Top 10 reasons why parents search for “kumon” or “kumon near me”

If you are searching for Kumon, most likely you have heard about it from a friend or seen a child succeed and are wondering what is kumon? I have been a Kumon Instructor for over twenty years and have helped thousands of kids through their Kumon journey. I can tell you that there is no other company like Kumon which is relentlessly focused on students and helping them become “independent learners” who are confident, caring, compassionate and motivated learners.

Even in this post covid world where everything is digital and there are hundreds of online programs and remote tutors, Kumon is paper based which is only available from a Kumon Near You. Why? I am not a scientist or a doctor, but having worked with thousands of kids for 20 years, I can give you my top 10 reasons why Kumon works.

‘It is essential to understand that battles are primarily won in the heart…(people) respond to leadership in a most remarkable way and once you have won (their) heart, (they) will follow you anywhere.’ -Vince Lombardi

2. Kumon focuses on building solid foundations for both Math and Reading. We believe that Kids can start as early as possible (even sometimes 2 years) in their learning journey and start building a solid foundation.

“Building a solid foundation in the early years of a child’s life not only help him or her reach their full potential but will also result in better societies as a whole.” — Novak Djokovic

3. Kumon is Individualized. Every child is different and is treated individually so as the learning is optimized for that child. If the child needs more work on any concept, they work on that concept until it’s mastered. Students become enthusiastic for learning and experience a sense of accomplishment as they increase their academic ability and develop their potential to the maximum.

4. At Kumon, we believe in “practice makes perfect”.

When you first start doing something, you are consciously incompetent. You are doing it consciously, but you are incompetent. When you practice more, you become consciously competent. When you practice even more, you become unconsciously competent. In other words, the competence is unconscious.

5. Kumon strives to build “independent or self-learners”. As a fairly experienced educator, I’ve learned one overarching lesson: Students will almost always meet whatever expectations you put out for them.

Whatever we think they can or can’t achieve becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and this applies universally. Some students just need to hear someone say, “I believe in you. You are capable.” Whether a teacher is positive or negative, subtle or direct, students pick up on encouragement or discouragement by our body language, tone of voice, or how we address one student or group of students differently. They will rise up to any challenge, or step down to any demoralization.

A teacher’s and/or educator’s most important duty is to be aware of this power in their hands and use it to empower their students. I’ve taught elementary, middle and high school students, in-person and virtual, but my goal is to always show students they are capable of more.

The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see.

‘The greatest sign of success for a teacher is to be able to say, ‘The children are now working as if I did not exist.’ -Maria Montessori

6. Kumon motivates children by developing ‘growth mindset’.

“ Motivation is the most important factor in determining whether you succeed in the long run. What I mean by motivation is not only the desire to achieve, but also the love of learning, the love of challenge, and the ability to thrive on obstacles. These are the greatest gifts we can give our students.” — Carol Dweck

Parents and Instructors are most effective when they praise effort and results equally. Praising effort means recognizing errors as learning opportunities that lead to improvement and success. The brain is a muscle that becomes stronger through hard work and learning from our mistakes. We can motivate children to develop a growth mindset and achieve their goals through communication about effort, learning, and persistence.

“I’ve got to have a growth mindset, man. That’s what it’s about, me still trying to improve even at 30 and (after) 12 years in the league.” — LeBron James

7. Kumon builds character and personality. This is because completing the program requires “grit”, “perseverance”, “positive attitude” and never ending thirst to “learn new things”. I have literally helped and seen hundreds of kids in my last 20 years who have gone to become successful, compassionate, happy and responsible adults.

8. Kumon develops “soft skills” like discipline, organization skills and study habits — which are essential in success of a child.

In a Wall Street Journal survey of nearly 900 executives last year, 92% said soft skills were equally important or more important than technical skills. But 89% said they have a very or somewhat difficult time finding people with the requisite attributes. Many say it’s a problem spanning age groups and experience levels.

9. Kumon focusses on “Whole Child Development”. The Whole Child approach is an effort to transition from a focus on narrowly defined academic achievement to one that promotes the long-term development and success of all children.

10. Finally Kindness Matters! At the Kumon of Naperville South, Kumon of Aurora SouthEast and Kumon of Willowbrook, we firmly believe that even if you have all the achievements, if you are not “kind” and willing to help others, then all your achievements are pointless.

“When we seek to discover the best in others, we somehow bring out the best in ourselves!”

Originally published at https://kumonofnaperville.medium.com on February 28, 2021.