Kumon Lenasia, Signet

I am Zarina Essop and I have been a Kumon Instructor for 27 years.

My experience as a Madressa (vernacular class) teacher and my training in preschool education and early childhood development enabled me to become a locum teacher at our local schools. I have a passion for education, and after seeing the benefits my own children gained from their Kumon study, I found my niche as a Kumon Instructor.

As a parent, I was involved in my children’s education and became chairperson of their school governing body. This enabled me to keep abreast of the changes in education when South Africa became a new democracy. In subsequent years, I built a good working relationship with educators in my community. They have referred learners to us for enrolment and have also enrolled their own children at Signet.

I have served on both the Kumon Instructor Advisory Committee and Worksheet Advisory Committee. This, combined with continuous involvement in Kumon Voluntary Study Groups, allows me to learn and grow from my students and other instructors, nationally and internationally. Thus my staff and I continue to develop our instruction skills so that our students can benefit further.

It inspires me to observe students learning concepts at their own pace and being able to confidently grasp topics ahead of their school grade level. This enables them to excel at school. The fact that students become disciplined, are able to learn task completion and goal setting skills is what encourages me to nurture more students to completion.

Our Programme Completers, in turn, give back to our community at Awards functions, Potential Completer Seminars and Open Day events when they are invited to share their Kumon experience and how it has shaped their lives at tertiary level and beyond.

Toru Kumon’s vision to make students smarter resonates with my passion for pursuing the potential of every student at our centre.