In 2017, Life has led me to the Path, where I was blessed with an opportunity of taking a year off. Away from teaching, logic, mathematics and the right angles of my existence, that always provided me with comfort. From teaching exchanging the ideas with the student, back to exploring again what lies beyond horizons… Where we experience, where we observe, reflect and contemplate, building so the network of our perceptions and understanding of ourselves. I always tried to involve emotions in my hobby of teaching, but I had no idea, how will that GAP year deepen my will and desire to do so. 

This is the contemplation I have written at the end of the first week after I have returned to teaching from my travels and studies – from the long distance hiking across Slovakia, through the learning adventure in Indian Himalayas to studying Mandarin in my beloved Taiwan… Refreshed, re-energized and determined to pass on to my students what I have learnt during that time, so we can grow together at much deeper levels which reach far beyond the academic success.

“Wohoooo Life!”, I screamed full of joy as I walked out of the school when the first week after a year off was succesfully behind me. On Monday I was not teaching, but on Tuesday and Wednesday it has all started. I have met students from my two strong groups, who are Oxbridge candidates and aim for TOP 20 Universities of the World, with a focus on mathematics, physics and other natural sciences. Except that, I also have a group of twelve younger students, underachievers, who need help in math. That group I look upon as a personal challenge in bringing their knowledge higher rather than a pure enjoyment ☺ My aim is showing to at least some of them, that they are not only able to understand and “speak Math”, but that they can also enjoy it and find joy doing it while benefitting from the skills and habits they can develop thanks to the impeccable language of Mathematics.

I have prepared the first tutorials for the older students – grade 11 and 12 – in unusual settings. Let’s not deal with pure mathematics, let’s firstly try to solve Life – because Life is a part of something greater, which mathematics describes so beautifully. Let’s firstly try to open our hearts and minds…

I do admit, I was a bit worried about how this will be received – whether my intention will be clear, in the way as I intended it. But I could have already known, that when human shares its humanity openly and put the naked beating heart on the light, nothing can go bad. And sometimes we need to risk that we will look like a fool, when we are pursuing something that matters more, that is in the bigger scale much more important than solving some bloody integral… At the end – how do I use to say it to my former students? „When something (or someone) is different, does not mean it is also bad…“ ☺

So, I removed all students’ desks and put them aside and in the middle of the room I spread six big quilts on the floor, so we could sit on them. Sit in a circle ☺ I loved those surprised looks on students faces when they were coming into my room, asking in their minds: „What the hell is going on? “, smiling, not fully comprehending. At the end they took their shoes off and joined me, so we could start our first lesson.

1. I have started with the question “Why do we sit in a circle and why we are on the floor?” Students started to think and shared their ideas. The point I was trying to make was simple. When we are sitting in a circle, we do not experience the blockages of energy, there is no one to hide behind, no desks creating the fake image of security either.  We are equally far from the center point – our „fire“ and when we want to reach to every single person in the group, one by one, each of us have to walk the same distance. Those things are making us equal in the sense, that all of us are the same humans, with the weaknesses as well as strengths, with faults – smaller or larger, mistakes which we have committed in our Lives, but which formed us to some degree and which are helping us to understand that we are not almighty. Surely, I might be 5-10-20 or even 40 years older and I might have more experience in a certain area or knowledge about some parts of mathematics. But students also bring something to this circle, to this group, adding something into the fire in the center – they might know more about sports, music or art. They have talents, which I do not have and this way we may enrich ourselves mutually.

2. Second point was the question: „What does the teaching and learning mean? And why do we care anyway?“ While they were sharing their feelings and ideas, the purpose was to point out the fact, that the processes of teaching and learning are beutifully interconnected and that to teach someone is a two-ways process, not – as we often witness in many classrooms all over the world – one way discourse about previously studied and aquired knowledge. That form reminds me feeding of chickens – I throw some crumbles and who gets what, that is up to them and it is ok so. However, in teaching even an instructor has a chance to learn, and this chance should not be missed; firstly learn about their students, who they are, what they desire and through the feedback received learn about themselves – about how they teach, what they can do better, as well as about their inner world, how do they feel and perceive the fact, that they are forming their being and Life through guiding and forming a Soul of other human being. This is an excellent opportunity how to touch the meaning and purpose while letting the students to experience the same feeling. 

3. Then we have moved to the third point – „Why do we study mathematics?“

What mathematics can bring to our Lives and how it can enrich our minds, thinking, perspectives or even our Life and our stay on this Planet. Not only solving some quadratic equations and derivatives, what are surely useful, but what skills we can gain; skills from which we can benefit long after we conclude our last high school or university mathematics tutorial. We have talked deeply about how mathematics can teach us to think – not what to think, but how to think; how it teaches us to pay attention to the details, so we can recognize and appreciate them; how it helps us to form and to improve our communication skills and helps us with building up the structure of mind; how it helps us to learn discipline and focus; how it helps us to gain ability to see the connections and apply this skill on our Lives. Lastly, for me the most important point, which I wanted to share in this special time of opening our minds and hearts was, that if something seems difficult, challenging, at times might even seem impossible, it is simply another challenge and the difficulty does not make it impossible to achieve. If something is difficult or challengng, it does not mean it is also impossible.

4. This point created a bridge to the next question – „What is the most important question in mathematics and as a matter of fact, in Life as well?“ The question, which each of us posed so many times and so happily as child. But then something happened, someone extinguished the fire of curiosity. The question: „WHY?“ Why the things are the way they are? Why the answer or result is the way it is, and does it even make sense? How can I reason things and what they relate to or associate with? By connecting the basic building blocks, we can make understanding of relations easier, and so bring the peace to our minds, increasing the level of happiness or fullfilment. It took a couple of minutes for students to find out the most importat question and comprehend what I was saying.

