There’s nothing that makes Dipti Patel happier than seeing a child learn. As the owner of the Kumon Math and Reading Center of Bellevue, she gets to watch her students make strides every day, setting them up for success later in life.
“It feels like Christmas gifts all the time, when they bring me their progress report, and they are going from Cs and Ds to As and Bs; it’s an amazing feeling,” Patel says.
Kumon is an after-school academic enrichment center specializing in math and reading. Students can start at the center as young as three years old. Patel has served as the owner of Kumon of Bellevue for the last 20 years after putting her own children in the program. She first discovered the center while visiting family in Florida and watching her young nieces solve difficult math problems in their heads because they went to Kumon.
“Kumon is really about giving kids an opportunity where they can do whatever they want in life, given the right tools and environment,” she says.
Patel says her passion for education and helping kids reach their full potential stems from a difficult relationship with school while growing up. She was born in Canada to immigrant parents, and her family frequently moved throughout her life. Because her education was disrupted every three or four years, she couldn’t build a solid foundation, which would lead to years of struggling in school.
“I was a weak student, and because my parents were immigrants and did not have an education, they weren’t able to help me when I didn’t understand my homework,” Patel said.
Patel would go on to graduate from college in upstate New York with the support of her uncle and his family.
“My experience not doing well in school made me want to help students who are struggling because I get it, and I know what that feels like,” Patel said.
While she’s lived in many different cities throughout her life, Patel has called Nashville home for the last 30 years. Before becoming the owner of Kumon of Bellevue, she worked in Metro Public Schools as a substitute teacher and taught second grade for five years. Being the owner of Kumon gives her the ability to continue helping kids grow while outside of a traditional classroom setting.
While students at Kumon strengthen their math and reading skills, they also learn study habits and develop life skills, such as independence and confidence. She wants parents to know the center is not just for students who may be falling behind in math or reading but for students who are advancing in their classes as well.
Patel says the center has a tremendous impact on her own children, Dilan and Kaitlin, who have both graduated college and are pursuing careers in biology and psychology.
“They both started Kumon at a really young age, and I never had to sit down with them and do homework, not even once, and that to me was priceless because that was opposite of what I had,” Patel said.
She credits her husband, Nim, with being instrumental in her ability to pursue her dream of helping kids reach their full potential.
“I wouldn’t be where I’m at without him because of all of his love and support,” she said