To assist in improving the academic performance of the sports class, the Kaohsiung City Education Bureau facilitated the collaboration between Zhongxiao Junior High School in Fengshan and the Kon Wen Cultural and Educational Foundation to sign the "Zhongxiao Junior High School Sports Class Integration of KUMON Education Mathematics Skill Enhancement Program." This program provides teaching materials and instructors during extracurricular periods to help the students of the Zhongxiao Junior High Baseball Team, who frequently compete in various major domestic and international tournaments, catch up with their academic progress and continue to strengthen their academic foundation.

 

The Zhongxiao Junior High School Baseball Team, established in 1991, participates in major national and international competitions every year and has produced many outstanding players for Taiwan's baseball scene, including Wang Wei-Chung and Lin Tzu-Wei, who both played in Major League Baseball in the United States. Due to the long periods of time spent away from school for training and competitions, the players often fall behind in their studies compared to their classmates.

In 2019, the Kaohsiung City Education Bureau successfully facilitated the cooperation between the Kon Wen Cultural and Educational Foundation and Zhongxiao Junior High, allowing the baseball team players to use KUMON Education’s mathematics materials during their time at school. This allowed them to learn at their own pace and catch up with their academic peers. Over the two years of the program, students in the sports class showed consistent improvement in their performance in school exams and mock exams. Additionally, these students made significant progress in their math scores in the Junior High School Entrance Exam.

Throughout the process, students shared their experiences with KUMON Education, starting with initial resistance, gradually accepting and challenging it, and discovering that what they once thought was impossible could become achievable through perseverance. Coaches and teachers also observed that the KUMON Education curriculum helped enhance the students' critical thinking abilities when responding to coaches' instructions during competitions, leading to more interaction and discussions.

 

Given the positive outcomes of the program, all parties are eager to continue the collaboration. Section Chief Yan Junzhu expressed gratitude to the Kon Wen Cultural and Educational Foundation for its forward-looking vision, providing materials and teaching staff during school hours to support the students of Zhongxiao Junior High's baseball team. This assistance allows the students, who usually focus on training and competing, to catch up with their academic progress. This will give sports class students more options in the future.

Kon Wen Cultural and Educational Foundation Chairman Zhao Wen-yu stated, "Learning is not something that happens overnight. It is a long-term accumulation. We are very glad to collaborate again with Zhongxiao Junior High and hope to help the baseball team students, in addition to their daily practice, to also solidify their academic foundation through KUMON Education, helping them become well-rounded, capable individuals who will bring glory to Taiwan."

 

Zhongxiao Junior High School Principal Zhong Wen-jie noted, "The collaboration with the Kon Wen Cultural and Educational Foundation has been very effective. We hope to continue using KUMON Education to systematically diagnose students' learning situations and provide teaching materials tailored to their learning levels to achieve individualized learning goals. Whether or not these students continue with baseball, they will retain a solid academic foundation that will give them more opportunities in life."

 

⚾︎ Video introduction link: https://youtu.be/1K8_sg06wJ4