Early Childhood Math Development Foundation, Inc.
a 501(c)3 Not For Profit Corporation
Testimony to early childhood math development in a after-school math program.
Written by Madison Johnny Williams June 2015
Age 15
completed 9th grade
I recently moved back to Virginia. I have spent the last ten years in the mid-west. I was born in Norfolk, Virginia and then moved with my family to Flint, Michigan and then to Sycamore, Illinois. My growing years have been preparing me for my future career as an ophthalmologist.
Flint, Michigan, home of General Motors (GM), is a town with a rich history and many challenges. I lived in Flint, MI for seven years and attended St. John Vianney Catholic School. High paying manufacturing jobs left Flint, MI over a decade ago and haven’t been replaced. High unemployment, among other factors, has resulted in city budget shortfalls, creating cuts in city services that are making the city a less desirable place. While in Michigan, I was a member of Jack & Jill of America and participated in numerous community service projects designed to help the residents of Flint. There were many Foundations in Flint that provided funds for activities such as; after-school tutoring, mentoring, and health services. The main Foundations were the Mott Foundation and the Community Foundation of Greater Flint. One of my favorite community events was called “Keep Genesee County Beautiful.” In Sycamore, IL, I participated in community related activities at my church, St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Sycamore, IL didn’t have as much poverty as Flint, but still had challenges (mainly being a college town).
One perspective that I have is a unique understanding of the importance of supplemental instruction and how fortunate I was to receive it. From first grade to 8th grade, I received supplemental math instruction. The program was called Kumon™ and was introduced to me by my grandfather. I was fortunate to have parents who could afford this kind of supplemental instruction. KUMON™ was in addition what I learned in school.
I attended KUMON™ classes on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. My sister and I were often the only African American students in class. My KUMON™ classmates were mostly Asian and Indian. Their parents were focused on them moving through the program as quickly as possible. In addition, they pushed them to hit every Miles tone. The heart of the Kumo™ learning system is a curriculum of more than twenty clearly defined skill levels and hundreds of short assignments spanning material from preschool all the way up to college. The KUMON™ method involves repetition of key mathematics skills, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, until mastery is reached. Each level has 200 worksheets. These 1,200 worksheets present 21,318 straight arithmetic problems.
As I look back on my KUMON™ experience, I often think about what my academic career would be like without the benefit of KUMON™ and how nice it would be if everyone could have KUMON™ as a young child.
Madison Johnny Williams is the granddaughter of Malford Norman Buster, Sr., President and Founder of the Early Childhood Math Development Foundation, Inc.
Madison Johnny Williams completed the 9th grade with a GPS 4.107
Note: Disclaimer - Kumon Math™, Mathnasium™, Sylvan™, and Math All Around are after-school math programs that provide supplemental education. ECMDF is not affiliated with any of these organizations.
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