About Your Instructor
Daniel Kim
Prior to becoming a Kumon instructor, Daniel Kim followed the footsteps of his father and grandfather and aspired to become an engineer. He had felt an early sense of wanting to make a difference in the world through creating, designing, and inventing. At the start of high school, his father took on a new venture and became a certified instructor for Kumon. Unbeknownst to him, this would open up a future career path for fulfilling his wish to make a positive impact on the world.
Daniel spent much of his teenage years honing his mathematical and analytical skills through his studies in school and through assisting students at his local Kumon center. Throughout high school, he was chosen to participate in multiple math competitions and graduated at the top of the class as valedictorian. He later attended the University of California, Irvine and graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering. After working for a startup company for a few years, Daniel began discovering the job was not as fulfilling as he once previously envisioned.
However, when he briefly came back to the Bay Area to help his parents again, Daniel realized where his true passion lay. In seeing the eyes of children who had struggled to understand concepts suddenly light up in understanding, he felt fulfilled and proud to be the person that bolstered their knowledge and self-confidence. Kumon’s mission of “…discovering the potential of each individual and developing his or her ability to the maximum, we aim to foster sound, capable people and thus contribute to society,” resonated with him. It was then that he officially started what he considered as his true career path—one that he both loved and knew could make an impact on the next, bright generation.
That is why Daniel is always excited to go to class to help guide his students each day. His favorite aspect of the Kumon program is that it is individually tailored to the needs of each child. The school system teaches children in such a way that those who are ahead of their grade are prevented from exercising their abilities further, whilst those who are behind are forced to struggle to catch-up to the rest of the class. The Kumon method answers both of those problems. Those who are ahead are able to push farther than they ever could in their school year whilst those who are behind are supported and encouraged to grow at a comfortable pace suited to them.
As a second-generation Kumon instructor, one can say that Daniel has been well-versed in the Kumon method. For over two decades, he has been in the unique situation of having seen children thrive at Kumon and proceed on to great universities and careers. He has also witnessed them develop their skills beyond just math and/or reading, such as their self-discipline, resilience, and maturity by persevering through the Kumon program. Daniel believes that the Kumon method can enhance every students’ academic potential and that with time and effort under the Kumon program, anything is possible.