Hey, I'm Bernard Fan - the Founder of Revision TV

I'd like to take you on a journey through my story, sprinkled with a touch of mathematical puns along the way.

For eight years, I had the privilege of being a secondary school maths teacher. My passion? Simplifying maths while teaching every lesson with fun. And my secret weapon? Well, you'll soon discover that.

Let’s be honest – who likes to do revision when we were a kid. But think about cartoons – we flock to them without prompting, naturally drawn by their charm. That’s exactly what I hope to achieve in revision, frictionless and progressive.

In my early teaching days, I was laser-focused on jam-packing my lessons with mathematical knowledge. I believed that every precious second in the classroom should be filled with 'jam,' and by 'jam,' I mean pure, unfiltered mathematics. I even crafted meticulous scripts for each lesson, leaving no room for tangents (pun intended). While my students grasped the material, not many had a smile on, as if they were forced to listen to those boring radio channels in a traffic jam.

Then, one day, a wise colleague offered me advice: "Let your personality and passion shine through your teaching, just like you were on the stage."

That's when I picked up a clever trick.

I pondered, "I love puns and random banter, so why not sprinkle some of that into my lessons?" Just like salt to what many school dinners need.

From that day forward, my lessons flowed better, and students absorbed more because they were genuinely interested in what I had to say and they would chime in and make their own puns. I started hearing students “add”miringly saying:

“Why does the maths lesson go so fast? Arrgghhh, I don’t want to go to my next lesson!”

“What? The lesson finished?”

“I am a FAN of maths” (as they would call me Mr. Fan)

I cherished these compliments, as they reflected the dream I had during my PGCE (teacher training course) interview – students enjoying the lessons while truly grasping the content.

Then came a pivotal moment when a student asked, "How can I revise maths at home without dying of boredom?" It was then that I began crafting revision notes, complete with examples and questions (accompanied by my trademark silly maths puns, of course). These notes were meant for students to tackle at home, alongside step-by-step revision videos.

The feedback from students was overwhelmingly positive, igniting a passionate fire within me.

This was my lightbulb moment

I envisioned myself tirelessly creating a vast library of revision videos, each covering every nook and cranny of mathematics. These videos would be dynamic educational tools, brought to life with engaging visual aids (also known as MEMES) and expertly explained concepts. To complement them, I committed myself to crafting user-friendly notes for students to follow along with the videos. My ultimate mission? To revolutionise the way students approached maths revision, offering them an alternative path without breaking the bank on private tutors. And so, Revision TV was born.

Thank you for joining me on this journey and for lending an ear to my story.

Subscribe to Revision TV, pick up a book tailored to your grade, and do let me know your thoughts. I'm always on the lookout for ways to enhance your learning experience.

Bernard Fan
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I have a maths joke for you, but I am afraid it doesn't add up!