As he watched many of his colleagues being given their marching orders, Nahroon Nazim received a phone call that changed the trajectory of his life.

It was the global financial crisis of 2007 and Mr Nazim was working as a stockbroker in Brisbane after a recent move from the island of Vanua Levu, in Fiji.

“When the GFC came in, two floors down everyone [was] being laid off in a heartbeat and then half of my team was on the way out,” Mr Nazim said.

But a phone call from a deputy principal in rural Queensland gave him a place to land, nearly 900 kilometres away into a completely different line of work; teaching maths to high school students in Emerald, Queensland.

“I thought it was really weird getting that call and I explained to them I hadn’t been in a classroom before and I don’t know how I’ll go,” Mr Nazim said.

“It was great timing to say the least, but I had no idea what I was getting into.”

That leap of faith and determination to make maths accessible to students would lead Mr Nazim to years later being a finalist in the 2022 Queensland College of Teachers Excellence in Teaching Award.

High finance to high school maths

In 2004, Mr Nazim gained his teaching degree in Fiji, eventually becoming registered with the Queensland College of Teachers.

“Australia recognised I had the qualifications, but it was my responsibility to find a job myself and it proved to be very difficult,” he said.

Despite the lack of teaching positions, Mr Nazim and his wife Fazila decided to take a chance and emigrate to Australia, settling in Brisbane.

Work came along, but not in front of a classroom.

“I took a job as a stockbroker doing computer modelling and I really enjoyed it because I was constantly learning,” he said.

But just as he got his feet under the desk, markets and banks around the world were thrown into financial chaos.

Then a phone call with an offer for a three-month teaching contract at Emerald State High School in central Queensland came out of the blue.

“It was great timing,” Mr Nazim said.

“I explained to them I have never been in a classroom but the deputy principal at the time said I would learn on the job, and I could start right away.”

Can maths be fun?

It took some time for Mr Nazim and his wife to adjust to living in a rural town, but any angst was short lived.

“When we first came here, the school was wonderful, the people that I work with, the community, the students, everything just fell into place and I’m loving every moment of it,” he said.

Mr Nazim’s main goal was to bring his love for maths to his new students, taking the anxiety out of learning.

“Sometimes when you talk about maths you hear people say, ‘Where will I ever use it?’ [or] ‘I was never good at math’,” he said.

It wasn’t long before his students’ performance improved.

“For me, it stems [from] a belief in the students and if you believe, it becomes authentic and it will come across in performance,” he said.

Emerald State High School principal Sean Maher said Mr Nazim had excelled as a teacher and was a role model for students.

“Nazim has brought a deep intellect and profound understanding of the teaching of mathematics to his classes,” Mr Maher said.

“Nazim is admired and respected by students, staff and parents alike, he is a rare gem — it is appropriate that he is in Emerald!”

Teaching success

Mr Nazim did not take home the top prize at this year’s Queensland College of Teachers Excellence awards, but he is kicking goals in many other ways.

He recently took up a temporary job as acting principal at a regional Queensland school and launched a project involving other maths teachers in central Queensland.

Mr Nazim and his family are staying put in rural Queensland, but a bit of nostalgia remains for his former career.

“I am going to stick to teaching, but maybe do some investing on the side,” he said.