Beyond the Blackboard : A Memoir

"Beyond the Blackboard" takes us deeply into the full, rich life of a dedicated teacher. However, it deals with much more than teaching Mohabir Ramnarine was born into a family well established in Guyana, at the time of his birth "British Guiana". Like many another teacher, he entered the profession as a very young man in all innocence. He had intelligence, knowledge and wit. He would simply convey these to his eager and willing students and all would be well. That dream turns to reality as he discovers the complexity of the teaching-learning process, strives to enhance his own effectiveness, and reacts to the struggles of his students to find their way to successful lives. Mohabir's professional progress is set in a time, and in circumstances, of dramatic change. In the beginning of his story, we are introduced to his country as a British colony. In the course of his career, it became an independent country. This change was not accomplished without social and racial upheaval, which affected the life of everyone, but especially that of educators as the educational system was expected to carry new messages and bolster national pride. In a multi ethnic society teaching was one profession that bridged the divides that existed. Mohabir worked extensively and successfully with East Indian, African, and indigenous. Since his own education was based mainly on the British model, Mohabir sought educational enrichment by traveling, at great personal cost and sacrifice, to the United States to study at Kent State University shortly after the dramatic student upheaval there. The benefits of his study were bestowed on the students and the educational system in Guyana upon his return. The story of his professional life is inter-woven with insights into his extensive family, the East Indian Diaspora in the Americas and Europe and personal suffering and tragedy.