kindness , patience, and belief in our children is very much appreciated. Thank you.

I have entitled my message today “Our Journey with Kumon Thus Far”. Indeed, enrolling in Kumon is a journey. And it is as much our journey as parents, as our children. I will share with you this morning my journey with my daughter Kim, who is turning 9 this February, that started one year and four months ago in this center, and the lessons we picked along the way hoping to give inspiration and insights in this common path we are treading, and to let you know “hindi kayo nag-iisa “ in this struggle.

I have always believed in the saying that “practice makes perfect” although tanging ina ng lahat, Ayay de las Alas counter this with “ but nobody is perfect so why practice! And this was the reason why I enrolled Kim to Kumon October 2007. I have heard of worksheets done again and again until mastered , of good and patient teachers, of progressing to a higher level than the child’s grade level. This would be good preparation for Kim , I thought. Mastery of the basics is the key to excellent education. I didn’t know there was more in store for us.

The early part of the Kumon experience was an easy one. Understandably, because we know that the child needs time to adjust. But I was warned of the bottle neck. That time when the learning curve starts to almost plateau. That time came last summer for Kim. She started doing Level D in February. April came , she was still doing D. It became more difficult to let her do her worksheets even if they had decreased its number. I have used all the tricks up my sleeve including bribery so she’d do her homework to no avail. She would say it’s hard and she can’t do it. She would have bigger and bigger tantrum each time. I even had to stop and think if this is still Kumon, or a different thing altogether, knowing that Kim just lost her father. I was afraid that this experience might traumatize her some more. It was bringing out the worst in the both of us.

I felt I was letting my daughter down. I was on the verge of stopping. But I had to consult teacher Grace and her teachers first and hoped that she has a way out of this. After so much soul searching, we have agreed that stopping it at this point will cause more harm than good. Teacher Grace reassured me that almost everybody experiences that. She said it with much confidence and I believed her. Kim has to learn and experience that challenges had to be met head-on. And with perseverance , it can be hurdled. They just requested me to bring Kim to Kumon religiously. And so it was, that thru perseverance and hard work, Kim finally finished level D in May. That was a big thing for both of us. She was so happy about it but I was the happiest. I saw that change in her. That strength of heart that was not there before. She was able to prove to herself that nothing is impossible if we persevere. I just had to let Kim know that it was a result of all the hard work she put into it. And now as she progresses to the higher levels, she uses this newfound courage to push thru the work sheets, hard it may be, knowing that success awaits her in the end.

We still have our struggles. It never ends as long as we are in Kumon. But courage and strength of heart I learned are the greatest lessons that Kim is continually learning from Kumon. And mastery of the subject is but a bonus. What better way to equip our child for struggles and challenges they might encounter in the future. We call it in psychology as pre-inoculation. It’s like giving a child vaccination so that when exposed to the disease, the child would have developed the antibodies to fight it. In Kumon , you will be giving them life skills, like the antibodies, that will help her battle the trials. For we can never protect them from these. We can only equip them with the right values and skills to prepare them for it. Kumon cannot do it alone. Our role in these, I dare say, is greater. Without our support, our children will not prosper in this endeavor. When we give up, our children will never have a fighting chance. For their success is hinged on our support and dogged determination to continue despite and inspite of.

Did you ever ask yourselves as parents, what you learned in Kumon? Or did it ever occur to you that, we too are gaining something from this journey? As for me, I learned a lot. I gained insights on my mothering skills, on what I can improve on and what I can drop. I have developed more faith in my child and what she could possibly achieve. I have confidence in the process, that I know from here on, no matter how hard the worksheets are, Kim will continue to do it because she already has the courage and she knows that her labor will bear fruit. And slowly, I felt the tenets of Kumon creep into my psyche. I find myself telling my medical students “not to stop when your tired but only when your done”, that there is always a potential in each child, and self learning is possible. That’s very Kumon.. You call me a Kumon champion? I’m proud to be one. For that which is good, you will seek to share. Let us all be Kumon Champions. Let us share the good news. As we seek to maximize our children’s potential, inevitably, we improve our community , our country and would you believe, the world. Yes, it’s possible. Thru Kumon , it is. Good morning!


