No limits to her learning; Sophie completes the Kumon English Programme

Sophie, from the Kumon Kildare Study Centre, is a fantastic example of what can be achieved with a commitment to Kumon study. Over the past four years, Sophie has remained dedicated to daily practice and has developed a love of English – a subject she previously found challenging. Now aged 14, she is extremely proud to have completed the entire Kumon English Programme, particularly on her birthday, which was her completion date!
 
Sophie had always found reading and writing challenging, so her parents, Sinéad and Darren, embarked on finding alternative learning services to assist their daughter with her English studies. They discovered the Kildare study centre and enrolled Sophie after an initial consultation and thorough assessment with Instructor, Colette.
 
Sinéad and Darren told us,

“After discovering Sophie’s dyslexia in 2018, we wanted to find additional support to specifically help her with her English, as she struggled with literacy. Sophie was 10-years-old, and we felt it was a crucial time for her education.”

Sophie started the Kumon English Programme at a starting point designed to build on her existing knowledge and allowed her to progress step-by-step at a comfortable pace. Daily study enabled Sophie to practise her skills and confidently take ownership of her learning.

Reflecting on the progress she’s made, her parents said.

“Kumon has helped her immensely and we knew from the start we had made the correct decision. The layout and format of the worksheets were straightforward, and the instruction from Colette was great for Sophie - she learnt fairly quickly that mistakes help us to experiment and learn and can be corrected. She was nurtured and encouraged to not put limits on her own ability.  
 
Kumon study enabled Sophie to focus solely on reading. The programme has helped her to improve her fluency and understanding of a story, and as a result, she has developed great reading, writing and spelling skills. In turn, her confidence and love of reading has sky-rocketed.

Even though, because of her dyslexia diagnosis, she is actually exempt from studying Irish language in school, Sophie chooses to continue to study the subject along with Spanish as a foreign language. It’s remarkable how differently she approaches reading and language now she has the tools to do so.”

Reflecting on her Kumon journey, Sophie told us,

“I always had trouble reading and following a story or understanding big words, however, after joining Kumon, with daily study I started to find each worksheet easier and that helped me to swiftly accomplish each level. Receiving level completion and advanced study certificates kept motivating me to work harder to complete the next level.

Sophie was proud to tell her friends and cousins that she was doing her daily Kumon and the progress that she was making. She also spoke openly about having dyslexia and how it meant that she learns differently from others. Her peers responded very positively to this honesty and openness and it helped to made it all a far less taboo subject for Sophie. Away from school and at the Kumon centre, she was encouraged to not be afraid to excel or to hold herself back from learning more. As a result of her dedication and the support around her, Sophie completed the entire Kumon English Programme as she turned 14 years old; a fantastic achievement! 

“I particularly observed the benefits of Kumon when I started secondary school because I was already familiar with certain topics that I had previously covered in Kumon. Moreover, because I enjoy English now, I can easily understand my schoolwork; I’m currently studying Shakespeare in school and I love it.

I have developed many life and study skills with Kumon; I’m now organised and like to plan my time wisely. I’ve developed the confidence to ask questions when unsure and have realised that it’s ok to make - and more so, learn from mistakes.”
 
At Kumon, Instructors instil confidence by encouraging their students to endeavour to work out answers independently using the examples and their learning from previous questions. Learning from doing it for oneself is powerful and increases the self-belief and confidence of the student, as is evident with Sophie.

Sophie said, “Colette has always been a great support when needed; she was always there to answer any questions and continuously encouraged me throughout my Kumon journey.”

Parents, Sinéad and Darren concluded,

“What Sophie has already achieved has gone beyond our expectations – so much so, that even though her school file is noted as her having a learning difficulty, the majority of her teachers claim that she functions at a very high level, regardless of her challenges and she is on par with many of her peers.

When we first enrolled Sophie at Kumon, we wanted her to feel confident in her abilities and I can say, Kumon has truly achieved this. I’m certain the skills Sophie has gained from Kumon will stay with her in all future endeavours.”

Congratulations on completing the Kumon English Programme, Sophie! We wish you all the best in your future.