Kumon Advanced Student Forum

Assalamualaikum and Olla everyone!

I am very sure many of you heard about Kumon before. If you heard about it but don't really understand what makes them different than any other after-school enrichment centre, then you are not alone. We are in the same boat. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to be invited to join the recent Kumon Advanced Student Forum 2019. The opportunity to witness this event, was truly eye-opening for me.  

  

As I arrived at Marriot Putrajaya, I saw many parents and children wearing nice attires as though this was actually a graduation ceremony. I saw many of them carrying bouquets of flowers and some even have with them a chocolate bouquet. There were many people around. I was then informed that today is a special day for both children and parents as the Kumon Advanced Student Forum is a platform that recognises the students’ exceptional achievements. This got me even more curious hahaha. While waiting for the event to begin, I decided to stroll around and enjoy a light breakfast.  

There were a total of 771 students who achieved so much for themselves today!

So much love and happy vibes.

The invited guest speaker is none other than Malaysia’s first astronaut, Dato' Dr Sheikh Muzaphar! No wonder the theme for the event was all galaxy and stars!!

Dato' Dr Sheikh shared with us his personal experience in space, he mentioned about you can't have any cuts if you want to be qualified as an astronaut because of the change in air pressure in space. He also shared that he stayed in the space station for 12 days and conducted various tests with the hope of finding a cure for cancer. He also shared about his experience adjusting back to earth, that he has to be assisted by two men to walk. Such a remarkable experience. I am so humbled to be given a chance to hear it from the man himself, not forgetting that it was indeed an inspiring story for us as parents and I’m sure the kids were very much inspired too. He also did a great job in handling the crowd, he was full of energy and that definitely kept the crowd going!

  

I have two children at home and I am already on the verge of calling SOS. I was very amazed by everyone's efficiency and cooperation. When I saw the Kumon Students,  I was impressed with the way they carried themselves…they seemed determined and confident! These are the kids that I would want my kids to be friends with, to learn from and to grow together with. 

Look at those smiling faces from the two lovely girls. Both of them are Dato' Dr Sheikh’s daughters who  are also Kumon students. Upon witnessing the recognition of over 700 students’ exceptional performance, I realised  that Kumon is not like any other after-school enrichment centre as they have a unique way of teaching. Termed as the Kumon Method, this method focuses more on self-learning where children are given worksheets and they are encouraged to complete them daily as a routine. Each Kumon session is approximately 30 minutes per session,  twice a week. Kumon provides both English and Mathematics programme where both are very crucial in paving a strong learning foundation for every individual, to better prepare them for the future.

I have also come to understand that in a typical Kumon class, children are not put in a traditional classroom setup where everyone takes note of what the teacher has to explain on the board but rather every child is guided to learn at their own pace. Based on individuals’ capabilities, the time taken to advance to the next level varies for every individual.

Here at the Advanced Student Forum 2019, Kumon celebrated students who have successfully advanced 5 years ahead of their school grade as well as students who have successfully completed Kumon Mathematics or English programme (or both) up to level 0 and L respectively. Congrats to all! I can’t help but feeling so happy and proud on behalf of all these bright and hardworking children. 

After the awards ceremony, we were invited to a dialogue session. Right before the session started, I also got to catch up with my lovely blogger peers. Hugs to everyone!  

Bloggers doing what they do best! We took lots of selfies hahahaha.. Thanks Farah for being such a warm person, I will always have the funniest conversations with you.

So happy to meet Ruby too! She has been sending her child to Kumon and I’m glad to be able to get insights from her as a Kumon parent. She told me that the instructor at Kumon is really good. She also  shared that Kumon works best if you send your child at a younger age - they accept kids as young as 4 years old! Younger students will usually be assigned for one-on-one session to ensure that they are able to adapt and are on the right track. So don't worry about your child not being able to catch up because Kumon will carry out a Diagnostic test to determine the right level for your child to begin their Kumon journey and will progressively guide them to advance from there. 

I learned quite a lot during the dialogue session. Great job to teachers and the Kumon Malaysia team for your commitment and dedication in training the children of our nation.

Did you know that Kumon Malaysia has successfully produced more than 5,000 students who have successfully earned the  ''Advance Student" recognition since the inception of Kumon Advanced Student Forum  in 2011?

We also took pictures with Dato's Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor and also Mr Yosuke Sugawa who is the General Manager of Kumon Malaysia.

Alright, we are at the end of this post and I am glad to be able to share this with you. If you are interested to give your child the best to achieve their limitless potential, then do check them out. Their rate is very reasonable (RM160 for those 4 – 12 year olds, RM170 for 13 – 17 year olds) and their method is proven.

Till next blogpost, don't forget to take it easy and smile! 😊