The Best Teacher I Ever Had!

[DarterBlue]

This represents the third in a handful of posts I intend to make before I leave the board till mid-summer. Unlike the first two that deal with topics broader than me, this one is deeply personal because it deals with the effects that one competent adult can have on the life of a young individual. After an experience with such an adult, the life of those that came in contact with him/her can never be the same again, as the distinction between average and outstanding, truly becomes clear.

Frank Ragbir, a Trinidadian of East Indian/Portuguese ancestry, came into the lives of me and my classmates at the beginning of our 4th form year in high school. 4th Form was the penultimate year of high school education for those intending to enter the workforce with a high school diploma: the future clerks and entry level white collar workers of Jamaica. For those planning to seek a University degree, there were three additional years of high school: 5th form, as well as lower and upper 6th form. You received a high school diploma for completing 5th form. So, in a sense, lower and upper 6th form represented a transitional period between high school and University. For perspective, 5th form would be roughly equivalent to 11th grade here in America. 

Mr. Ragbir (Rags, as we affectionately called him behind his back), was in Jamaica doing a graduate degree at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus. To supplement his income (it must have been difficult to survive on scholarship money), he chose to teach while a student there. Lucky for us! A science teacher, Rags taught us Biology and Chemistry for two years leading up to the British administered, GCE O Level examinations in those subjects. In those two years, he transformed the pass rates from the 30%+ range to over 90% in those two subjects. 

What distinguished Mr. Ragbir from all the teachers I had had before was the way in which he taught. I have had competent teachers before and after: Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Mordecai, Mr. Bean, as well as Mr. Austin come to mind. However, none of them possessed the quiet, calm competence of Rags. He had the unique ability to teach, the ability to actually take the subject matter and make it understandable at a very deep level. Thus, when he covered a topic, it actually made sense, and you could actually see its importance to your life itself. Always low key, he had no flash or dash to him, yet it was crystal clear to you, the student, that you were in the presence of "greatness." He never used textbook illustrations to make his points, preferring instead, to use his own examples. He never made us take notes, which he considered a waste of time, as if the text was useful, then the information in it could be referred to. Rather, if, in his opinion, the text was deficient in some area, then he would provide mimeographed handouts as supplements. Experiments were conducted with dispassionate rigor, as he taught that competent, scientific investigation was all about the process, not your preconceived notions. He used his class exams a supplementary teaching tools in the sense that his tests were designed to identify our weaknesses, which he would then seek to correct. 

I have no idea what became of Mr. Ragbir as we did not stay in touch. But in a sense, the experience provided a road map which I have always tried to use in approaching my work. In that sense, Lulu's poignant song, To Sir with Love, comes to mind.

You know your life was fundamentally impacted by someone when well over forty years later, you can recall vividly the experience ...

[ohio]

14 hours ago, DarterBlue said:

This represents the third in a handful of posts I intend to make before I leave the board till mid-summer. Unlike the first two that deal with topics broader than me, this one is deeply personal because it deals with the effects that one competent adult can have on the life of a young individual. After an experience with such an adult, the life of those that came in contact with him/her can never be the same again, as the distinction between average and outstanding, truly becomes clear.

Frank Ragbir, a Trinidadian of East Indian/Portuguese ancestry, came into the lives of me and my classmates at the beginning of our 4th form year in high school. 4th Form was the penultimate year of high school education for those intending to enter the workforce with a high school diploma: the future clerks and entry level white collar workers of Jamaica. For those planning to seek a University degree, there were three additional years of high school: 5th form, as well as lower and upper 6th form. You received a high school diploma for completing 5th form. So, in a sense, lower and upper 6th form represented a transitional period between high school and University. For perspective, 5th form would be roughly equivalent to 11th grade here in America. 

Mr. Ragbir (Rags, as we affectionately called him behind his back), was in Jamaica doing a graduate degree at the University of the West Indies, Mona campus. To supplement his income (it must have been difficult to survive on scholarship money), he chose to teach while a student there. Lucky for us! A science teacher, Rags taught us Biology and Chemistry for two years leading up to the British administered, GCE O Level examinations in those subjects. In those two years, he transformed the pass rates from the 30%+ range to over 90% in those two subjects. 

What distinguished Mr. Ragbir from all the teachers I had had before was the way in which he taught. I have had competent teachers before and after: Mrs. Shaw and Mrs. Mordecai, Mr. Bean, as well as Mr. Austin come to mind. However, none of them possessed the quiet, calm competence of Rags. He had the unique ability to teach, the ability to actually take the subject matter and make it understandable at a very deep level. Thus, when he covered a topic, it actually made sense, and you could actually see its importance to your life itself. Always low key, he had no flash or dash to him, yet it was crystal clear to you, the student, that you were in the presence of "greatness." He never used textbook illustrations to make his points, preferring instead, to use his own examples. He never made us take notes, which he considered a waste of time, as if the text was useful, then the information in it could be referred to. Rather, if, in his opinion, the text was deficient in some area, then he would provide mimeographed handouts as supplements. Experiments were conducted with dispassionate rigor, as he taught that competent, scientific investigation was all about the process, not your preconceived notions. He used his class exams a supplementary teaching tools in the sense that his tests were designed to identify our weaknesses, which he would then seek to correct. 

