Enlightening Thought #18

When I'm at work, the thing I love most is seeing the kids I tutor smile. If you don't know about Kumon, it is a learning center dedicated to stretching young children beyond their mental and cognitive abilities, starting at a very early age. They are dragged, kicking and screaming, into the center, sat down in a chair and forced to do anywhere from 5 - 10 pages of math and reading problems for the bragging rights of their parents. Needless to say, they are usually in a gloomy, miserable and generally unhappy state of mind.


(Notice how even the smiley is not smiling!)

Back when I first started working at Kumon, I despised it. I had an utterly terrible time at work. The kids hated the packets, the bosses hated me, I hated the lack of contribution I seemed to be making, and it all added up to a less than unrewarding experience.


(They usually don't look this happy...)

As time passed, however, I learned to appreciate the children. While the other kids were biking with their friends on Friday nights, these kids were stuck here doing math problems with me. I know I can never make up for the lost hours of their childhood, but I try my best to make them happy. I try to communicate with them, listen to them tell me about their day, share jokes, and give them something to laugh about in the bleak half an hour that they spend at the center.

And I've realized that it doesn't take that much to make people smile. A little goodness can go a long way as each little piece adds up. Instead of being a silent, monotonous statue all the time,

Try to brighten up someone's day.

Seeing the kids smile gives me something to smile about, and realizing that the time they spend with me is not all torture and waste makes my job that much more pleasant and rewarding. Even if you don't think it's a lot to listen to someone's stories or share a friendly laugh, it can make their day just a little bit better and brighter to try.