Kumon Rush Green student demonstrates his literacy skills with thoughtful poem

Ten-year-old Jack is a student at the Kumon Rush Green Study Centre. He enrolled on to the English programme back in March 2013, beginning on level 2A, learning to read and write simple words.

He has worked hard over the past three years, and has moved up five levels of the programme and is currently studying work two years ahead of his school grade level.

His Instructor Gaitry, said: "Jack has progressed both academically (I hear from his parents he is now in the top set for English at school) and he is reading more complex and thought-provoking stories.

"On a personal level his character has also developed; Jack used to get very disappointed when he used to make mistakes and liked to get everything right straight away. I tried to encourage him with praise and, after a few months of doing Kumon his attitude changed and he was keen to learn from mistakes and started to deal with doing his corrections straight away.

"I feel so pleased to see how Kumon can have an impact on a child's character development in this way."

Jack thinks Kumon has really helped with his reading and spelling and has expanded his vocabulary. He also appreciates how it has enabled him to get into the top sets at school.

To demonstrate how far Jack has progressed on the Kumon English Programme, below is a poem he wrote about his grandad, who sadly passed away last year. He wrote the poem through the eyes of his grandad as a young man, participating in his favourite hobby of fishing. At the end of the poem we see him moving on.

1 October 1965

Dear diary,
Another pointless day,
No fish, no nothing,
I don't know where I will go,
But wherever it is it will be far away,
It's too cold here in the arctic,
I'm starving slowly,
There's nothing left here,
The wolves have eaten the last fish,
I will have to pack my clothes,
And leave these starving creatures here,
What will come of these creatures?
I wish them the best,
I have raised these wolves for two years now,
And become attached with them,
I will leave because I know,
I would cry if I saw them go.

It's wonderful to see how a student can develop and take their learning into their own hands. Well done Jack!