Are Kindness and Confidence related?

I think Children who have gained confidence in their abilities through consistent work and discipline tend to be kinder to others. Toru Kumon said it best, 26 years ago: 

Toru Kumon, founder of the Kumon Method

“From my experience of continuously observing children, those up to third grade are quite egotistical. However, once they learn beyond their school grade level, and advance two and three years ahead, they do not remain egotistical anymore but become kinder to others. Of course I cannot say it is true one hundred percent of the time, but I can say more than fifty percent of such children do become kinder to others. Why does this happen? I believe it is because they gain self-confidence and extra capacity. Once children develop self-confidence and extra capacity, they become capable of succeeding at something on their own. For those who do not have the ability to achieve something on their own, I believe it will be more difficult for them to be kind to others.” 

Let's continue working with our children daily on their basic skills. Personally, it's a joy to know from experience that the benefits are not just better grades and academic success, but also children who are kinder to one another.

With "kind" :-) regards,


Mauricio Maruri

Kumon of Norman
http://www.kumon.com/how-kumon-works

The NEW Kumon Book Club

Reading is the Foundation to All Learning.

We all know this.  But, for many of us, it is difficult to consistently help our own kids develop a love of Reading.  There are so many distractions, so many things, other than reading, that compete for our kids time and attention.  

This is why I've decided to start a Book Club.  


One thing we know for sure is that children are more interested and motivated to do something if WE are interested and motivated.   Time and time again we've seen how reluctant readers become enthusiastic readers if we treat the problem as a "labor of love", not a chore.  The more we are interested in the stories they read, instead of how many minutes they read, the more they will read.   And it takes time.

But we could all use a Road Map, a little bit of encouragement, direction, support and even some excitement.   The NEW Kumon Book Club is meant to provide all of these.  And it is also meant to provide Accountability. Keeping each other accountable will help us stay on track.

Our Book Club will revolve around our Recommended Reading List (but it won't be limited by it).   It contains over 300 books, many of them award-winning and classic children's books.  We want as many children as possible to sign up for it and benefit from it.  

Starting this Monday and Tuesday, Feb. 15th & 16th (YES, we will be open on Monday), we will launch the Book Club in the Waiting Room with popcorn, activities, and information for parents and students on how to sign up and how it will work.

Children and Parents will be asked to keep track of the books they read and we will acknowledge and recognize those who go above and beyond the minimum requirements.  And every month, we will feature three books just to keep the conversation going.

All in all, the more we can make our Book Club interesting and exciting, the more we will be able to get our children excited about books and reading.  And, in time, they will develop the love of reading that we hope will last a lifetime.

See you this week at Kumon!

Mauricio

How does one Measure Potential?

"All Children have the Potential and the ability to learn beyond expectations."

Here, in Norman, I can say I believe this with all my heart, not from some philosophical perspective, but because I notice it every day in my students.   And it is also true that "pursuing our potential for learning improves our overall capacity as human beings."   I see this as I watch my students grow academically and develop a noticeable confidence in what they can do and who they are.  And this confidence affects all areas of their lives in a very positive and palpable manner.

One of the ways we actually measure how much our students are achieving is by having an Academic Honor Roll and setting as a goal that it should be achieved by as many students as possible.

Kumon students who achieve the Academic Honor Roll embody the essence and final goal of the Kumon Program:  to be confident students with strong academic skills performing at a high level in their schools.  They are well prepared for Advanced High School work and for Advanced Placement (AP classes).

So today we celebrate all who have achieved this latest edition of the Kumon Academic Honor Roll.  I am so proud of you!  Your dedication and hard work is paying off now and it will DEFINITELY pay off even more in the future!

And to those current students who have not yet achieved it, lets continue working towards it, setting goals, aiming high and reaching for your potential.  I am proud of every single one of you.

                       Keep up the good work!
                            Your Kumon Instructor,
                                       Mauricio Maruri


*The quotations above were uttered by Toru Kumon many years ago, but they still guide and inspire thousands of Kumon Instructors around the world, including me.