THE KUMON METHOD IS A GLOBAL STANDARD LEARNING METHOD

Tetsuma Sasaki and Hiroto Sasaki moved to Houston from Japan in 2019. Before they came to the United States, they attended Kumon classes in Japan to learn math. After moving to the U.S., they have continued to study Kumon math. 

Tetsuma began attending Kumon classes in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, when he was three years old. He started by practicing how to hold a pencil and then began counting and writing numbers. Later, he moved to Yokosuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture, where he continued the Kumon math classes and learned basic calculations. Hiroto also started the Kumon Method at the age of three. With the support of his older brother, Hiroto was able to enjoy learning math. 

When we moved to the U.S., Tetsuma was 5 years old and Hiroto was 3 years old. Since they had limited English proficiency, they had a difficult time communicating with their friends and stayed away from the Kumon Method for a while after moving to the United States.

As they gradually got used to life in the U.S., they resumed Kumon math classes in Houston when Tetsuma was six and Hiroto was five. “At first, I was worried about having math taught in English. However, when I looked at the Kumon worksheets, I saw that the content and layout were very similar to the worksheets I had worked

on in Japan, so I knew I could do well with Kumon in the U.S.,” recalls Tetsuma. Tetsuma was able to resume the Kumon Method in the United States without any confusion. In the first grade, he learned multiplication and division (Kumon C), and in the second grade, he learned fractions and decimals, eventually moving on to the junior high school course (Kumon G). Tetsuma says, “Studying advanced math with Kumon makes math time at school much more enjoyable.”

“We originally had a plan to come to the U.S. when we were in Japan. We chose the Kumon Method because we thought it was important to engage in activities that could be continued even if we changed countries. Kumon math is a global standard method,” Mrs. & Mr. Sasaki parents recalled. 

Here are some of Tetsuma’s and Hiroto’s interests and aspirations: 

What is your favorite book and why? 

Tetsuma said “I like to read Magic Tree House and My Father’s Dragon. Both of these are adventure stories and I am excited to read them. I learn a lot from them because the main character overcomes difficulties by using various devices.” 

What are some activities you enjoy doing outside of school and Kumon? 

I am interested in space. My parents have taken us to NASA Johnson Space Center several times, where we can see rockets, astronaut training centers, and the control center. At the control center, there were so many computers lined up. I imagined that all the people working here must be working together to do advanced things. 

What do you enjoy most about Kumon? 

Kumon’s worksheets are always challenging. At first, I feel it is hard, but after I get used to it, I am happy that I can calculate faster than before. This growth is a joy for me. I am especially happy when I get rewards from Kumon. 

What do you want to be when you grow up? 

When I grow up, I want to be a school teacher. Thanks to Kumon, I now know how to study math, so I would like to teach my students how to solve math problems well.