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July - December 2020
KUMON feature
RESILIENCE::
BOUNCING BACK AND EMERGING STRONGER
parenting tips Get tougher, Go further
Tips to develop a resilient child
my life, my dream Joanne Hei
The shining star Wan Aliyyah Iesha Wan Amira Iesha Wan Adam Kamil Don’t Settle For Average, Always Aim Higher
editor’s Note
Welcome to the second issue of the Potential magazine!
Half the year has passed by so quickly. The past few months has definitely been a challenging time for all of us, not just in Malaysia but also around the world as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic. While we are making progress as a nation, much effort is still required for us to fully recover. As we continue to adapt to the new normal, we hope that our Instructors, parents and students will remain strong and be reminded that there will be a brighter tomorrow. On this note, we also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your kind understanding and co-operation in adapting to our home study programme as we continue to provide worksheets on our Kumon Online Worksheets Viewing platform. At Kumon Malaysia, we will continue to do our best to provide a positive learning environment for your children. In this issue, we are very excited to celebrate our 25th Anniversary with all of you. Our success is made possible with your continuous trust and support. Thank you for believing in us and the Kumon Method. Head on over to the Local News section to celebrate this milestone with us! Following this, we would also like to share with you two stories from our students. Their success stories are truly inspirational. Find out more about Joanne Hei, a 9-year-old girl from Johor Bahru who is now studying 5 years ahead of her actual school grade! How amazing is that! Our second story discusses three siblings namely, Wan Aliyyah Iesha, Wan Amira Iesha and Wan Adam Kamil from Kuala Lumpur. The siblings will share with you how their hard work and dedication have paid off, as well as how the Kumon Method has helped them achieve much more than just academic excellence! Last but not least, don’t forget to check out our Parenting Tips section as we have an interesting read on activities that help to build resilience in young children. We hope you will enjoy this issue. Happy reading! Love,
Contents
Kumon Malaysia
My Life, My Dream
03 The Rising Star 04
ON THE COVER Jul - Dec 2020 Joanne Hei
Joanne Hei
Don’t Settle for Average, Always Aim Higher Aliyyah, Amira & Adam
Features
06 Regional Article
Resilence: Bouncing Back & Emerging Stronger
Kumon Malaysia Have something to say? Feel free to send us your thoughts on the newsletter! Tel: 1 800 88 1010 E-mail: information@kumon.com.my Website: www.kumonmalaysia.com
08 Instructors’ Quotes
Regulars 10
Local News
11
Parenting Tips
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY NOTICE The logos, graphics, pictures, design, and layout (“Contents”) of this entire newsletter are the exclusive property of Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd. The Contents contained in this newsletter shall not be reproduced or copied without the express written consent of Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd. © 2020 Kumon Asia & Oceania Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.
Kumon Malaysia Celebrates 25 Years!
Get tougher, go further – Tips to develop a resilient child
My life, my dream
J
oanne Hei began her Kumon
to develop the ability to self-learn, be
child to excel only on the academic’s
journey at the age of six. Within
resilient and have the confidence to
front. As the saying goes, “all work
a short span of three years
take on challenges.
and no play, makes Jack a dull boy.”
into the Mathematics Programme, Joanne’s determination and hard work paid off, as she began studying five years beyond her actual school grade. At the tender age of nine, she is currently learning form three mathematics.
Joanne’s mother, Mrs Hei, first got to know about Kumon from her sister. Mrs Hei knew that this was an opportunity for her daughter to improve her maths, as she is certain that it is a key subject that would pave way for success in learning. Having enrolled
Joanne is allowed a mobile phone and is guided to use it responsibly. She prioritises her school and Kumon work, before turning to her phone. Apart from academic excellence, Joanne also has a passion for art and cooking. She hopes to open her very own bakery in the future. Indeed, Joanne
When asked about her experience
Joanne in Kumon, Mrs Hei began to
having joined Kumon, Joanne shared
realise that the Kumon journey is not
that she found it challenging at first.
limited to worksheets and classes
However, over time, she adopted the
alone. She appreciated how Joanne’s
At Kumon, we believe that every child
Kumon Method and began to observe
Instructor encourages Joanne not
has his or her own unique potential,
how this learning method transformed
to give up easily. Additionally, her
and at Kumon, it is our responsibility to
her learning process and experience.
