For close to three months, Harrison has been attending Kumon twice a week and doing work almost every day. It’s been a long road, a lot of hard work and this week we saw the results. Amazing results. Even the wonderful people at the center are surprised at how quickly Harrison has moved.
When he started, he was not enjoying reading and learning as much as we thought he should. It was a perfect storm of things I believe that was holding him back. It was never having the smarts, we were sure of that. Harrison I believe hit the Grade One wall. SK was all fun and games and now actual work was cramping his style.
He had to learn to do work in a specific time frame, focus on the teacher and figure out how to do it all on his own. That is quite a challenge for a kid just starting real school.
What Kumon did was help put him on a track to loving the work. It helped him pay catch up a bit and provide some structure and routine. Harrison also needs a quiet environment because he has a very imaginative mind which means he can’t focus that well. Quiet does the trick. No buddies in class to talk to. No Charlie to bug him. Just peace, quiet and workbooks.
This week, he finished up three months with a test that I presume means he moves to the next level. He scored 100%. Three months ago, this would have never happened. His work ethic, focus and overall interest has exploded.
Kumon was certainly not 100% of the change. We have been helping out at home, he has been getting extra help at school and in general I think he is just more comfortable with his school life.
What Kumon did, like I said already, was help put in on the right track. For that reason alone, the experience has been worth it.
Tracing, reading, matching and filling in spaces has really helped his printing as well. My wife was telling me he now sits in the back seat when they are driving to Kumon and jots stuff down in his notebook. It’s like he is a private eye sitting in the car. I am worried about this. Why? Because his profiling skills are high already. Give him a notebook to write down reminders and I think our lives will never be the same.
No pulling a fast one on Harrison anymore.
The holiday season is here. We are stocked up on Kumon workbooks for a few weeks and I can’t wait to see where Harrison is at when we head back in January.
