WAY YOU PARENT YOUR OWN KIDS? KYLE: As an educator, you’re faced with so many different challenges every single day. And I’m just thankful for my children and who they are, even though we are challeng- ing them every single day to reach their max potential. Being able to work with dif- ferent kids in different situations at Kumon allows me to understand how to approach my own kids in specific situations. HOW DO YOU HELP STUDENTS WHO FEEL DISCOURAGED ? KYLE: I love to have real-life conversations with them, and I typically do that when I see them walking into the center, and they don’t have that joyous look on their face. Having that meaningful conversation with the student in that moment allows their wall to be knocked down because they immediately know that you actually are concerned and care. I try to give them a scenario of mine that they can relate with. I think that helps them understand that they’re not alone on this island. DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR OTHER DADS? KYLE: There are two pieces of advice that I
pathways that we take. It helps me reason with people that I have never met before. To understand that just having empathy, where I’m super thankful to have a mother who was grounded enough to support me through my endeavors and also my educa- tion, but also understanding that everyone didn’t get that. It opened up my eyes to say it doesn’t matter where we are right now as parents, as long as we are striving to improve. WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A CERTIFIED KUMON INSTRUCTOR? KYLE: Just being around education my entire life. My mother’s side of the family grew up in this very small town, about an hour away from Baton Rouge, and I have 11 uncles and aunts, and 9 out of the 11 were elementary school teachers all the way up to college professors. So I’ve always been around education. I ended up finishing up in elementary ed, special ed, and I under- stand the importance of academics and education, how it can be, in my opinion, the only way to freedom. HOW HAS WORKING WITH STUDENTS SHAPED THE
will give. One will be to be that father that you may have wished that you had, and that may be just having fun and pulling out that inner child in yourself. I also would ask those parents and fathers who have committed to other professions that require more of their time away from their family, to scale back while still maintaining your family, so you can enjoy more of that family time.
Rapid-Fire Questions Favorite date night… painting portraits of one another. One word that best describes your family… loving. Favorite movie… Bird Box . Currently reading… The African Origin of Civilization by Cheikh Anta Diop Favorite food… boiled crawfish. Hidden talent… drawing and playing piano .
BRPARENTS.COM | AUGUST 2025
21
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting