By Mohanlall Suelall
Nikos Kazantzakis had said, “True teachers use themselves as bridges over which they invite their students to cross; then, having facilitated their crossing, joyfully collapse, encouraging them to create bridges of their own.”
Bearing that in mind, Rabeena Rajkumar joined the teaching profession over 20 years ago and to date she still goes to work every day feeling as though it is the first. For her, teaching gives her fulfilment and knowing that she is impacting the lives of the future generations of groundbreakers makes her the happiest.
Miss Rabeena started her career as a young teacher at the tender age of 18 in January of 1999. The first school she taught at was the CV Nunes Primary School, which is located in Anna Regina along the Essequibo Coast in Region 2 (Pomeroon-Supenaam). Ever since, she has been blazing the trail as one of the foremost teachers on the Essequibo Coast because she believes teaching is not just about explaining the syllabus to her students, rather it involves imparting holistic education in order for them to become rounded members of society.
Miss Rabeena continues on her journey as a teacher with a passion for education. She gives her best to her pupils so as to empower them with knowledge and skills that will prepare them to follow their careers and become successful men and women.
“Teachers have an important role to play and that is to mould the world. They must have respect for themselves and others along with love for the job and an interest in human development,” she said.
Always wanting to become a teacher, Miss Rabeena completed her secondary education at the Anna Regina Multilateral School and immediately took on the challenge of following her goals. She joined the Cyril Potter College of Education at Cotton Field on the Essequibo Coast in pursuit of that dream. When she would have completed her training, she joined the staff at CV Nunes Primary, where she has been ever since.
When asked about some of her challenges, a smiling Miss Rabeena said one of them is “balancing the different learning needs of pupils”. For her, a good teacher is one who pays attention to the different learning capabilities of all their students. Paying attention and analysing the learning capabilities of different students are of paramount importance to Miss Rabeena because it allows her to craft plans to attend to the needs of every student. It also allows her, as a teacher, to ensure that every student performs to the best of their ability so when they go out into the world and become whatever they were aiming for, she could proudly say that she was a part of them becoming who they are.
A mother herself, Miss Rabeena believes in nurturing her students as though they are her own children because of the mere fact that they spend most of their time with her. She treats every student in her care the same way she would wish that teachers treat her own daughter.
For her, World Teachers’ Day is one day where the importance of teachers could be stressed but she believes that teachers should be honoured on a daily basis. Teaching is considered to be the mother of all professions since, without the right teaching, one cannot be functional in any other role.
“My advice to all the students out there is to be focused and follow your dreams. I would tell them to don’t let the world change you…you go ahead and change the world for the better because you can do it.”
