Male student majoring in Literature graduated with honors in Mathematics Education

A dramatic turn

Among nearly 500 excellent students of Hanoi National University of Education in 2024, new bachelor Ngo Hong Quan made an impression when he was a Literature major but graduated with a degree in Mathematics Pedagogy (teaching Mathematics in English).

Many people, when they heard the story, were surprised by Quan's dramatic turn because "people with a Literature degree are rarely good at Math."

“People were surprised to see a student majoring in Math winning a Literature award, but they would probably be skeptical when hearing the story of a student majoring in Literature at university majoring in Math,” Quan shared.

Ngo Hong Quan (Hanoi), new bachelor of the 70th course of Mathematics Pedagogy (teaching Math in English) of Hanoi National University of Education.

Starting out as a Literature major student at Chu Van An High School (Hanoi), Quan said that his decision to choose the Mathematics Pedagogy major at Hanoi National University of Education for his student life was a somewhat reckless turning point. However, looking back now, he feels that it was the right decision and has no regrets.

“When I took the high school entrance exam, I felt that Literature suited me best. But by the end of 12th grade, everything had changed. Studying specialized subjects and being exposed to Literature a lot, I also felt bored, so I wanted to change and challenge myself when the environment changed, like what it would be like to study Math,” Quan said.

Quan said that in the past, in high school, although he was in a Literature class, he was also quite good at Math. In addition to his love for teaching, at the end of grade 12, faced with many career choices, Quan decided to study pedagogy with the determination to become a Math teacher in the future.

That year, as a specialized student and with second prize in the city-level excellent student competition in Literature, Quan was admitted to the Mathematics Pedagogy major (taught in English) of Hanoi National University of Education by direct admission.

Quan's total score on the 2020 high school graduation exam according to the D01 combination was also nearly 28 (including Math 9.6) and he was also admitted to the Mathematics Pedagogy major if he registered for admission using the exam score method.

Getting accepted is one thing, but Quan said his family and everyone else wondered a lot about his sudden turn. Some people even said he was “crazy”.

“I told myself that people think it is counterintuitive, but I think it is okay. Many people also wonder and worry about my choice of teaching, while I could have pursued economics with a better income... But I think I am only truly comfortable when I become a teacher, standing in class and teaching, accompanying students.

Even though I chose Pedagogy, my parents were worried that if I switched from studying Literature to studying Mathematics, would I be able to continue and graduate? At that time, I explained a lot, but my parents were still very worried. At that time, I thought that a hundred explanations were not as good as my own actions. And then my studies, scores, and results each semester were the clearest proof that I could send to my parents," Quan shared.

In fact, after studying Literature for 3 years in high school and entering university with a major in Mathematics Education, when entering the university environment, everything was not easy. After the first year with basic knowledge going quite smoothly, in the first semester of the second year, when starting to study the major, Quan began to feel the heat.

“When I entered university, I also expected that studying specialized mathematics would be different and more difficult than studying mathematics in high school. The truth was also like that. When I encountered the first specialized mathematics subjects, I really felt very tired and pressured because of the difficulty. The first subject I learned was Basic Algebraic Structures - both difficult and very abstract. I realized that when I did not have a good foundation in mathematics like my classmates, everything was very difficult for me,” Quan said.

Even at its peak, in the first semester of the second year, the thought of dropping out of school flashed through Quan’s mind. “I actually wrote an application to request a leave of absence. In it, I also expressed that I felt my ability did not guarantee that I could continue studying. But in the end, I took the time to think back on everything and the reason why I started and chose it. And then I did not submit that application with the thought that ‘since I have already chosen, I will try to finish my studies’,” Quan recalled.

Focus on the future from the beginning, to catch up with the others, Quan would like to share the documents and textbooks of the seniors. Read and ponder on your own, and proactively seek out teachers for answers to any questions you don't understand.

At the end of the second year, Quan only had one subject with a B+, the rest were all A's.

The milestone that made Quan feel more confident in his choice and path was in the second semester of his second year when he got A's in all subjects.

Ngo Hong Quan and his mother

Sharing about studying, Quan said that he does not have any special secret but simply, besides studying in class, he tries to review the knowledge at home and do more exercises by himself. According to Quan, the habit of self-studying that he has maintained since high school has helped him a lot in the university environment.

“I researched and found that there are quite a lot of resources online for Math majors. I also asked for previous years’ exam papers, textbooks, and books from seniors to explore and research.

I feel very lucky to have met wonderful teachers in the Mathematics - Information Technology department of the school with their enthusiastic teaching and support. I also have a group of university friends, not only do we play together but we also help each other in studying and practicing activities...", Quan shared.

After 4 years of studying at Hanoi National University of Education, a new graduate like Quan not only studied his major but also studied pedagogical subjects. Quan did well in all of them.

In the graduation transcript of 52 subjects with a total of 154 credits, Quan only had 4 B+ grades, the rest were all A's.

In the training program of Mathematics Pedagogy taught in English, Quan studied 19 credits of English at the beginning level (B2) and 5 credits of specialized English.

However, Quan said that in order to teach effectively in class through English communication, he practices a lot at home, outside of school hours.

Quan said that he was instructed and trained very carefully by his teachers in the foundation, so when he practiced teaching, he did not encounter any difficulties and became more confident about his path.

Quan believes that graduation is not just about going on stage to receive a diploma, but more importantly, it is the moment that marks the beginning of the next stage, when now he and the new graduates will become teachers. "The reality of the country's education sector may still have many difficulties, we will have to face many challenges posed by the times, but I hope that myself and my friends will be steadfast in the face of storms, enthusiastic, and spread love."

Talking about his future plans, Quan said he will continue to study for a master's degree in Mathematics Education and in the future, he may become a university lecturer. At this time, Quan is still tutoring and opening extra classes for 12th grade students taking the high school graduation exam.

With his efforts and endeavors, Ngo Hong Quan was also honored to be selected to represent more than 2,700 new graduates of 2024 to express his thoughts on his journey at Hanoi National University of Education at the 2024 graduation and bachelor's degree awarding ceremony, which took place on the morning of June 11.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Son, Rector of Hanoi National University of Education, and Chairman of the University Council Nguyen Van Hien awarded graduation certificates to outstanding students of 2024.

The total number of graduates in 2024 of Hanoi National University of Education is 2,741 students, from 23 faculties, of which 471 students graduated with honors.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Son becomes Principal of Hanoi National University of Education

The Minister of Education and Training has signed a decision to recognize Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duc Son as Rector of Hanoi National University of Education.

Self-reproach letter from the Principal of Pedagogy on the last working day

During his last working days as Principal of Hanoi National University of Education, Professor Nguyen Van Minh wrote a letter to the students. In it, he blamed himself for not being able to do as much as he had hoped despite his efforts.

The confused moment at the airport of the Pedagogical Principal and the story of learning English at the age of 35

"When I stepped out of the border, people asked me questions in English, but I couldn't understand them because I hadn't studied them properly. After that, I had to write them down so they could do the immigration procedures. From then on, I realized that I needed to try harder," Professor Minh said.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nam-sinh-chuyen-van-tot-nghiep-xuat-sac-nganh-su-pham-toan-2290424.html