The boy is passionate about math

(Baonghean) - Coming to Hoa Binh Town, Tuong Duong District, asking about Nguyen Huu Thong, a 5B student at Hoa Binh Town Primary School, many people know him, because that is the name associated with many high awards in studying and is an example of overcoming difficulties to study well. Last school year, Thong was honored to win first prize in the district-level Math competition for children and third prize in the provincial-level Math competition for children.

Thong (2nd from left) at the Exchange and Award Ceremony for the team participating in the 2014 Math Competition for Children.

Arriving at her house on an afternoon in early June, the sunlight of the land known as the "Fire Pan of Indochina" seemed to penetrate the cement roof above the heads of two boys engrossed in a chessboard. Seeing the stranger, the two boys looked up in surprise and greeted her shyly. According to the homeroom teacher's description of her, I soon guessed which of the two boys Thong was. He was slim, his skin was a little pale, and he shyly poured us some water.

After a while of chatting with Thong, her grandmother came back from gardening. When I asked about Thong, her face suddenly became still, her eyes were filled with sadness, she said in a choked voice: "Thong was unfortunate, lacking family affection since he was a child, when he was one year old his mother died in an accident, his father was originally from Hue, he came here alone to work and then started a family, after his mother passed away his father returned to Hue to build his own family, so Thong has lived with me since then." The two of them lived in a level 4 house, two rooms, in the winter it was bearable, but in the summer, under the cement roof the heat seemed to be more intense.

Due to the difficult family circumstances, to compensate for the loss of her grandchild, Mrs. Lien devoted all her love to her little grandchild. In addition to her small salary, she tried to take care of the vegetable garden every day to earn extra income so that Thong could buy books and pay school fees. Although the life of the two of them was still difficult, Mrs. Lien still tried to save up to buy Thong a used computer, because she knew that her grandson loved to learn about information technology and solve math problems online.

His homeroom teacher said: "Thong is an introverted, emotional person, but he is a bit more shy than his peers. Unlike other students, who, in addition to studying at school, also attend extra classes with teachers and are tutored at home by their siblings and parents, Thong is different. After school hours, he studies at home by himself. Despite that, Thong learns very quickly, especially in natural subjects. During the past 5 years of school, he has always been an excellent student in his class and school. His friends and teachers all love him because he is not only obedient and a good student, but he also helps other students in his class and school to improve.

When asked about the secret to being able to study well on his own, Thong shyly shared: "I really like natural subjects, especially Math. In addition to paying attention in class and mastering the definitions and formulas, when I encounter a difficult problem at home, I often find many ways to solve it and choose the fastest way. In addition, I also access the internet to solve math problems online and collect many different types of problems for myself." Listening to him passionately talk about his learning method, I realized that difficulties and shortages are nothing compared to his determination and passion for studying.

Leaving Thong's house when it was already dark, my feet walked, but my mind was haunted by Thong's words before we said goodbye to the grandmother and grandchild. "I want to become a math teacher in the future, but I'm afraid that my grandmother will get old and weak. Who will be by my side, take care of me, and will I be able to continue going to school like my friends?"

Nguyen Thanh

Tuong Duong District Party Committee