Nalini Rambarath's passion for education deepens in US teacher exchange programme

When Nalini Rhambarath was deciding on a discipline for her post-graduate studies, she was adamant about investing in something that would feed her desire to explore different ways of teaching. She never regretted doing a master’s degree in education with specialisation in curriculum and instruction, which qualifies her to assess the effectiveness of a school's curriculum and design teaching materials and curricula to meet required educational standards.

In fact, even before she had officially graduated, she was already in the US working under the Participate Learning programme, a US-based global professional development initiative that invests in early childhood and primary school teachers. Rhambarath credits her post-graduate degree and her love for the classroom for that opportunity.

“That master’s degree did it for me. It opened up this opportunity that is aligned with what I wanted to achieve,” Rhambarath told WMN.

She said she stumbled upon the programme (Participate Learning) while she was scrolling through sites on education, and after going through the application process, she arrived in the US in August 2018 to teach, months before her graduation.

“I returned home for my graduation because that’s something you want to cross the stage for,” she said.

With over 14 years of experience in the classroom, Rhambarath teaches grade two at College Lakes Elementary in North Carolina, where she is absorbing and practising all the new teaching techniques to which she is exposed. So much so, that she is also mentoring new international teachers and was voted teacher of the year for February 2022 and in May 2021.

“So far, it has been a tremendous experience because this is a whole lot different to what I was used to in TT. The children here are versed in technology because you teach with technology. So when we had to switch to virtual school because of the pandemic, it was not difficult because the kids all have their own laptops. A clear touch was set up in front of my smart board, and I am learning a lot in technology.”

But she is not the only one benefitting from the programme. Because it is a cultural exchange, she is allowed to incorporate her culture in the lessons, as are the other teachers from other countries. In addition to the dishing out TT in theory, she said she sometimes gives her students and co-workers a real taste of the culture.

“For example, Divali is a big thing for me, so I make all the sweets and food and share at school. I also dress up in full East Indian regalia. The first time I did it the kids had never seen anything like it before and started calling me the Trinidad princess.”

Rhambarath said although there are a lot of cultural differences, she and her family – her husband and two children – have settled and found ways to live their culture in North Carolina.

“My husband gave up his job to come with and support me. I didn’t ask him, he did it on his own. I know it’s hard for my kids sometimes because they don’t have the freedom to go to the shop, or ride bikes in the road, but they have adjusted.”

She said the programme has allowed her to connect with other teachers, some from TT, who have become like family.

“When their kids and my kids meet up it’s like we’re in TT again. We do things together like cookouts. Sometimes someone would say, ‘Well I’m feeling to eat some roti, so if you’re cooking roti this weekend you know what to do,’” she said with a hearty laugh.

And, she said, because there is a demand for it, she has found new pleasure in cooking, plating her food and taking photos and posting on her Facebook page.

“It’s like my hobby, to free my mind off the activities of the day.”

She said one of the major adjustments they’ve had to make was getting used to the weather, which she said is “manageable” once you dress appropriately.

“Where I am in Fayetteville there is more ice than snow. The first time it snowed in four or five years we took the kids to play and they loved it. We made a snowman and I put my Trini mask on it.”

And when it’s warm enough for the beach, they pack up and make the hour-long drive as often as they can. Also, they often go on family trips to new places.

“We made ourselves a little world here where there is always something new to do, to learn, someone new to meet.”

Rhambarath began her teaching career in 2003 doing volunteer work in her community as soon as she graduated from Barrackpore Secondary School. She decided to formalise what she believed was her “calling” and attended Servol for a year before doing an internship at what was then called Clarke Rochard Centre.

“After that I was hired to continue teaching there.”

In 2009, she started a BA in education at the University of TT, which she completed at Roytec, and was appointed to teach at Clarke Rochard Government School.

“I was teaching as well as helping the administrator oversee things. I liked it and she (the administrator) inspired me to move on and to do more. That’s when I decided to do my master’s. It was a big step and it cost a lot of money, but I remember how it felt when I was accepted to do it.”

She has one year left in the Participate Learning programme, which allows teachers to work legally in the US for five years. The proactive educator has already mapped out her next step. She was accepted to pursue her PhD in education at Walden University in Minnesota in 2019, but had to defer because of health issues. She was diagnosed with cancer and underwent two surgical procedures in the space of four months.

“Although I had the best care, mentally, it was a challenge and there were days when I would just sit and cry. Fortunately, I had a lot of support from family, the school and administration. My healing time took six weeks and my mom came to be with me. I didn’t need to do chemo or radiation; I just need to continue to do my regular checkups.”

Rhambarath is hoping to start the next chapter of her academic adventure soon, after which she plans to invest her knowledge and experience in her beloved teaching and TT.

“I have been teaching for so long. It’s been about 20 years and it’s in me, I don’t want to give it up at all. I may not always be teaching at an elementary level, but I’ll always be in the classroom…I have a lot to give back to TT. I have so much I really want to give back.”

Rhambarath said she took a chance when she clicked on the Participate Learning link and it paid off despite the challenges.

“There will always be challenges, but I will always have an open mind and be positive about what I’m doing. If you see an opportunity, I recommend you take it and explore it. If it’s not for you, you can always go back.”