Love is the essence of Kumon teaching

If there is any single word that can capture the essence of the Kumon education philosophy, it is love, according to four veteran Kumon instructors from Japan.

The instructors - Minamiura Kumiko of Osaka, Nagayama Kyoko of Nagoya, Sano Akiko of Hokkaido and Watase Mari of Shizuoka - were special guests at the Kumon China Instructors' Conference 2007. With close to three decades of experience with Kumon, the four instructors said there was no special formula behind Kumon's success.

The relationship between instructor and student, and how it developed, was what mattered, they said.

The instructors said Kumon values were universal, and that 'love' based on a close observation of the child was the key to tapping a child's potential.