Kumon Maths and English comes to Ballarat, Victoria
Serena Halligan, a Ballarat perioperative nurse and the daughter of an educator of hundreds of Victorian children, was once a reluctant student.
Serena’s mother Pam Halligan, from 1990 to 2006, was the Instructor of two Kumon Education Centres in Melbourne.
Kumon is a personalised after-school maths and English programme. In Kumon, students study at their own pace. This means students who are struggling take the time they need to master a concept, while advanced students race ahead.
“When I started out as a Kumon student in the late 1980s, my maths skills were pretty poor. I was not a great student”, Serena says. “When I started helping out at my mum’s Centre at the age of 12, my enthusiasm for Kumon surprisingly changed”.
“I was happy to sit down and work through the Kumon worksheets without any prompting”.
Pam retired from Kumon after receiving a diagnosis of multiple myeloma in 2006. Serena then moved to Ballarat to begin a career in nursing.
“Kumon kept popping into my head”, Serena says. “There hadn’t been a Kumon Education Centre in Ballarat for many years. I knew that I wanted my twin boys, Finn and Hugo, to experience Kumon.”
“This is how the second part of my Kumon journey began.”
Serena is set to open Kumon Ballarat Education Centre on August 19. She is proud to be following in her mother’s footsteps.
“Last year my mum’s health deteriorated. After undergoing last line treatments, she passed away in October 2018”, Serena says. “Before her passing, I was able to tell my mum that I was planning to open Kumon Ballarat and that my first enrolments would be her grandsons Finn and Hugo.”
“I knew that she would be so proud and excited about this next chapter for our family.”
Ballarat is experiencing rapid population and demographic changes due to many families moving in from Melbourne. As such, Serena believes Kumon will be a great boon for the community.
“Kumon nurtures young minds by instilling lifelong skills that lead to confidence and strong academic ability”, Serena says.
Kumon Ballarat will open on August 19. It will operate from one2one Gillies Street Church of Christ on Mondays and Thursdays, from 3pm to 6pm. For more information, please contact Serena on 0432 258 313 or email kumon.ballarat@gmail.com.