I have no idea what became of Mr. Ragbir as we did not stay in touch. But in a sense, the experience provided a road map which I have always tried to use in approaching my work. In that sense, Lulu's poignant song, To Sir with Love, comes to mind.

You know your life was fundamentally impacted by someone when well over forty years later, you can recall vividly the experience ...

Mr. Ragbir was a great influence to you, and you were lucky to have as your teacher.  His unorthodox methods worked well, and hopefully were implemented by other instructors in your school.

Was your curriculum similar to other high schools in the US?

 

[DarterBlue]

5 minutes ago, ohio said:

Mr. Ragbir was a great influence to you, and you were lucky to have as your teacher.  His unorthodox methods worked well, and hopefully were implemented by other instructors in your school.

Was your curriculum similar to other high schools in the US?

 

He was just a top notch teacher and a humble human being. He left his mark on me and many of my classmates.

No, high school in Jamaica was very different. Much larger classes (average was 40) and less emphasis on extracurricular activities. Aside from sports (cricket, track and soccer, and to a lesser degree basketball, swimming, table tennis and lawn tennis), there was band and school's challenge (an academic competition similar to quiz bowl). And that was the extent of the non-academic program at most schools. 

In a sense, high school students were more serious and respectful as you had win a place via common entrance examination scores taken at age 11 or 12 (taken in 6th grade as high school began in 7th grade, called 1st form). In a typical year in Jamaica back in the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s, only about a sixth of the exam takers were awarded a place in high school. The rest stayed in elementary school till age 15, or learned a trade via being apprenticed to a technician or a few lucky ones got a place at a technical (technology based) high school at age 14. 

So a spot in a traditional high school was greatly prized. Now of course if you were sons and daughters of the very wealthy or foreign executives or diplomats, there were elite private schools such as: Priory, Hillel Academy, Decarteret's and the like that would be glad to take care of your educational needs. 

Dimitri Sleem, a wealthy Jamaican of European ancestry attended Priory where he excelled in Lawn Tennis and Badminton, among other sports. He was also very good academically and won a scholarship to Harvard. I believes he resides somewhere in the USA today. 

[ohio]

5 minutes ago, DarterBlue said:

He was just a top notch teacher and a humble human being. He left his mark on me and many of my classmates.

No, high school in Jamaica was very different. Much larger classes (average was 40) and less emphasis on extracurricular activities. Aside from sports (cricket, track and soccer, and to a lesser degree basketball, swimming, table tennis and lawn tennis), there was band and school's challenge (an academic competition similar to quiz bowl). And that was the extent of the non-academic program at most schools. 

In a sense, high school students were more serious and respectful as you had win a place via common entrance examination scores taken at age 11 or 12 (taken in 6th grade as high school began in 7th grade, called 1st form). In a typical year in Jamaica back in the late 1960s and early to mid 1970s, only about a sixth of the exam takers were awarded a place in high school. The rest stayed in elementary school till age 15, or learned a trade via being apprenticed to a technician or a few lucky ones got a place at a technical (technology based) high school at age 14. 

So a spot in a traditional high school was greatly prized. Now of course if you were sons and daughters of the very wealthy or foreign executives or diplomats, there were elite private schools such as: Priory, Hillel Academy, Decarteret's and the like that would be glad to take care of your educational needs. 

Dimitri Sleem, a wealthy Jamaican of European ancestry attended Priory where he excelled in Lawn Tennis and Badminton, among other sports. He was also very good academically and won a scholarship to Harvard. I believes he resides somewhere in the USA today. 

Interesting that you mention this.  Yugoslavia used to be similar when it came to entrance exams.  My dad only finished 4th grade, and mom 5th grade.  To go further you needed to test well, and even then you had to have friends in high places or money.  And even if you did get a chance for further education, you still might not be able to because you had to take care of the family farm and help your parents as most were illiterate with no education.  Any form of higher education was almost an impossibility those days.

Even when I came to America, the highest grade an average student could achieve was the 8th grade.  If you tested well or had family in the communist party then you could get a higher education.  And even afterwards if you became an engineer, a doctor, teacher, or and officer in the military or some other professional...you were forced to join the communist party.

One of my uncles was a petroleum engineer, and I still remember him sneaking into church...hoping no one would snitch on him because he was a communist, though not by choice.

Too bad young people don't appreciated the educational opportunities they have today.