Instructor also placed importance
help them discover and achieve their
In school, she is able to grasp complex
to communicate with Mrs Hei as this
limitless potential.
maths problems and she could also
helps Joanne to continue to progress
help her friends. She often received
in and out of classroom.
praises and encouragement for sharing her knowledge with her peers. The Kumon Method has helped her
is one of our many shining stars in Kumon.
Mrs Hei expressed that it is important not to put too much pressure on a
Star
The rising Joanne Hei, 9 Achievement 5 years advanced
Ambition Chef
Jul - Dec 2020
3
My life, my dream
Don’t Settle For Average, Always Aim
higher
Wan Aliyyah Iesha , 16 Wan Amira Iesha, 14
Wan Adam Kamil, 13 Achievement 5 years advanced
Ambition Engineer
S
iblings, Wan Aliyyah Iesha (16 years old), Wan Amira Iesha
(14 years old) and Wan Adam
Kamil (13 years old) have been
Kumon students for over 8 years.
Their Kumon journey began when their father, Encik Wan Mokhtar,
was seeking for an after-school
enrichment centre that would be able to help his children build a strong
foundation in maths. He believes that having a strong foundation in maths would further hone their problemsolving skills, which is essential to excel in other subjects.
Aliyyah and Amira, who are both
school prefects, found Kumon to be challenging when they first started
especially as they needed to juggle
their time between school and Kumon work. This was particularly difficult
when Aliyyah was preparing for her
major Pentaksiran Tingkatan 3 exams (PT3). Over time, Aliyyah began to
realise the importance in managing her time effectively. She adapted to planning ahead and began
prioritising her tasks. Eventually, she
was able to find more time to take up non-academic activities too!
4 Potential Malaysia
Inspired by her sister, Amirah started to observe that her
The siblings and their father have experienced and
also helped her in other subjects beyond maths.
As a result, Encik Wan Mokhtar highly recommended the
ability to adapt concepts through the Kumon Method has The youngest of the three siblings, Adam was once a quiet boy. He shared that because of Kumon classes, he is now more confident with himself and is also able to take on new challenges. Following his sisters’ footsteps, he too
balances his day between studying and completing his Kumon worksheets, as well as making time to play his favourite games.
The three siblings developed a special bond and
continues to motivate one another whenever they are
faced with difficulties. They encourage each other to give the best they can.
Indeed, Encik Wan Mokhtar has played an instrumental
role for his children. Shortly after they enrolled in Kumon, the Wan family moved to the United Kingdom (UK).
Despite this, he continued to enroll his children for Kumon classes in Malaysia to ensure that they would be able
to cope with learning different syllabuses between their education in the UK and Malaysia. Even though the
family was thousands of miles away from home, the
Instructor provided great support via email and other
online platforms, and ensured the children had sufficient
guidance and are able to do their worksheets accordingly.
witnessed tremendous success from the Kumon Method. Kumon programme to his friends. He shared that the
knowledge and skills learned from Kumon is not limited
only to academic success but also relevant and essential
in their overall development. He further added that Aliyyah is now confident enough to even guide her two younger siblings with their homework.
Recently, Aliyyah has had the opportunity to participate in the prestigious International Mathematical Olympiad competition, competing with peers with the same level of learning! Throughout the competition, she applied the skills that she had learnt in Kumon classes and
successfully completed the competition. She became
more confident since, and looks forward to participating in other competitions in the near future. Aliyyah also shared with us that her ambition is to be an engineer! We are
certain that she is already on the right path to achieving her dreams.
As for Amira, she also successfully progressed and is
currently one year ahead of her actual school grade. Apart from academic excellence, Amira excels in her
favourite sport - badminton, where she recently proudly represented her school at a district level competition.
Encik Wan Mokhtar knew that the Kumon journey was
All in all, the siblings truly believe that consistency is key to
hone critical life skills such as self-learning, discipline,
never underestimate ourselves as we possess our own set
one worth investing in as his children were also able to confidence and attention to detail, all of which proved to be essential in their overall learning journey.
achieve success in learning. In Aliyyah’s words, “We should of potential. Don’t settle for average, always aim higher.”
Jul - Dec 2020
5
Regional Article
Resilience:
Bouncing Back and Emerging Stronger
Life is full of ebbs and flows. It is inevitable that you will encounter some form of difficulties at some point of time. When such difficult situations occur, there are generally two options. One, is to let the disappointment, frustration or anger that you are feeling stop you in your tracks. The other; which it not easy, is to let the difficult situation that you have encountered, motivate you and serve as a chance for self-improvement. The ability to bounce back stronger from hard times, rather than letting failures or disappointments keep you down, is known as resilience.
