Through Kumon, 13-year-old Isaac developed confidence in the basics of maths. Now, the Year 7 student is solving complex, university-level problems such as vectors in his Kumon Maths worksheets.

Isaac was enrolled into Kumon in early primary school. He started solving very basic problems, such as addition and subtraction, which laid the foundation for his strong progress.

“While Kumon does not cover the whole maths syllabus in school, it covers the basic theories and concepts”, explains Nelson, Isaac’s father. “At school, he already knows the basics or has the foundations of the concept. It’s easy for Isaac pick up a new concept and to learn it in school.”

With Kumon’s support, Isaac covered all the basic maths concepts that he will encounter in high school, ranging from algebra all the way to calculus, while he was still in primary school. Nelson says that this will set his son up for success in high school and beyond.

“We wanted him to do a little bit of homework, every day, while he was in primary school, Nelson says. “So when Isaac starts high school or uni, he will already be used to the idea of studying every day and it will be easier for him to handle this challenge.”

Isaac, meanwhile, enjoys challenges – particularly puzzling his way through vectors in his Kumon worksheets.

“Doing my Kumon worksheets is fun because I get to play around with things and see if the answer is right or wrong and see if I can do anything to solve it”, Isaac explains. “Vectors is a fun topic that can really help me in the future. Even though it is challenging, it is still fun to solve.”

Isaac is aiming to become a successful musician when he grows up, and also to work as an engineer or doctor. Isaac is confident that his current learning in Kumon will continue to benefit him.

“Most jobs in the future will probably need mathematics. Since I’m already doing a high level of maths at Kumon, this will be very useful in the future,” Isaac says. “I’m also doing English with Kumon and English helps with communication, so it can really help when you’re talking to someone.”

Kumon aims to develop confident learners, such as Isaac. Nelson is pleased to see this attribute being reflected in his own son.

“I think the most important thing is for Isaac to believe himself”, Nelson says. “Even though he is in Year 7, he is already studying maths in Kumon at a level more than five years ahead of his school grade. While it may be a bit hard for him, he needs to believe he can do it. This is most important.”

“Even in the future, whether he is working in a job, or at uni, he needs to believe in himself.”