Name of Child: KYRA KIM V. JUSTINIANO
Name of Parent: DR. LEAH LOUISE V. JUSTINIANO
Kumon Center: ILIGAN CITY CENTER

My Son's Turn-around Story

My son was only 5 years old when he commenced with Kumon. He was in Prep. Now he is 9 and a Grade 4 student. He has always been a top student in his class since he started schooling. So to maximize his potentials, he embarked with his Kumon Math journey at 3A, which was at that time 1 year below his school grade. As of March 2009, he is about to complete Level G.

He breezed through 3A in barely 2 weeks. He was full of excitement and confidence by then. 2A, A and B passed by quite swiftly, as well. My wife and I around that time were so ecstatic about Hagin’s smooth progress.

Later in the same year, Level C came. While the initial topics, I would say, were still Hagin’s cup of tea, the items soon became more and more difficult. My child patiently toiled through the initial topics on multiplication and subtraction. It took him a year to finish it.

Around that time, we noticed a significant drop in his motivation. It would take us sweat and blood to convince him to start on his take-home worksheets. At times, I arrived from work while he was already asleep, but his homework was still untouched. At first, my wife and I consoled ourselves by saying that, it might be normal, as topics in C are difficult, and his school works are just starting to swarm in. Admittedly, his school gave demanding requirements that came in avalanche, day after day. We decided to ease our guilt by telling ourselves, There Was Nothing Wrong With This. With my frequent provincial trips, I had minimal chance to really intervene in Hagin’s Kumon study. I was contended with my wife’s minimal support. Minimal, I would say, because she is not a Math person herself.

Then Level D came. Many students say D stands for Difficult. My son thought D stands for Devil. It was hell on earth for him, and then eventually for my wife and I, as well.

At Level D, I could clearly see that my son wasn’t enjoying his worksheets anymore. Not a bit. His instructor tried all repetitions, decreased his daily load, called my attention… Name it, his teacher did it. But at the end of the day, my son’s interest in Kumon was downhill.

I started to pity my son terribly. I blamed myself for being able to help Instructors and students in my area (as I am an area manager for Kumon Philippines), but not my own son. I reflected on the kind of support I have given Hagin in the past periods, and I realized that the support I gave was very insignificant.

So during the last quarter of 2007, I eventually decided to do something. While before, we convinced ourselves that There Was Nothing Wrong With It, now it became clear that THERE WAS INDEED SOMETHING WRONG. I decided to open my eyes and I was startled by some realizations:

• Hagin didn’t have clear goals and direction.
• There were few tasks he didn’t really understand but kept doing and repeating.
• His take-home worksheets accumulated.
• He was basically fed up of his present learning focus.
• He could not concentrate well. He needed to pause his timer to do intermissions.
• He was careless in answering. (I believed that with his poor focus that prolonged his time, he compensated by speeding up carelessly.)
• Kumon had little by little become a burden to him. I knew deep in his heart he wanted to quit, but he could not say it.

My wife and I came to the point of thinking that, after all, Mathematics could perhaps be his waterloo. WE EVEN CAME ACROSS WANTING TO WITHDRAW HIM FROM THE MATH PROGRAM.

Nevertheless, I took advantage of the 2-week inter-semester break in October and November in 2007 to set things straight. I sat down, first, with my wife. I presented to her the concern. I needed her support no matter what, as I won’t be around all the time, considering my provincial assignments. Then I sat down with Hagin. I discussed to him my plans, man to man. I asked him if he was happy with his Kumon. I asked him if he wanted to cooperate with me in salvaging his Kumon study. He agreed.

Then I called his instructor and presented my plans as well. She agreed.

I spent time examining his present progress, his recent worksheets, his record book… I also observed him work.

