Student of the Month – Paul Lee's Passion for Mathematics

Following on from our August 2019 announcement that “BSB students gain Top IGCSE Grades again in 2019”, I would like to bring to your attention the spectacular achievement of DoHeon Lee (Paul) in Year 11.  Paul is modest young man who has an extraordinary passion for Mathematics.

Paul joined BSB in Year 10, from South Korea and was attracted to BSB by its International Baccalaureate program, the strong school reputation, and how staff tailor differentiated attention to the development of a student as a whole person.

Under the close supervision of his Mathematics teachers, Mr. Upsall and Dr. Errington, Paul prepared for the IGCSE exam in a record time of nine months, so that he could sit the IGCSE Extended Mathematics examination, one year earlier in Year 10, alongside his peers in the accelerated Mathematics group in May 2019.  

I have used the word spectacular in the introduction as no other word describes Paul’s achievement, which was a nearly full mark in the examination. To be precise he only missed one mark from the 200 marks available for the two papers he sat. When he was asked how he felt about it, he answered: “Extremely good. I’m not really used to making a small number of mistakes.” He then added “I’m not the type of person who goes back to what I’ve done. I just ensure that I’ve done the right things at the right time.”

Asking Paul how much time he spent studying Mathematics a day he answered: “I think I study about one hour a day.” This is where I have to add that Mathematics is a subject where knowledge is cumulative, built day-by-day, it cannot be learnt in one week or one month before the exam. So it is vital to have a consistent approach when it comes to Mathematics. Understanding is essential, daily practice and consolidation is well recommended in order to ensure one reaches ones full potential. At times where an area for further development is identified, getting immediate support from your teachers is vital to ensure that there are no gaps in the understanding.

We also know that life is not all about work and some of our most outstanding students like Paul have to juggle a multiple number of activities and interests. So what does Paul do to let off steam and relax? Well like any teenage boy he heads off to the basketball court and football field and plays for the BSB school teams in both of these sports. In addition, he is a member of this year's BSB Model United Nations (BRITMUN) team. This allows him to build on those ever so important soft skills of, debating, team work and communication.

When asked about his future IB subject choices, Paul said he would like to take Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics as Higher Level subjects. He sees himself somewhere in the engineering or research field in ten years’ time, maybe designing cars, working in the Artificial Intelligence domain or possibly Robotics.

Personally, I think that the sky is the limit for Paul, as it is for many of our high flying students. I for one would love to touch base with Paul in 10 years from now and find out whether he has achieved his ambitions and dreams.

Ms. Nicoleta Darla

Head of Department, Mathematics

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