My Journey: From Learning Abacus in Dubai to Founding Nimble Precise

I never imagined that a decision I made in Dubai back in 2005 would one day become the heartbeat of Nimble Precise. But looking back, I can see God’s hand in every step of that journey — and I want to share it with you.

Where It All Began

By 1991, I had already been teaching for a while. I hold a B.Sc and a B.Ed, and the classroom had always felt like home to me. But teaching, I learned early on, is never really about standing at the front of a room. It’s about watching a child discover something in themselves they didn’t know was there.

In 2005, while I was in Dubai, I came across Abacus training. I remember being fascinated — not just by the speed of the calculations, but by what was happening underneath. Children weren’t just memorizing math facts. They were building focus. Confidence. A quiet kind of brilliance that showed up in how they carried themselves, not just in their test scores.

I decided to learn it myself.

What Abacus Taught Me About Children

The more I trained in Abacus and later Vedic Mathematics, the more I realized this wasn’t just a math program. It was a way of unlocking something in a child’s mind that traditional classroom methods often missed.

I began teaching Abacus to children, and I watched, over and over, the same transformation: a shy child would suddenly put their hand up. A distracted child would sit still, fully absorbed. A child who once said “I’m not good at math” would start finishing problems before I’d even completed writing them on the board.

That was the moment I understood my calling wasn’t just to teach — it was to give every child the tools to discover their own genius.

From Classrooms to a Calling

Over the next three decades, I taught, trained, and mentored children across different settings and different countries. Along the way, I also started training aspiring educators — because I saw so many capable, passionate people who wanted to teach but didn’t know how to turn that passion into a real career.

By God’s grace, what started as one teacher with a passion for Abacus grew into something much bigger than I ever planned. Parents began asking me to train their children in Vedic Maths, Rubik’s Cube, and Computer Skills too. Aspiring educators started asking me to train them.

I realized I wasn’t just building a curriculum. I was building a bridge — one that connected children to their own potential, and connected educators to meaningful, international careers.

The Birth of Nimble Precise

Nimble Precise was born out of that bridge. It carries everything I’ve learned in over 35 years of teaching: that learning should be structured but never rigid, fast-paced but never rushed, and rooted in genuine care for every single student.

Today, by God’s grace, Nimble Precise serves students and educators across India, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UK, the USA, and Canada. We’ve built a dual mission — helping children become confident thinkers through Abacus, Vedic Maths, Rubik’s Cube, and Computer Skills, and helping aspiring educators become international professionals through our Educator Training Programme.

What Keeps Me Going

I won’t pretend the journey has been easy. Balancing a growing platform with caring for my parents at home, staying close to my faith, and showing up fully for every family who trusts us with their children — it takes everything I have. My husband Tomchan has been my steady support through it all, and I lean on God’s grace every single day.

But when a parent tells me their once-shy child now leads a classroom presentation with confidence, or when a former student writes to say they’re now teaching Abacus themselves in another country — I’m reminded why I started this in the first place.

That one decision in Dubai, back in 2005, wasn’t just about learning a skill. It was the beginning of a calling. And I’m deeply grateful to still be living it out, one child, one educator, one classroom at a time.

Unleashing Genius with a Difference.

— Anita Tom Founder & Lead Educator, Nimble Precise