Personal Essay: Kumon As Childhood Hell

Kumon has always been thought of as “childhood hell” by past and current students. Since I work there, I am basically their devil; yet, many of the kids there love me. I tutor students from all ages in English and Math. As a current student, I can empathize with them and have therefore found subtle tricks to help motivate them to do homework and classwork. In the beginning students timidly asked me for help, as time progressed, students became more friendly and less hesitant. Some would even come sit next to me and chat while working on their classwork. With my help, a student that takes two hours finishes in half of an hour. Time flies by fast when you’re having fun.
After a few months of working, I could name every student and something unique about them. As a student, I feel like I don’t have a good connection with my teachers since I assumed that I wasn’t anything more than just a faceless student. With this in mind, I try to get to know the kids at Kumon. From the students’ stories, it seems that most of these kids are forced to come here by their parents who might be more invested in their academics than their personality. These kids are the ones who dislike Kumon the most and it affects their enthusiasm for learning. …show more content…
The youth are pure in their mind and offer creative ways for answering problems. I honestly learn more from them than they learn from me teaching. These children are bright; they are quick to come to their answer and it surprises me when they can do it faster than I can. This satisfaction of being an impact in the future generation is what keeps me motivated to become a better and influential teacher. This educational opportunity I was presented in just a slip of an application, created the foundation for my passion in