[Horsefly]

16 minutes ago, ohio said:

Interesting that you mention this.  Yugoslavia used to be similar when it came to entrance exams.  My dad only finished 4th grade, and mom 5th grade.  To go further you needed to test well, and even then you had to have friends in high places or money.  And even if you did get a chance for further education, you still might not be able to because you had to take care of the family farm and help your parents as most were illiterate with no education.  Any form of higher education was almost an impossibility those days.

Even when I came to America, the highest grade an average student could achieve was the 8th grade.  If you tested well or had family in the communist party then you could get a higher education.  And even afterwards if you became an engineer, a doctor, teacher, or and officer in the military or some other professional...you were forced to join the communist party.

One of my uncles was a petroleum engineer, and I still remember him sneaking into church...hoping no one would snitch on him because he was a communist, though not by choice.

Too bad young people don't appreciated the educational opportunities they have today.

Not to divert, but didn't know you were from Yugoslavia, I was deployed to Sarajevo in '97.   That's all I wanted to add.  Carry on. 

[DarterBlue]

4 minutes ago, Horsefly said:

Not to divert, but didn't know you were from Yugoslavia, I was deployed to Sarajevo in '97.   That's all I wanted to add.  Carry on. 

A historic city. WW1 essentially began with events that took place there. 

[ohio]

1 minute ago, Horsefly said:

Not to divert, but didn't know you were from Yugoslavia, I was deployed to Sarajevo in '97.   That's all I wanted to add.  Carry on. 

Sir, you are not diverting at all.  I was born in what is now Croatia.  Came here when I was young.  Had relatives that fought against the Milosevic regime both in Croatia and B&H.  Thank you for your service and help.  That war was a costly one, especially in terms of lives.  Even today, someone steps on a land mine by accident here and there.

A friend of mine who is semi-retired at Fort Bragg was an interpreter for Joe Biden when he visited there during that time.  He's a First Sargent who I knew since I first came to America.  Since, his retirement his only regret is not becoming a commissioned officer at this wife's request.  

[Horsefly]

3 minutes ago, ohio said:

Sir, you are not diverting at all.  I was born in what is now Croatia.  Came here when I was young.  Had relatives that fought against the Milosevic regime both in Croatia and B&H.  Thank you for your service and help.  That war was a costly one, especially in terms of lives.  Even today, someone steps on a land mine by accident here and there.

A friend of mine who is semi-retired at Fort Bragg was an interpreter for Joe Biden when he visited there during that time.  He's a First Sargent who I knew since I first came to America.  Since, his retirement his only regret is not becoming a commissioned officer at this wife's request.  

it was an experience I will never forget.  At the time there was of course still a lot of damage, but the natural environment was very beautiful. 

I also spent time, very short, at Split. 

[ohio]

33 minutes ago, DarterBlue said:

A historic city. WW1 essentially began with events that took place there. 

True.

Their glory days were the Sarajevo winter Olympics.   And their worst days were the Yugoslav wars.

It is a multi-cultural city with 3 main religions who get along quite well.  For instance, you could enter a Mosque or a Church and would be welcome, no matter your religion.  The people are friendly and welcome to tourists and outsiders.

[ohio]

2 minutes ago, Horsefly said:

it was an experience I will never forget.  At the time there was of course still a lot of damage, but the natural environment was very beautiful. 

I also spent time, very short, at Split. 

All the countries in that region are becoming tourist attractions since the war.  Former Yugoslavian countries, are/were very similar to California when it comes to natural beauty.  What makes that region different from other East European countries is the Adriatic Sea.  Inland it can get very cold, but along the Adriatic it stays mild.  The only problem now, may be that it is getting expensive to live there due to tourism and transplants from western Europe.

 Split has recovered quite well from the war, and is doing well with an influx of tourism.  There are, however,  still areas that are forbidden to traverse due to buried land mines. 

 

[Horsefly]

7 hours ago, ohio said:

All the countries in that region are becoming tourist attractions since the war.  Former Yugoslavian countries, are/were very similar to California when it comes to natural beauty.  What makes that region different from other East European countries is the Adriatic Sea.  Inland it can get very cold, but along the Adriatic it stays mild.  The only problem now, may be that it is getting expensive to live there due to tourism and transplants from western Europe.

 Split has recovered quite well from the war, and is doing well with an influx of tourism.  There are, however,  still areas that are forbidden to traverse due to buried land mines. 

 

Split was my initial stop on my way to Sarajevo, and even then it had tourists.  I was surprised by the amount of German money there in the economy.  

Was that always the case with foreign investment in that area, or was it a business opportunity from the war? 

[ohio]

20 hours ago, Horsefly said:

Split was my initial stop on my way to Sarajevo, and even then it had tourists.  I was surprised by the amount of German money there in the economy.  

Was that always the case with foreign investment in that area, or was it a business opportunity from the war? 

It was a little of both, I believe.

Germans are known for tourism across Europe, and investing in the smaller nations.

[BUFORDGAWOLVES]

Delightful thread... thank you. 

Sincerely

BGW