My name is Laisa Mathissen and I am the instructor at the Kumon Math and Reading Center in Fairfield - South. I look forward to meeting you and your children and developing an individual study plan for them. I was a Kumon student for 6 years and have been a Kumon parent and an assistant at another center since 2010.
My educational background is in Business and Finance. I have a BSc in Economics from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and a BA Honours in Business Management and Finance from the University of Westminster in London, U.K. I have two stepchildren, one in 8th Grade and one in 5th grade, both of whom are Kumon students.
Besides the academic benefit, Kumon helped me develop independence and high self-esteem. I became a leader in my school: I was class representative every year, honor roll student every year and finance director at the students’ union at my school. I also started teaching math – as a volunteer support teacher - to adults from my community who had given up school earlier in their lives for work. Surely one can say that leadership is a personality trait but Kumon nurtured my leadership skills and for that I’m grateful.
When I moved to London, I looked for a Kumon center near me, where I continued my studies and also worked as an assistant. When my work and university projects got on the way I had to leave Kumon. Now in the U.S., besides working as an assistant at Kumon, I enrolled my stepchildren. My daughter is 12 and is now completing her 6th Kumon level in 12 months and starting to study ahead of grade level – soon she will be on the Advanced Student Honor Roll. My son is 10 and diagnosed with ADHD. Teachers and principals always said he was “lagging behind” in class. This new school year, after 12 months of Kumon, his math facts are just as fast and consistent as mine! They are set up for success!
I can clearly identify with the children at Kumon, because I know exactly how they can feel overwhelmed sometimes. I can also understand the instructors, who are doing their best to improve those so much needed skills for success. Furthermore, having come across Kumon in 3 different countries, gives me a whole broad perspective on how to best run a center. My last role, as a Kumon Parent, is by far the most rewarding one. I am extremely proud of my stepchildren and happy to provide them with what my mother provided me: self confidence to face any challenge in life. Not only do I believe in the Kumon method but I am an example of its success.