Failed university in the first year, passed 4 schools the next year

Nearly 25 years ago, the special fire-bringer Nguyen Huu Quan was a student with a passion for math in Cat Tien district, Lam Dong province.

Talking about his former student, Mr. Do Manh Toan, currently the Principal of Binh Long High School for the Gifted (Binh Phuoc province), said: "Quan rented a room in Cat Tien, lived independently, and lived away from home since he was young. When I visited Mr. Quan's room, it was only temporarily built with wooden planks and a corrugated iron roof. There was no furniture in the house, but the study corner was always neatly arranged. In 1999, there was a big flood in Cat Tien, the room was flooded, when the teachers came to visit, Mr. Quan was still optimistic, worked hard to clean up, and despite the flood, he was not discouraged and went to school every day."

Despite his hard work and efforts, Mr. Quan failed the university entrance exam in 2000. "At that time, I thought that if I didn't go to university, I would only be able to work in the fields and would never be able to escape poverty," Mr. Quan shared. Failing but not discouraged, 3 months later, he decided to pack up and go to Ho Chi Minh City to study for the exam. During the first days of studying at the exam preparation center, he was "completely shocked" because the knowledge was very different from what he learned in his hometown. He didn't understand the teachers' lectures in class, but he was not discouraged. After each class, the highland student stopped by Nguyen Van Cu bookstore to look for books to read and study on his own.

During the days of studying for the university entrance exam, he met his brother Dinh Van Hoang, who is currently a lecturer at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Technical Education . They lived together for nearly a year but only had Mr. Hoang lecture to Mr. Quan twice. However, those few conversations were enough to instill in him the desire to understand and be good at math like Mr. Hoang.

There were days when the small rented room was lit from night to morning, the poor student still studied hard without sleeping. With persistent efforts, in the 2001 university entrance exam, he passed the entrance exam to 4 universities in Ho Chi Minh City, including the one he had always wanted. That was the Mathematics Department of Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Sciences.

4 years of fighting cancer

In 2005, Mr. Quan graduated from university and studied for a master's degree, but tragedy struck when he discovered he had thyroid cancer. He choked up and shared: "At that time, I was shocked, but I told myself that for a student from a poor rural area like me, being able to go to university was a blessing, and being able to study for a master's degree was another blessing."

Everyone thought he only had about a year to live. His family had 5 people with cancer, 4 others had passed away, leaving him alone. However, his family still had hope, running around borrowing money to find a way to cure him. After 4 years of fighting the terrible cancer, luck smiled on him, he was cured...

To treat his illness, he took many types of medicine, which greatly affected his master's studies. However, with a burning desire to study, he tried his best to successfully defend his master's thesis. In 2011, Mr. Quan decided to spend a year studying pedagogy and in 2012, he returned to Quang Trung High School for the Gifted in Binh Phuoc Province to teach.

There is a place where math is more than just formulas.

During 11 years of working in this profession, he always had a special way of teaching and was always the one who inspired the passion for learning in his students. "Open your books, let's prove this formula", as soon as he finished speaking, the students quickly turned back to discuss in groups without anyone telling them. It seemed like this had become a habit. Mr. Quan smiled, he went to each table to see how far the students had discussed, and if they had any difficulties, he would enthusiastically guide them. The class was lively because everyone was able to discuss with each other and express their opinions.

The teacher always integrates social issues into the lesson with the familiar question "Do you know what news has happened recently?". The teacher asks many questions for students to answer so that they can actively seek knowledge, learn how to think, and present their own thoughts. The teacher's questions always revolve around many different aspects.

Math for him is all about why questions like: why is there a formula, why does that happen... That's why he always tries to teach his students to think logically, helping them to see and understand the nature of the problem, not just the formula. He often communicates and exchanges with his students, so the image of a close, enthusiastic teacher is no longer strange to the students of Quang Trung High School for the Gifted.

Tran Ngoc Anh Thu, a former student of Quang Trung High School for the Gifted, shared: "Calculation knowledge is dry, but through the teacher's teaching and explanation, it immediately becomes extremely easy to understand and interesting. Teacher Quan also wholeheartedly goes to each table to ask about learning progress, or rearranges the classroom to help students exchange and discuss together."

Nhat Linh, a former student of Quang Trung High School for the Gifted, sadly said: "Since I went to university and started working, I have had fewer and fewer opportunities to visit my teacher, but on every birthday, he wished me well, and from time to time he called to ask how I was. I feel that my journey of growing up has always been followed by him and I always take that as motivation to try my best in every step."

Despite overcoming a serious illness, his health has deteriorated due to the after-effects. When he is no longer able to teach, Mr. Quan said he will open a special class. "That is where I will teach what I know, students will have a play area and a study area. There, math will no longer be about formulas but about thinking and reasoning," Mr. Quan said about his plan.