Observing and interviewing him, I noted certain remarkable points in my son, which I used as a springboard:

• From time to time, he would self-mark at the center, and I didn’t even know he could do it skillfully!
• He was craving to see his next topic!
• He showed strong mental calculation!
• He wanted to be gold! (He asked me many times on how to get there. I realized how insufficient I was because I haven’t really oriented him about this basic concept.)
• He wants to be a completer! (He has been fascinated with the bits and pieces he heard about completers as I brought home my ASHR duties from time to time.)

I thought to myself, my child has strong potentials. His initial DT, I remembered, showed very high ability. Until B, he was very motivated and progressed on very smoothly. But somewhere along the way, something wrong happened. As I analyzed it, I figured out that it was his motivation that dwindled due to inconsistent follow up, excessive repetitions, no clear goals, and poor study habits.

And so I decided to partner closely with his instructor, and started to involve myself actively in the instruction of my child. I reviewed his progress from the time he started. I reviewed my basics, considering seriously the suggestions of Toru Ken.

Above all these, my son and I agreed to set clear goals. I worked around his desire to be included in the National ASHR Awarding for gold students in 2008! We started a fresh study plan and plotted a fresh projection, in such a way that he will be gold on or before May 2008. In pursuit of this, we have teed off for these specific targets:

• Hit back Silver by the end of the month (E100 by November 30,2007 cutoff)
• Finish E before 2007 ended (study frequency of 1.7)
• Hit Gold by February cutoff
• Finish F by March 2007 (study frequency at most 2)
• Start studying High School material even before he is P4
• With few high school levels remaining (G, H, I and J) and if he will complete 2 levels per year, he will be able to finish High School material by P6.

We decisively trimmed down on his repetitions, throwing away preconceptions, prejudices and doubts. We ventured on long-span repeats, treating him as a strong student. We involve him deliberately in deciding on his study plan. We gave him concrete praises and concrete suggestions. We wrote down his midterm and long term goals, in relation with his study projection. We adjust his study plan whenever necessary. We required him to mark his worksheets promptly and correct the same. We give him purposeful feedback, working from page to page of his worksheets, and not just reminding him of his target time and number of mistakes. In fact, we completely did away with the mechanical way of giving feedback. Instead, we made feedback a fruitful discussion by pointing out specific weak areas that need to be rectified, and new realizations, tactics and strengths that he needs to maintain. We review his midterm and long-term goals from time to time. And whenever I’m home, I observe him closely not only as he answers his worksheets, but also while he is marking and correcting. I realized that there are so many things I could learn just by watching him work. Now I don’t know how to give him substantial feedback and realistic guidance if I were not observing him in the first place. I experienced in him what the late Chairman Toru Kumon called as “Learning from Children.”

Now teeming with motivation, Hagin has regained his rhythm and recovered his lost confidence. He realized that what he is doing is enjoyable and not completely difficult, after all. He still commits mistakes, of course, but he is now very positive about them. He looks forward to the next topic, but at the same time not afraid to take repetitions whenever he needs some.

His school marks in Math went up. He reached his goal to be a gold and was awarded his first national Kumon gold medal last November 2008. Just recently, Hagin qualified for the Mathematics Trainers Guild (MTG) in Iloilo City on April 3 to 6. My wife and I now realized how silly we were to think that mathematics was his weakness!

While my son has improved a lot, he is still a work in progress. He is a normal child who, from time to time, may experience concerns, feel tired and need occasional reminders. I don’t get tired supporting him. I know that the improvements he is now experiencing would be futile if we fail to maintain them.

Our work, therefore, as parents and educators continues. Like any other children, Hagin has more potential that has yet to be discovered and maximized. OUR TASK IS TO CONTINUE PURSUING IT.

Name of Child: HAGIN M. BUSTO
Name of Parents: HARLAN and GINA BUSTO
Center: FAIRVIEW-LAGRO CENTER (Philippines)