At this moment I was interested how they can reason in basic mathematical ideas or problems, so I have asked them to answer several questions of which each involved „Why?“ part. I gave them the paper and some time. It was not about their mathematics – I was more interested in the ability to form the reasons and defend what they know. And if they do not know, then admit it, with no fear or shame. It was at the end anonymous, so they did not have to fear of judgement of mine or of others. On the other side of that paper there were also couple of „Why?“ questions, but related to Life itself. Why do I study English? Why do I wanna study abroad? What do I want to study, where and why? And last one: What do I appreciate and value the most in my Life until now?

5. And so this way we have got from a fire and a circle, through teaching, learing and mathematics all the way to Life. When my new students have been done and gave me their answers back, I have started with my introduction. The presentation was about who I am, and how did I get to this circle in which we were sitting together. What did I dream about as a little boy and to what knowledge I have arrived on my Journey till this moment? And about the fact, that things are possible, and sometimes even if we do not exactly know where to go, what to do and how, things will settle down and at the end crystylize out in a good way. And if we do not feel it yet, it means it is still not the end. Just patiently trust the process and keep walking towards fulfilling your dreams or resolutions.

I was trying to encourage them, that it does not always matter where we are from; each of us can dream the simplest or most daring dreams and everyone can realize them regardless how little or big place we are coming from. While talking, I have shown them the picture of our valley in the mountains and pointed out to the closest appartment tower next to our school saying, that so many people live in that one tower as many people dwell in our tiny village ☺ And that everything is possible – although we must choose one of two pains – pain of discipline or pain of regret and disappointment. Either we focus and work on ourselves hardcore, or later we may regret we did not achieve what we wanted. Although a focus and a hardwork alone do not guarantee the hundred-percent success, they significantly increase the chances of reaching our dreams and of accomplishing the desired achievements. This will enable us to move forward to the higher level of perspectives, overviews and knowledge. But it was also about the fact that sometimes it is worth to embrace uncertainity as well and let the current of Life take us freely to not yet known and that sometimes even the pain is good to feel, because without the pain there is no gain. As we can not get the sixpack by watching clips about fitness neither by a new machine catching the dust under the bed. And the same principle which works on our body, works in the case of minds as well. Our mind will adjust, it will become stronger, if we patiently train it watching its progress. If we can disconnect from it, observe it from the distance, regaining the power in the quiet of our innerself, in the tranquility of our Soul…

I also wanted them to become aware of the talents, that each of us posseses – and such a variety of them; and if we are using them in a way that others can benefit from, if we help others using our talents, then we are able to touch our purpose and experience the meaning; purpose of our being and meaning of our existence – finding so the happinesss, fulfillment and peace. If we focus only on the results and success, we will not find the happiness nor joy, because the process itself will not be bringing us the fulfillment which we are after and which we desire. If, on contrary, we fully focus on using our potential or on helping others finding happiness, grow in knowledge or experience, then we are also able to enjoy and indulge in the present moments; and these do add up together and bring the good result as well. Without stress and anxiety. A* on the final exam, as well as constant feeling of fulfillment, purpose, meaning and happiness.

6. Then I could bring students’ attention towards their minds and talk about their dreams and their desires; what they perceive as their talents and what they feel inside. Some of them addmitted that they have never thought about these points or feelings. They do not know what they want. Not their grand mother or their parents, but how they want to spend their time. What do they feel… Because parents have given them the biggest gift – Life. But ultimately it is their task to choose the way and path they want to walk on. And for choosing the right way and the appropriate direction, it is the best to use the most precise compass in the entire universe available to each of us. Our Heart…

7. After this contemplation part, a chance to wake up the mathematics curiosity came – I have several tasks or problems, which always enable awakening the interest effectively in any age group. When this was done, we had the last three points to talk about. What do they expect from this course of Further Mathematics and our meetings? (I also pointed out that if we do not expect anything, we can not be disappointed ☺). Second point was about what I do offer to them. My constant care, support and help; challenging, but rigorous academic environment, in which I do not lie – rather I am pointing out the areas, which deserve improvements. Especially in case we want to get the results which desribe our skills truthfully. However, I also emphasized that if they fall, I catch them. The third point and the most important, that I am offering them a freedom – they do not have to follow anything from what I expect, under the condition that then they can not expect my help.

Lastly, I have concluded the session with what I do expect from them. A proper notebook, constant attention and million of questions. I reminded them that they always need to provide well-structured answers, where they clearly show the steps they have taken on the way to the solution and formulate the reasons. Becauce mathematics and solution of a problem is like a Poem; if I skip several lines, verses, I am depriving myself of understanding the depth of the author feelings and thoughts, which not only might enrich me, but also point me to the certain direction.

Just as I finished the last sentence, the final bell has rung. In the group of 19-years old the faces were calmly smiling. They reflected peace, surprise, but happiness. In the group of 18 years old two of the girls had tears in their eyes, boys seemed puzzled by the contemplation they just went through, but while looking at me, some of them bowed and clapped. But I believe, the clapping belonged to them – because for 70 minutes they were able to discuss with a stranger they just met many new ideas, while paying attention, processing the information shared, being able to feel that it is indeed meaningful to desire the fulfillment, that it is meaningful to touch the colors of this World. At the same time, they were showing that they are ready to pay for their growth with the pain of discipline. This and much much more we can manage, if we are not afraid to show our humanity; if we are not afraid to show our naked heart, so that at the end, when it is enriched by knowledge, by knowing and various forms of heartwarming Love we can cover it into the colorful blanket called Life…

(RB, 21. 8. 2018; Nansha, Guangdong, China)