Language teacher, animal enthusiast and environmentalist

BEING multitalented is always a good trait in a fast-growing society and Guyana is in no way short of talented people like, Anurama Ramgobin, who successfully balances his days of being a language teacher, beekeeper, animal enthusiast and environmentalist.

Ramgobin was born in the Pomeroon, Region Two (Essequibo Islands- West Demerara) to a humble family. In his early days, he attended the Charity Nursery and Primary Schools.
“Well, my childhood was quite normal. Growing next to the river, we learnt to swim before the age of five. We had lots of animals, ducks, chickens, cows and goats, along with a vibrant kitchen garden back then. After school, activities for us entailed feeding the ducks and fowls, sweeping the goat pen and cutting grass for the cows etc. And the occasional search for a goat or cow when they go missing. And between all of that, we still found time for the occasional game of cricket and ‘ketcha’ in the river,” he said.

It was all fun and games until one day when he had a minor accident which caused him to lose sight in his left eye. The accident affected some of his youthful days until he was able to get surgery done to correct the vision in his eye.
To think that all the misery was over was just a thought, because on February 23, 1997, he broke his left leg during a fishing trip with his brothers. It happened just a few weeks before he sat the Common Entrance Examinations- as it was referred to at that time.
“I recalled my foot being in a cast and my father fetching me up the school steps to write the exams and then fetching me back home. In spite of that, I topped my class that year at the Common Entrance Exam,” said Ramgobin.

After Common Entrance, he was awarded a place to study at President’s College (PC) where he had some of the best years of his life, years which helped to shape who he is today.
After graduating from PC, he then moved on to pursue a Diploma in Agriculture at the Guyana School of Agriculture from 2002-2004, after which he joined the staff at President’s College as a Livestock Supervisor in 2008.
“In 2010 I was a part of the first batch of students at CPCE to pursue an Associate Degree in Education, Majoring in Modern Languages at CPCE,” said Ramgobin.

Being a teacher for 11 years has certainly influenced him personally and professionally. There is so much more than just delivery of a curriculum in being a teacher, he said, adding that they are mothers, fathers, doctors and nurses, counsellors, judge and most of all, the best economists.
“I would have seen a slow move in attempting to improve the methodology of teaching. Teachers are often constrained to the chalk and talk method of teaching because of the lack of upgraded resources being available to them. And, that alone motivates me to come up with innovative ways of ensuring that our students are equipped with the necessary skills to become positive contributors to society,” said the teacher.
His vision and forms of teaching are not just limited to him, as he is moving across the country to share some of the newer methods with modern language teachers.

As a language teacher at President’s College, he strives to ensure that the language learning process is holistic.
“As such every year, we take our students on their respective language immersion trip where they are exposed not only to the use of the language but also to the cultural aspect of the language. We go to Panama for the Spanish Immersion trip, Brazil for the Portuguese Immersion trip and Martinique for the French Immersion Trip,” said Ramgobin.
Although teaching is a passion for him, he said, there is no one thing he is passionate about. Ramgobin holds a deep love for animals, especially some dogs which are abused on a daily basis.
He has, in some way, become a caretaker for those animals, feeding and taking care of a growing number of dogs on a daily basis.

Ramgobin also has a passion for saving bees which he believes humans destroy. He basically does his part by being an Apiculturist and at the same time educating people about the role of bees.
“Well, I dream of the day we can all become a society free from discrimination in all of its forms. And I firmly believe I am in a position to make an impact because we can only rid society of discrimination with the right education. I would also love to see people start planting more, be it for food or for leisure, be it a large flower garden or a simple pepper plant in a bucket. That translates to more food for the bees and hence more food for us as humans…And finally, I wish to see a change, a mental change of how we treat animals,” said the passionate teacher.

He said his advice to others is simple, noting that it is never too late to discover and pursue your passion and recognising that failure is a good thing.
“We learn to view failure as a catastrophe. Failure is going to be your best teacher. It will teach you to be strong, it will give you experience and most of all failures are the stones on which the steps of success is built. It’s ok to fail and fail many times too,” he said.
His philosophy in life is simple, just be kind to all. He believes that the only true religion consists of having a good heart.