When Yi Yao and his wife noticed that their two children, Jaden and Lilac, started completing their math homework a little too quickly, they started looking for an afterschool math program.

“We started searching for math classes because when we looked at our kids’ homework and school curriculum, I think the math is too easy here in the U.S. With one or two pages of homework for math every day, they (my kids) could finish them in like 10 minutes or so,” says Yi. “I also noticed they tend to make careless mistakes. Maybe that’s because the homework was boring or too easy for them.”

While there are a ton of reputable afterschool math programs in the Bay Area, the Yao family was on the hunt for something specific.

“We started looking for math tutors or programs that could give them more challenging work in math. But also we want them to have fun doing math,” Yi said. “We’re weren’t looking for a private school. We were looking for a class that could inspire an interest in learning math”

 After Mrs. Yao heard about Think Academy from another fellow mom, the Yao family decided to learn more about Think Academy through one of our trial classes.

The Yao’s First Impressions of Think Academy

It was Think Academy’s unique teaching method and advanced technology that caught the Yao’s attention and placed Think Academy ahead of other tutoring programs.

“We’ve heard things about Russian Math or Kumon. But after we attended Think Academy’s trial class, I liked the message,” Yi said.

“I liked their use of modern technology and dual teacher method. You have two teachers where one communicates with your child remotely. And then a local teacher that can interact directly with the kids.”

Why The Yao Family Chose Think Academy

#1 Think Academy’s Wide Variety of Courses

Before enrolling their children in a Think Academy course, Yi did have some concerns. His main concern? That the curriculum would only focus on preparing students for placement tests or math competitions.

“We weren’t looking for a private school, or a class that was orientated to prepare for a test,” says Yi. But after seeing the different variety of Think Academy courses and different learning outcomes for each course, all of Yi’s initial concerns disappeared.

“After we attended some of the meetings with them [Think Academy] and talked to the teachers, we learned they offered different class levels. If you want to enter into a math competition, you can join their advanced class. But for kids who don’t want to go the competition route, you can sign them up in classes that motivate them and teach them that it’s fun to do math and to learn math.”

#2 Think Academy’s Advanced Online Teaching Experience

What’s another Think Academy specialty that impressed Yi and his wife?  Think Academy’s advanced online teaching and learning experience. Seeing how interactive and engaging Think Academy’s online classes were, really stood out.

“My overall impression of Think Academy’s online class is pretty positive. Technology-wise it’s great and their iPad app (ThinkHub) is very smooth. You have a lot of interactions between the teachers and the students. It feels like a regular class,” says Yi.

Yi’s proof of how effective Think Academy’s online teaching? Seeing how his 7-year-old daughter Lilac has adapted to Think Academy classes. Even though she is learning a curriculum that is for children two grade levels ahead of her, she still understands the lessons and is excited to participate and turn in her homework.

“Lilac is pretty concentrated in her class. Sometimes she’ll get distracted, but when the teacher pops up on the screen, they can call out for the students to draw back their attention,” Li says.

“And for their homework of creating a video of them solving math problems, Lilac is excited about that. Sometimes she even dresses up to do it.”

Compared to the online learning experience the Yao kids receive at their elementary school, Yi says Think Academy’s teaching is ahead.

“They’re [elementary school’s online teaching] nothing compared to Think Academy. They’re not prepared to do online teaching. Most of the schools here are not prepared. You can instantly tell the difference between Think Academy’s online teaching compared with the other schools. Think Academy is much better.”

#3: Think Academy Teachers

The last, and most importantly, the main reason why the Yao family chose? The passion of Think Academy’s teachers. “Our kids like their teachers a lot,” says Yi. “They’ve become friends with all of the teachers, and they know all the teachers, Ivy, ad Eddie. Sometimes they ask ‘Where’s Ivy? What’s teacher Ivy doing?’ Them [our children] creating a bond with the teachers has exceeded our expectations.”

Why The Yao Family Recommends Think Academy

Today, Yi says he and his wife recommends Think Academy to other families who are looking for an engaging and accelerated after school math program. Here’s what he would say:

“It’s [Think Academy] a good way to learn math. All the teachers have very good qualifications and they can talk to kids in their own language to inspire them to learn math. You have to be motivated to have fun to learn math, to do better in math. A child can’t be pushed to learn math. You have to motivate that interest. I think Think Academy does this very well with its well-designed programs and its ThinkHub app. I would recommend Think Academy to parents who are looking for a math program for their kids.”

Want to enroll your child in a Think Academy course? Sign them up for our Free 1-on-1 Evaluation or our $5 Trial Class!