Johnny's Story
Johnny started the Kumon Program as a 7th grader in 2012. He has successfully completed both the math and reading program as an eighth grader in 2014. This is part of Johnny's speech at our 2016 Awards Ceremony.
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Because of Kumon...
I remember the first time I went to Mrs. Le’s Kumon center. I was a short, chubby seventh grader rocking cargo shorts and a band t-shirt. It was the summer time and I, along with other prospective Kumon students, came in to take the Kumon placement test. I was placed in level C for math and D for reading. I wasn’t too particularly happy about these starting levels because neither of them reflected my current level of schooling, but hey: we all have to start somewhere. After the group orientation with Mrs. Le, my parents and I discussed one on one about the curriculum, she told us her fabulous plans for me, we shook hands, and my Kumon journey began.....
....Today I stand before you as a short, chubby eleventh grader. As alto sax four for the one, the only jaguar band. As a sleep-deprived student to the student that has been writing “Kumon is useless”, to you I stand as an example that Kumon is most definitely not useless.
Because it was Kumon that allowed me to complete my first two years [in high school] with a new set of memories:
I remember getting A plus’s on all of my Algebra 2 tests.
I remember getting almost near perfect scores on my practice SAT’s in the writing and math sections.
I remember understanding the stories of what Gilgamesh, Dante, Camus, and what Shakespeare had to say about Macbeth.
I remember writing A plus papers on existentialism, the symbolism of blood, and moral luck.
I don’t remember ever struggling on a math concept, just simply looking back at my old Kumon work.
There is still a long way to go in my education. I still have to take some SAT’s, AP’s, graduate, and go to college. But none of those things seem crazy or out of reach to me anymore because I know that I will succeed with the foundation the Kumon program and Mrs. Le have so generously instilled in me. I am confident I can do anything I set my mind to, because the basic foundation of math and English is applicable everywhere. I cannot wait to see what the future holds for all of us, thanks to the guidance of Mrs. Le at the Kumon center of Wells Branch. Thank you and congratulations on all of your achievements at Kumon. I wish you lots of luck on your journey with Kumon and school.
Tu-An's Story
Tu-An
Tu-An started the Kumon Program in 2009 as a ninth grader. Despite the rigorous high school curriculum at her High School, Tu-An completed our Kumon Math Program in just thirteen months. She has set the record for completing the math program in the shortest time at our center. Tu-An has completed the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas in Austin. Below are her messages to me while she was in high school.
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January 15, 2011 (Tu-An's Spring semester in her junior year in high school, one year after she completed the Kumon Math Program):
"P.S. calculus is fun! Derivatives are especially fun (but only because I get them), and I enjoy doing related rates problems, unlike the majority of my classmates. :) Integrals are pretty interesting too. Thank you for helping me with math, so I could finally get past my stumbling blocks I had and get to enjoy math ^_^"
September 3, 2011 (Tu-An's Fall semester in her senior year in high school, one and a half year after she completed the Kumon Math Program):
"Hello Co Diep!
I'd just like to share with you that I have qualified as a National Merit semi-finalist, and that I'm enjoying my senior year. Oh, and I got a 5 on my AP AB Calc exam :) I finally understand the workings behind the calculus that I did in level O. The practice problems that I had done ended up helping me a lot with my speed and accuracy on the exam!
Tu-An"
Anson's Story
Anson started Kumon as a seventh grader at level A in math. He completed the math program as a junior in high school. Anson graduated #3 from Pflugerville high school. He achieved his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Texas in Austin and is currently attending the Touro University Medical School in Nevada.
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What Kumon Did For Me
A lot of people think Kumon is just a place to get smarter and do homework all day / everyday. That’s what I thought when I started in 7th grade. When I saw the first page of level A, I thought, “How is repeating all this stuff I’m learning in school going to help me?” The mental calculation only seemed good to get faster at doing simple math problems, something a calculator can easily replace.
Kumon, I found, was something deeper. The absence of elaborate instructions forces you to think for yourself instead of relying on others for everything. This new approach on working problems is essential for understanding complex timed test like the SAT’s and the AP exams.
I would say the most important thing I got from Kumon is a great sense of confidence and independence. I started off thinking math and anything related to it was only left teachers to explain to me. Now it’s sometimes the other way around. If a person were to go through the entire program, I’m sure he or she will see the world from a different perspective.
Anson V.