I was born and raised in Istanbul, and spent my entire childhood and teenage years in the suburbs of the city. After high school, I took the university entrance exam –equivalent to gaokao- and chose to be a high school teacher. I studied Mathematics and Educational Sciences at Bosporus University in Istanbul, and received my bachelor degree in Teaching Mathematics in 2000. Later on, I also received degrees on Tertiary Teaching (RMIT International University, 2008) and Post-Graduate Diploma in Actuarial Sciences (University of Leicester, 2013). During my studies, I have passed seven Actuarial Exams, but as I have no intention of having a career in Finance or Insurance, I continue teaching Mathematics.

After graduation in 2000, I went to Thailand to teach Mathematics and Physics at bilingual schools. In 2006, I moved to Vietnam to work at RMIT International University. I have taught Statistics, Discrete Mathematics, Microeconomics and Quantitative Analysis for six years. After spending one year in a prestigious high school in Turkey, I returned to East Asia and started working in Changzhou. Since 2013, I have been at Changzhou Senior High School as an AP Calculus and AP Statistics teacher.

For me, teaching is associated with unconditional love and care for people. I wouldn’t be a teacher if I did not believe that only by education we can change the world and make it a better place for everyone. One can easily admit that in modern times enlightenment is no more a choice for the people who seek happiness and meaning in their life; it is a compulsory element of being a free and open-minded individual. Only minds trained in the distinctive features of the Sciences and enchanted by the infinite possibilities of the Arts can understand the complexity of life, together with all its beauties and challenges. At this point, the role of a teacher goes beyond the indisputable theorems and boring formulae embedded in the textbooks. A teacher must stand in front of his or her students like an inspiring role model and guide the young generation towards a better understanding of the universe we all are living in. This is perhaps why the following quote from Bertrand Russell has been my personal motto for many years: Mathematics, rightly viewed, possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty—a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture, without appeal to any part of our weaker nature, without the gorgeous trappings of painting or music, yet sublimely pure, and capable of a stern perfection such as only the greatest art can show.

Teaching at the AP Center of CZSHS is one of the best experiences of my professional career. The students are enthusiastic learners and they are not afraid of challenges. Most of them enjoy studying Mathematics and do not give up until they get the final result. When it comes to creativity, they are surprisingly innovative. Maybe because they are smart and hard-working students, discipline has never been an issue for me in this school and this makes a big difference for a teacher who has limited time to complete a comprehensive syllabus. On top of all of this, our campus is very lovely, at the center of the city with a large park and an ancient temple adjacent to our school. It is always refreshing to take a walk in the park after lunch or have a cup coffee at a nearby cafe.