Ballet and Kumon: The Importance of Diligent Study and Practice
“Kumon has given me a sense of discipline and that discipline comes into my life every day with ballet, with acting, with any project I attack. I push myself to keep going and learn more and more because I don’t want to lack knowledge. I’m constantly asking myself, ‘What if? What if I can become a prima ballerina? What if I could become an actress? What if I could finish the Kumon Program?’ How would I feel after that.” – Grace, Kumon Student
Elegant, graceful and sophisticated are terms that come to mind when you think of ballet. These terms are excellent ways to describe ballet, but they do not adequately convey the levels of dedication, perseverance and practice required of the ballet dancer to achieve success. Ballet is a particularly challenging art form, requiring sustained diligence and practice. How does ballet relate to the Kumon Program? Similar to ballet practice, students willing to commit their time and energy to the Kumon Program achieve long-term success.
Success as a ballet dancer takes practice. Learning how to pirouette, for example, requires intense study to maintain the perfect balance without losing momentum, as ballet dancers turn throughout the duration of this movement. A graceful and elegant pirouette is a joy to behold and must feel exquisite to perform, but can only be perfected through practice.
Practice is a critical part of the Kumon Program. Unlike tutoring programs, Kumon is designed to become a part of a student’s daily routine. At Kumon, children practice their math and reading skills every day through a series of worksheets customized to suit each student’s own abilities. These worksheets are an essential part of the Kumon Program. Each worksheet that children complete helps them incrementally progress through the Kumon Program. Your children can apply that acquired understanding to become stronger and more confident students.
As Elizabeth, a nineteen year old former Kumon Student, said, “Kumon helped me improve my grades. I also got a great feeling of accomplishment doing Kumon worksheets. I work hard on Kumon every day and as a result my schoolwork seems easier.”
Although practicing every day is tough, the long term rewards and successful completion of milestones can feel every bit as satisfying as performing the perfect pirouette.
It takes a considerable amount of effort and dedication to make dancing across a stage seem effortless.
That diligence ultimately comes from the desire and determination to perform a piece better and to excel far beyond expectations. That same mentality is instilled within the Kumon Program. Similar to ballet, Kumon helps students learn how to motivate themselves to become confident self-learners. The step-by-step structure of the Kumon Program allows students to study at their own pace, which increases their confidence with each problem successfully completed. Without determination and confidence, students would be unable to reach their goals, whether those goals are to perform as Odette or Prince Siegfried in “Swan Lake” or to become a Kumon Program Completer.
Although the daily routine of the Kumon Program can be challenging, it is important to remember how Kumon helps your children achieve their long-term goals. Reminding your children of those goals, when facing difficulties, can help them realize the importance of diligent practice and motivate your children to persevere.
Like ballet, the Kumon Program is not easy, but the hard work that students put in can make all the effort worth it. After years of study, students of both ballet and Kumon can achieve remarkable things. A ballet student might become a principal dancer at a prestigious ballet company, and a Kumon Student may achieve a perfect score on his or her SATs or become a leading mathematician or scientist. In order to achieve those things, students must diligently practice every day. Although the end results between ballet and Kumon are vastly different, the long-term results achieved from both can be just as rewarding.