06/03/2020

A passion for mathematics is learned and taught at home.

Família de Cocal dos Alves comemora as medalhas

Luiza Barata

Even back in school, Kuerly Vieira chose mathematics and Portuguese as her favorite subjects. “I was very good at both. Today, I'm a Portuguese language teacher at the Augustinho Brandão Full-Time Education Center (Ceti), and the mother of two medalists in the Brazilian Mathematics Olympiad for Public Schools. I really couldn't have imagined it!”

After seeing his eldest son, Wesley, secure six medals in the competition and become a math teacher, it was Iago's turn, the middle son and currently an 8th-grade student, to win his first gold medal in 2019. “Wesley and Iago won the main medal when they were in the same grade. I almost couldn't believe it. From 7th grade to Tuesdays year of high school, Wesley was a medalist every year. With Iago, the path is proving similar.”

This is a reason for the family from Cocal dos Alves, a municipality in Piauí, to celebrate each of their achievements, which, despite happening frequently, are considered unique. “As a mother, each result is an incomparable emotion; there’s no way to explain it,” Kuerly tries to define it. “The boys’ love for mathematics began with the involvement of Professor Antônio Cardoso do Amaral, during their preparation for the Olympiad and in their own school classes. It’s undeniable how much they’ve improved.”

Iago com a primeira medalha olímpiaca, em 2018

Amaral was the one who kicked off the participation of the city of 6,100 inhabitants in the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) in 2005. Since then, Cocal dos Alves has been considered a "breeding ground for medalists," with the highest proportion of medals in the Olympiads. In total, there have been 424 awards, including medals, honorable mentions, and awards for the city's education department and schools.

On both occasions when he won a medal, Iago could barely contain his joy. “I was very happy, both with the gold and the silver. But I think I preferred receiving the gold one, though,” he says, amused. “The first time I competed, I was very excited to participate because it was something new for me. But since then, I don't think about stopping competing anymore. I want to keep improving myself!”

For the student, who aspires to be a military engineer, there's a "tie" between his favorite subjects in school: science and mathematics, which is reflected in his outstanding performance in class. "I see that he has a lot of curiosity about issues related to the universe and living beings," observes Professor Amaral. "He's very curious about what happens in the world in general. He always wants to know more about the universe and living things."

Wesley com as medalhas, em 2012

For seven years, Amaral was Wesley's teacher and says he is pleased to share the work environment with his former student, from a new perspective. "Wesley was a straight-A student, with the potential for excellence. Now, he is doing a great job, including preparing students for mathematics olympiads."

Work that extends from inside to outside the home. Wesley believes he is one of his brother's inspirations, since Iago grew up seeing "the doors" that participation in OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) can open. "He saw me being awarded, invited to events, traveling the country to present at academic events, and receiving the scholarship. Iago saw the positive aspects and knew that, upon reaching the Fridays grade of elementary school, he could have access to the same life."

According to the OBMEP (Brazilian Mathematical Olympiad for Public Schools) instructor, the great difference of the Olympiads is the teaching method used to create the questions. This contributes to making teaching less "boring and straightforward." Wesley believes that the textbooks used during elementary school, in general, try to "disguise the calculations" by using texts or figures in the problems, which doesn't always truly attract students. "OBMEP, on the other hand, presents questions that make you think more than just do calculations. It has the key role of captivating the student, showing that mathematics is not just doing 'a+b'."

And the family's mathematical success may receive yet another boost. For Amaral, "they are a kind of Bernoulli Family ," referring to the family that, during the 17th and 18th centuries, had eight notable scientists in the fields of mathematics and physics. "Next year, Iago and Wesley's younger brother, Yuri, will start studying at school. We already know that he possesses a special talent in mathematics," he adds.