Why Building Resilience in Children is important? Resilience is an important trait for all of us, and an essential one for our children to develop. It helps to create happier, less stressed children wherever they are – whether in school, at home or attending their enrichment classes. Children are able to emerge from challenging experiences with a positive sense of themselves and their future. According to a report by the World Economic Forum1, 65% of the children who entered primary school in 2016 will be in new jobs that have not been invented. Resilient children will find themselves better placed than their less resilient peers to gain the new knowledge and skills necessary for them to succeed in these newly invented jobs. Now with the COVID-19 pandemic that shook the world, building resilience in children is more important than ever. Early this year, stringent measures and movement restriction orders were put in place around the world. As a result, schools and enrichment centres were closed and children had to adapt to a new way of learning – home-based learning.
6 Potential Malaysia
Home-based learning, being a different paradigm, poses different challenges to many children. Instead of the face-to-face learning in a physical classroom that they are used to, they are required to learn using a plethora of video conferencing and digital classroom applications. This has also exposed the learning to certain interruptions, including those from younger siblings and network outages. These are the uncertainties that require, other than support of the parents, resilience from the children to overcome emotionally and mentally. As Kumon Centres are closed for in-Centre study, students now have to complete all their assigned worksheets as homework, instead of the usual routine that they are used to. Thankfully, Kumon is a programme that suits home-based learning. When students begin learning with Kumon, they are assigned worksheets, according to their “just-right” level, to complete daily. They complete these worksheets, which are designed to take students through difficult concepts in very small-steps, by studying the examples and hints on the worksheets. They then attempt to solve the problems and complete the worksheets on their own. This continual exposure through challenges and self-learning develop the resilience, discipline, self-learning and problem-solving skills, which are integral to effective home-based learning. Beyond the pandemic, the self-learning ability will help Kumon students in various pursuits outside the confines of the Kumon Centre. Mr. Toru Kumon, founder of Kumon, expressed this point when he wrote to the Kumon Instructors in a longstanding publication, Yamabiko, in 1986, “We hope they develop an academic ability that is solid enough to enable them to understand new content without having to be taught. Children who have developed the habit of self-learning will surely grow to become people who can continue solving problems in life on their own. They will be able to do this by continuing to read and learn through books, even after university and as they venture out into the world. This is why I want as many children as possible to learn with Kumon.”
1
World Economic Forum, Chapter 1: The Future Of Jobs and Skills, retrieved from
https://reports.weforum.org/future-of-jobs-2016/chapter-1-the-future-of-jobs-and-skills/#view/fn-1
Jul - Dec 2020
7
Feature
Instructors’ Quotes “There is never good enough. There is
“I understand that squeezing Kumon in
always something better” - Mr Toru Kumon
with school, all within the confines of home,
The Kumon worksheets were designed with
may be challenging for children and their
incremental difficulty in small steps which
parents. But children are using their time
help students to be resilient and keep
well to keep learning. In fact, many of my
on learning level by level. Eventually, the
students are actually asking for more
process helps to improve their skills and
worksheets as they have completed their
they can maximise their potential while
homework ahead of schedule. They are
learning through the examples provided.
also responding well to pre-arranged video
Many young children are doing advanced
call sessions.
study, that not only develop their academic
I see this is as my students showing a great
ability, but also produces strong progress in
deal of resilience through the pandemic.
terms of their independence, enthusiasm,
This shows to me that it is always possible
decision making ability which might help
to bring out the best in every child, in any
them in the future – thanks to the Kumon
situation.”
Method!”
Ms. Nurul Syamimi Pauzi Kumon Malaysia
8 Potential Malaysia
Ms.Krishna Sharma Kumon Australia and New Zealand
We have read that resilience is especially important during the Covid-19 pandemic. How important is resilience in our children’s Kumon journey and how Kumon nurtures this essential trait in our children? Let us read on to see what some of our Kumon Instructors from around the region has to say.
