A perfect 100%

Mary A. Castillo

Imagine getting a perfect score on a national math test that top

honors students spend a year preparing for. One fourth-grader in

Huntington Beach doesn’t have to imagine it.

Brian Yabuki, 10, clearly remembers the exact moment his teacher told

him that he had scored a perfect 100% on the National Mathfax Math 4

Honors exam.

“I jumped up and down yelling, yes!, Yes!,” he said with a shy smile.

But the climb to the top of the fourth-grade math honors program, and

helping Circle View Elementary School’s team place in every category at

the Math Field Day event in May, didn’t happen without hard work.

In addition to studying advanced math and science in Maureen Spiller’s

class, Brian also practices math every Friday afternoon for half an hour

at the Kumon Learning Center.

“It helped,” Brian acknowledged. “But it’s not hard keeping up with my

work from school and coming here.”

Together with his brother, Matthew, Brian enrolled in the Kumon Center

in June 2000.

“Brian came here because he loved math and wanted to excel,” said

Claire Scherzer, owner and instructor of the center in Huntington Beach.

“It’s a great place for kids who want to practice or who need help in

their math and reading skills.”

Students who start the Kumon program initially take a placement exam

so that they start at their comfort level, said Scherzer. A study program

is tailored to each student and they come into the center typically two

days a week for 30-minute sessions. Although instructors are present to

assist with problems, the students work independently and must

self-correct their work sheets before going home.

“Each student receives a sticker for the work they do at the center

and for successfully completed homework,” said Scherzer.

When a student covers a score card with stickers, they get a one of

the brand new dollar coins Scherzer carries in her pocket.

The Kumon method, developed in 1954 by Toru Kumon a Japanese high

school math teacher whose son was struggling with math, strives to not

overwhelm the student and essentially has one goal.

“We want them to get used to working with numbers efficiently so they

gradually master increasingly difficult math concepts,” Scherzer said.

The Kumon method isn’t the only reason why Brian works beyond his

grade level, said his mother, Gail Yabuki.

“Brian is blessed with a good mind,” she said. “But Mrs. Spillers does

a great job keeping him and his fellow students interested and motivated

by doing things outside the regular math books.”

But Spillers, who is the fourth grade GATE math and science teacher at

Circle View, gives all the credit to Brian.

“He’s an excellent and creative student,,” she said. “He is respected

by the other students and his teammates in class.”

When asked if he has plans to make a career out of math and science,

Brian shrugs.

“Maybe I’ll be a scientist but I’m not really sure,” he said.

* MARY A. CASTILLO is a news assistant with Times Community News. She

can be reached at (714) 965-7177 or by e-mail at o7

mary.castillo@latimes.com

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