Couple Views New Business as an Investment in Education

“Whatever success we have had in life is because our families chose to invest in education.”

That is the philosophy upon which Seema and Surinder Shahi base their lives and a major reason they decided to open a Kumon Math & Reading Center on Amwell Road.

With the oldest of their children now in school full-time, the Princeton couple decided the time was right for Seema to re-enter the workforce. Like her mother and aunts, she had been a teacher in India and then worked in IT in the U.S. until the children came along.

The couple was impressed by a Kumon program the older children attended in Franklin Township.

“Given Seema’s commitment and interest in teaching and our experiences, opening a Kumon franchise seemed like a good fit,” said Surinder, an IT professional who focuses on administration and marketing.

“Kumon is the same approach we were taught in India, with writing and daily practice,” she said.

The Kumon program offers remedial and enrichment programs of 30 minutes, twice a week for children ages 3 through grade 12. As Surinder explained, participants work on their own “track” and not in a group. Most importantly, he noted, “Kids are given a sense of achievement. They start a little below their achievement level.”

“Instead of putting the child in a pressure-cooker situation that is designed to have them fail, they complete worksheets based on incremental, subtle progress,” Surinder said.

By putting in 10-30 minutes per day every day, students work toward mastering each skill.

“You must be a complete master of Step 1 before you move onto Step 2,” he said. “Participants can set their own pace and go back to the previous level if they need to. After all, you don’t want to teach algebra to a kid who is not ready for it.”

Seema added, “It is a child-centric program” that also teaches youngsters to work independently and feel a sense of achievement as they build a reading and math foundation.

“We’re not feeding answers to the kids. They have to think on their own and come up with the results. This process gives them the confidence to think on their own,” she added, noting they are not being compared to anyone else.

To prepare for last month’s opening, Seema underwent a year of intensive training in the Kumon approach—including going through each phase of the program herself—before becoming a certified instructor. Now she is qualified to evaluate each youngster’s abilities and develop ever-changing progress goals. The objective is to have students work at grade level in six months.

The Kumon program includes oral reading to "enable them to be good readers and helps them be critical writers,” Seema said), home grading, either by parents or through self-correction, all reviewed by the instructors, and daily homework.

“Kumon never stops,” Surinder said.

Junior Kumon is targeted for youngsters up to kindergarten age, with an instructor working with no more than four students at a time. Junior Kumon offers what Seema described as “a fun learning program,” with supplemental activities that also enhance motor skills.

“As first-generation immigrants, we owe it to America and its open society to give something back. We hope to pass on the message that investing in your kid’s education is the best gift you can give your kids in the long run,” said Surinder.

Seema added, “I have seen my daughter succeeding with Kumon. I want all my students to be very successful in life.”