“Some days, your child’s Kumon worksheets
“The Kumon Method provides students
feel super easy and homework is finished
a learning journey with lots of ups and
in 5 mins; other days, they feel challenging
downs. One of the skill set taught in Kumon
and even impossible (cue: tears and
Method is resilience, having the ability
tantrums). Through the Kumon journey,
to overcome challenges encountered
our students gain an important life skill -
from the worksheet and to keep on going.
resilience. We are committed to nurturing
Whenever students approach me feeling
your child to embrace the difficult or the
discouraged and unable to move on, I will
unknown in his/her worksheets and never to
always encourage and motivate them
give up when it gets tough. When a page is
with the following analogy, “Can a baby
full of errors, we figure out why, correct our
learn to walk without falling?” Life provides
mistakes and learn from them. Resilience
lots of opportunities and challenges and
gets us through Kumon which, just like life,
it is natural that we will face failures. Most
is full of ups and downs but ultimately an
importantly we should not be discouraged
enriching experience for all!”
and should persevere on and overcome them. We will never know unless we try!”
Ms Caley Lim
Kumon Brunei
Ms. Caroline
Kumon Singapore
Jul - Dec 2020
9
Local News
Kumon Malaysia Celebrates Since our inception in 1997, Kumon Malaysia has grown over the years to be the nation’s largest after-school evnrichment programme. We have impacted over 35,000 students and have recruited over 205 passionate Instructors and franchisees. Our strong foothold in Malaysia is attributable to the foundation built by our stakeholders - our franchisees, Instructors, parents as well as students, whom have all contributed to our success today. Sincerely, a big THANK YOU to our parents and students and KUDOS to our Instructors for your passion and determination in helping every student achieve their limitless potential. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary this year, we are proud to unveil a special logo to commemorate this milestone.
Following this, we are also pleased to announce that we have recently launched our official Instagram account (@KumonMalaysia). We believe that it is timely to further enhance our presence in the digital space - on social media platforms via Instagram and Facebook as well as our website - as this will allow us to continuously share updates, insights and success stories with all of you. We hope that you are equally as excited as we embark on our new journey via Instagram. We look forward to sharing interesting content with you and your children along the way. First up, we will be rolling out a Fun Fact live session every Friday. Additionally, be sure not to miss out on some behind-the-scenes snippets for every programme or activity that we will be introducing. Head on over to our Instagram today to follow, and “heart” our posts!
10
10 Potential Malaysia
Parenting tips
Get tougher, go further – Tips to develop a resilient child “Oh, you want that toy? Okay, I’ll get it for you alright?”. It is easy fall into the temptation of giving in to the requests, or sometimes demands, of our little ones. Better to spend the money than having a
01
Read
A good read engages your children, but did you know that reading can teach your resilience too? For example, as
you read Sally’s journey to look for her missing son, explain
how she doesn’t give up despite the many attempts to find Spot, who incidentally, was hiding in a basket. If your child
is older, read about famous personalities who have had to experience failure before eventually turning out to be the
person we all know – Michael Jordan, Cristiano Ronaldo, JK Rowling, are some examples.
02
Play sports
Play sports with your children. Besides being a good
physical activiy, it helps to bond with your children and builds resilience in them. They will appreciate that they don’t always win – yes, resist the temptation to keep
meltdown right?
losing on purpose to make them happy; it’s about building
But much as we want our children to have that
ball around at home (be sure to keep breakable items first)
carefree childhood, it is also true that they will, at some point in their childhood, face disappointment and frustration. So rather than helping them ascend the metaphorical ivory tower, it might be better to help them become more resilient to setbacks in life earlier rather than later. Here are some activities to help our little ones develop the mental strength to overcome challenges and bounce back stronger.
resilience right? If playing outdoors is not an option, kick the or just pass and roll the ball around.
03
Board, card or video games
Yet another activity to teach your child that they don’t
always win and another opportuity for some bonding time. Encourage them when they lose and motivate them to try
again. While it’s true that they might turn cranky when they lose, it’s easier to teach them to accept losses in a game
of Snakes and Ladders or Monopoly than having to do it in more serious real-life scenarios.
04
Adventure Games
It gets you and your children moving while playing a
game. A simple hide and seek, or even a mini scavenger
hunt if you are feeling up to it. Apart from family bonding
time and resilience, such games teach children problemsolving skills as they work out where to hide or find their
target. They may potentially learn the concept of volume as they realise that larger objects cannot fit into smaller spaces.
Any physical activity involves risks and a seemingly save game like hide and seek is no different. It is important to mark out the play zone or safe areas.
Jul - Dec 2020
11
The Origins of the Kumon Method
After more than half a century, his philosophy still continues to help many children develop the ability to reach for their goals and dreams. Kumon offers learning opportunities in more than 50 different countries and regions around the world. Handmade materials created by Toru Kumon for his son (Takeshi) in 1954.
Toru Kumon (Founder of the Kumon Method)